Through Her Eyes: Remastered
by Peroth
Summary: Ruby is born with the dangerous power to summon Grimm. Sheltered, shy, and under constant watch, Ruby is suddenly invited to join Beacon Academy. With the awful potential her power carries and a disturbing deformity that could out her to her peers, Ruby is tested in protecting the humanity of Remnant while keeping a dangerous secret. - AU, sorta follows canon. (Remaster of THE V1.)
1. (Author's Note)

Hello everyone.

To new readers, this story is a rewriting of my original story: Through Her Eyes. Through the months of writing Through Her Eyes, my writing got better and better, and I was unhappy rereading it with the numerous mistakes I'd made throughout. I'm also going to be tweaking continuity, flow, and all around try to enhance the story in addition to making it a better read.

To old friends, as explained at the end of Through Her Eyes, I want to make sure this story is as best as it can be. I'm not gonna beg you to reread the whole thing, or analyze the comparisons and differences between the new and the old, but I'd be more than happy to hear your thoughts on what you think is better or worse!

To everyone, please enjoy.


	2. Through Her Eyes

_Young lady, have you ever considered the importance of your eyes?_

… _You haven't?_

 _But they say more about you than any one sentence could. Where you look, how your brow furrows, how they widen, and of course, their color! Indeed, whether it's a comforting autumn brown or a curious spring green, the color of your eyes tells people something crucial about who you are!_

 _However, some eyes foretell a greater purpose. While many are born with a destiny of simplicity, some are born with the eyes of past warriors and future heroes. No one is given the same gifts at birth, and some are given abilities that might be seen as a curse._

 _Your eyes, your gifts, they are some of the greatest in the world... and not incidentally, among the most tragic._

* * *

The steady 'tock' of the clocktower Ozpin operated out of was both a comfort and a pain all at once; the ceaseless stride of time reminded him that all things passed: the good, the bad, his allies, and… _most_ of his foes. Even in the closing hours of the evening, heading towards the oppressive night, time was a wasteful creature; it left behind unfinished projects and ideas, let the world it ruled steadily waste away, and was only forgiving enough to allow those bound to its never ending march forward to build in the seconds it spared.

The headmaster's office was cast in a ruddy orange glow in the setting sun's light, the normally bright, blue holograms having adjusted to a more comfortable color in the new lighting. Human ingenuity was a funny thing, many comforts could be ignored for the sake of efficiency, but once humanity had acclimated to such a comfort, they tended to find a way to make comfort efficient. Ozpin found the adjustable holograms did a fine job of keeping his eyes from being seared out of his head when the light hit them in just the wrong way, and now that he'd grown used to the modern projectors, he did not miss the older, single-color models in the slightest.

It would have been yet another annoyance to deal with this day...

Every semester seemed to be just as bothersome as the last. Every problem plaguing the past few school years had been fixed—only for a _new_ issue to reveal itself, one that had not been relevant for years, despite month after endless month of troubleshooting and an ever-growing backlog of experience to draw upon.

This semester's twist was particularly disheartening: attendance was at an all-time low. Not without good reason, of course: the advancement of technology and civilization was mitigating the Grimm threat, so city-born children had safer job opportunities opened up to them. The people of Vale had more call for bankers, teachers, and software engineers than for soldiers and Huntsman, and it sometimes took a small army of Grimm scratching at their walls to remind the citizenry that hunters were still a necessary force in the world.

His would-be students could take it easy if they so desired, but _that_ woman was most certainly on the move. A safe, productive, peaceful population was a blessing and a boon in the overwhelming majority of situations… but not when trying to counter a darkness such as hers.

Steepling his fingers and leaning his elbows on the polished surface of his desk, Ozpin considered his incoming potential assets in the endless struggle: several foreign students were entering Beacon as opposed to their local academies, including the highly decorated Pyrrha Nikos and the heiress of the Schnee dynasty–and with them, a positive media buzz. Faunus attendance was up, making up for the loss of non-Faunus students somewhat, but old prejudices were still alive in many human hearts, and he feared the increased Faunus population might cause simmering tensions to boil over into the halls and dorms. The Vytal Festival was always a spectacular event, and a good showing would surely restore some of the luster to his school's prestigious reputation. On the downside, the White Fang were operating ever closer to the city, growing bolder and more violent with every successful heist, and they stole whatever goods they could get their hands on, including an entire train car full of educational program chips for Beacon students.

While Ozpin wouldn't mind if the White Fang attempted to educate themselves, but the funds would need to be recouped; plus, the implication that a school for Hunters could not safeguard its own supply lines sent an… undesirable public relations image to the world at large. On the bright side, Weiss Schnee's attendance had the unsolicited but deeply appreciated side-effect of bringing in Dust at an improved discount, not that it would matter if his classrooms continued to empty...

Ozpin let loose a sigh that bordered on a small growl as he shuffled the papers on his desk for what felt like the hundredth time, fighting off boredom as he tried to organize the mess this semester was attempting to start on. He briefly considered calling in his right-hand woman, but that only reminded him that she was in Vale on her own business, unable to help him organize his own thoughts. Though he was a man of energy, new ideas, and progress, the tedium of being an administrator and part-time bureaucrat was far harsher than that of a hunter protecting the world from violent, villainous dangers.

At least the night was calm.

He considered heading home early to broach his problems with a fresh perspective in the morning. A long shower and a hot meal seemed more alluring by the moment, now that he'd thought of it...

His scroll suddenly beeped from its charger, jarring his thoughts and blessing him with _something_ he could focus on. Without looking at his scroll, Ozpin tapped it, clearing his throat before speaking. "This is Headmaster Ozpin." His hands idly began reshuffling sheets he'd already approved.

"Ozpin." Glynda's sharp, womanly voice stopped his fidgeting instantly. Rarely did she address him so informally. Ozpin shifted to focus entirely on his scroll with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "There's been an incident."

"Of course there has, Glynda." His tone was more playful than irritated, but he stood, leaving behind his work–but not his scroll–and walking to his office's elevator, his cane tapping the floor in time with the tower's constant tick-tocking. "Who, what, when, where, why?" He recited as the doors opened at his touch, and he entered, hitting the button for the ground floor.

"Ruby Rose." Glynda's tight, disapproving voice replied, and Ozpin felt his blood freeze. He squeezed the head of his cane tightly, suddenly begging the normally leisurely elevator to hurry downwards.

"Qrow's niece." He whispered gravely, eyes watching the floor counter intently.

"Correct. She was involved with a robbery." Through the scroll, Ozpin could hear her footsteps as she paced. Glynda only paced when she was nervous.

"She _robbed_ somebody?" Ozpin pressured, the tip of his cane clattering as he shook. This was… unfortunate. No, no this was _far_ worse, this was _catastrophic._ If Ruby Rose was already losing control-

"No." Glynda's voice sounded relieved, yet somehow more annoyed for it, "No, she _stopped_ a robbery. I arrived after the altercation had escalated to a rooftop chase involving a _bullhead,_ of all things. We'll need to discuss the Dust Sorceress who aided the thief's escape another time, but we have a more pressing concern at the moment." At the clarification, Ozpin took a deep, steadying breath and put his scroll on speaker so he could quickly scan the net for recent news of robberies or combat in Vale without ending the conversation. Nothing yet, the public seemed unaware

"Agreed, we can deal with a rogue Huntress at any time. Did Miss Rose restrain herself?" Ozpin asked quietly, fighting to keep his voice even.

"No, she did _not."_ Glynda's tone turned into a frigid hiss, and Ozpin hastily broadened his search to include Grimm. "She used her powers to fend off the criminals. There were no witnesses as far as the police can tell, but we'll have to confiscate the footage immediately if we're to avoid… questions."

"Agreed. Use whatever resources you require; I don't even want the police involved in this, not until we're certain. _Completely_ certain." Ozpin suddenly felt the urgent need for coffee. He blinked, jerked from his own spiraling anxiety. If _he_ thought he needed coffee, he wondered how Miss Rose must be feeling in the looming, tense presence of his deputy headmistress? "I'll be making a brief stop on the way over. Where is Miss Rose now?"

"She's being lead to a holding cell. Local authorities seem ignorant to what she has done, I've assured them I am the cause of any oddities found at the scene. I'm in a private room while the police get her report of the incident." Glynda cited, then cut off Ozpin before he could speak up, "Before we separated, I instructed her to remain silent on the exact details of the conflict and helped come up with a plausible explanation. If she stayed on script, the police will believe she defended herself with her Aura and limited martial arts skills acquired from her father, a hunter with a net positive career record."

"Excellent. Yes, very good Glynda. I'm calling Qrow, he should be there for this." The lift slowed, stopped, and the doors opened. Ozpin hurried out, as fast as his limp would allow. Coffee... Coffee and… what was it Qrow said she'd favored? Sweets? He couldn't recall exactly, but he'd been an acting headmaster for a long time, he knew full well that battle, Aura usage, and puberty created a perfect storm of perpetual hunger. Even if Ms. Rose was not overly fond of sweets, a plate of cookies was virtually guaranteed to be met with approval. Yes, cookies it was.

"Qrow is currently on a mission somewhere in the wilds, he can't be reached."Glynda reminded him and his cheek twitched in annoyance at his own lapse of memory. "However, he has a detailed message awaiting him when he enters civilization again."

"Of course, of course, right when I need him in two places at once. Very well, Glynda, keep her company while she's waiting." Ozpin hurried towards his personal air skiff. He was in a hurry, it would take far too long to rouse the school taxi. He secured his compacted scroll into it's dock on the dashboard, linking it to the small airship's systems before he ignited the dust-fueled turbines. "Oh, Glynda, one last thing?"

"Yes sir?"

"What of her eyes?"

"Hidden."A knot untangled in his stomach and he nodded.

"Good. Keep them that way." He disconnected the call and leaned back in his seat, hands gripping the skiff's control wheel.

His heart was hammering, he didn't even realize he was shaking until he heard the vibration of the wheel in his grip. The situation was not nearly as bad as he'd feared, but _Ruby Rose_ was involved. Ozpin's unsteady fingers touched the throttle, but he stopped himself from taking it. He leaned forward and took a deep, meditative breath.

Then a second. Then a third, and his fingers stopped trembling and his limbs once again heeded his will.

This needed to go smoothly. Ruby Rose needed to be on his side. Nothing–not budget constraints, not sagging application numbers, not even that hateful witch–was more important than making sure Miss Rose stayed the pleasant girl Qrow vouched for. Resolve restored and his goal firmly in focus, he piloted the skiff floated out over the lake between Beacon and Vale, then pushed the throttle to its limit and rocketed the small craft toward the heart of the city.

* * *

The guard escorting Ozpin to Ruby's holding room was enviably at ease, if a tad star-struck. Of course he was, he didn't know anything was wrong, just that he was in the presence of a famed hunter, and what could easily be assumed to be a young, upstart student huntress. No one but Ozpin and Glynda knew exactly how perilous this night could have been; even Ruby couldn't have known how close she'd come to giving him a heart-attack. Then again, she may not have been aware of what exactly she _was..._ which was more than likely for the best.

Expectations turn kittens into tigers, and he'd preferred if Ruby stayed an unaware kitten.

"Here's the room, Professor Ozpin." The guard stood to the side, holding the door open for him. Ozpin bowed his head in thanks and entered, immediately examining every detail in the room.

It was small and sparsely furnished, having nothing but an empty table, a chair–occupied by a small girl sitting on the edge of her seat, trying to avoid Glynda's hawkish glances–and a low-hanging light. Glynda herself paced along the wall nearby, reviewing what was likely footage of the encounter on a small scroll. Everything else was cast in shadow, and Ozpin instinctively reaffirmed his grip on the head of his cane. He needed to remain calm and personable. He looked to his other hand, which held a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and forced his squared shoulders to relax. He needed her to trust him; he had to take it slow, keep things casual, he couldn't allow the three cups of coffee nor his spike in adrenaline to make him appear agitated.

Normally, he'd have a handle on the situation before addressing a potential troublemaker, but to avoid a potential information leak, Glynda hadn't sent him the video from the Dust store. He'd have to play it by ear tonight.

With a gentle quirk of his jaw, he turned to look at Glynda, who had settled against the wall with a tight, almost angry little frown, and was watching them both. She gripped her riding crop more firmly when her eyes settled on the young lady they shared a room with.

He spoke, loudly and clearly, returning his gaze to the younger lady. "Ruby Rose." The girl flinched at her own name as Ozpin examined her; she was a small thing, only fifteen years old, but she seemed younger still, seeming to struggle at filling out her clothing like most girls her age did. She also appeared quite short—though that could have been a result of her abysmally hunched posture. She was wearing an oversized yellow hoodie with a fading decal of Signal Academy printed on the front–and given what he knew about her, the hoodie was probably on loan from somebody else–but more uniquely, she wore thick, black, goggles over her eyes, with completely shadowed lenses.

Ozpin took several steps towards her, moving out of the shadows and into the circle of light, angling his head downwards to peer at her from over his glasses. She truly looked like any normal girl, other than her hidden eyes. He did _not_ like that particular detail. The eyes were an important part of expression: they told the truth during a lie, they burned with anger, they melted with sorrow, and they glinted with joy; more than anything else, in this unfortunate situation, they would let him see what she was looking at, offering advanced warning on if she was planning to flee…

… or attack.

Given the circumstances, he struggled to let this personal irritant go. Things could have been worse than obstructive eyewear and his personal distaste for the unseen. Far, far worse...

"Ruby," he said again, his tone softer as he examined the girl, "do you know who I am?" He tilted his head slightly, trying to mask his apprehension with patience and curiosity.

Ruby sat straighter, but still sporting a nervous hunch; it was still terrible posture, but Ozpin decided against commenting. "Y-you're Professor Ozpin. The h-headmaster at B-B-Beacon Academy." She had a cute, high-pitched voice, befitting her height and age. However, it was tense and low, trembling with fear and anxiety, which was unfortunate, but understandable given how her night was progressing.

Ozpin considered her for a few moments longer; there was no hostility to her body language, her hands were on the table, twisting together miserably, and there was nothing immediately threatening about her. Even her choice of eyewear was more unusual than sinister now that he'd acclimated to them, and he'd certainly seen stranger fashion in his school. He made a satisfied hum, and slid the plate of cookies onto the table, prompting Ruby to look at the offerings, then up at him. Her brow knit. It was either in suspicion or she was asking permission; he couldn't tell without seeing her eyes, so Ozpin gently nodded. "They're for you, Ruby."

She watched him for a second more, her pale fingers twitching before they unlaced and she picked a cookie up. The whole treat was gone the moment it touched her lips, and Ozpin quietly wondered how she was able to bypass chewing and go straight to a loud, satisfied gulp. "They're really good." She stated weakly, and Ozpin nodded, wondering if she'd even tasted it.

"I'm glad to hear it." Ozpin began to pace in front of her slowly, his cane clicking against the stone floor every two steps as he recited the basic information he'd reviewed on his scroll while awaiting his order: "Ruby Rose-Xiao Long, daughter of Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. A resident of Patch Island." He turned to face her, noting the pile of cookies had lightened further. "You're the niece of Qrow Branwen."

"Y-yeah, _U-uncle_ Qrow. A-and... and j-just Rose is fine." She corrected meekly, then stuffed her face again. Ozpin took note of the preference and continued to walk back and forth.

"Qrow and I go a ways back; he's a friend of mine, an ally in fighting the Grimm and hunters who have gone down a dark path, as well as any other threats that may emerge. He's a dedicated and loyal huntsman, always watching out for you from the corner of his eye." Ozpin stated, keeping his eyes on Ruby.

"That s-sounds like him, sort of…" Ruby agreed. Ozpin watched her tug at her goggles in discomfort and frowned slightly; they looked extremely constricting. It was to ensure a measure of privacy, but they must have been uncomfortable.

Ozpin returned to the conversation with a sudden, impish smile. "He's also quite the sarcastic grouch, isn't he?" He teased, and Ruby's shoulders shrugged, unable to resist a tiny, amused smile of her own. "Has he said anything about me?"

"H-he said he s-sorta kn-knew you, just never talked about it m-much." Ruby swallowed another cookie. "B-but he said he t-trusted you."

"' _Trust.'"_ Ozpin sampled the word as he rested both hands on his cane and turned towards Ruby, appraising her carefully. "He trusts me with a lot of information. He trusts I have the best intentions in mind when I get this information." Ozpin spoke slowly, his eyes boring into Ruby's goggles. "Including about you."

A thick cloud of apprehension began brewing between them, and Ruby's hands immediately locked together and squeezed nervously. She looked down, no longer interested in the plate of cookies.

"Ahem." Glynda stood straight, approaching with her hand extended, offering Ozpin a small data drive. He spoke his thanks and slid it into his scroll, rolling his shoulders to loosen them and chewing his inner lips in anticipation as the action started.

The screen displayed a grainy, mutely colored video of the street; presumably, just outside the Dust shop Ruby had protected. What it showed was like something out of a film: a young girl, dressed in casual city clothing surrounded by a group of armed, black-suited thugs. Even through the low-quality camera, Ozpin could see how nervous the girl was.

Ozpin's eyebrows scrunched together as he watched the stand-off for a full minute. They menaced Ruby, shouting things at the hoodied girl, quickly moving in when she showed her back, only to hop out of range when she wheeled towards them. They had the advantage… what had they seen just before this footage had been taken?

Another thing Ozpin noticed was Ruby's awareness: she was trying to take in everything around her, quickly looking towards footsteps, raising her small, pale fists whenever she saw a weapon rise against her; nervous as she was, she was acting like a hunter. Her low, wide stance, her raised, but relaxed arms, the mechanical way her head moved… Ozpin sucked in a breath.

She was better than Qrow had implied. Far, _far_ better.

One of the gangsters, taller than his companions, carrying a hatchet, suddenly lunged forward, weapon raised overhead for an executioner's chop that made Ozpin's stomach tighten. For any average citizen, that would have been it; she would have had her brains spilled across the asphalt, but Ruby wasn't a citizen here, she was a _hunter._

Her fingers closed around the axeman's wrists, his blade stopped a few inches above her head. He strained against her Aura-enhanced strength for a moment… right until the heel of her boot lodged itself in the man's groin. Contrasting normal spectator's reactions, Ozpin smirked–she'd instantly struck at a soft spot, took his axe, and as the man crumpled to the ground, Ruby turned to use the handle of her stolen weapon to block a tonfa.

She was good. _Very_ good, actually, even without her weapon of choice. She occasionally made an aborted grab toward her lower back, trying to draw a weapon she did not possess, but she always checked the motion before it could make a significant hole in her guard. The thugs' pack tactics were shoddy at best, Ruby was deflecting their attacks, and not once did the axehead come anywhere close to her foes. She didn't want to hurt them; a unique predicament, considering how badly they wanted to hurt her.

One gangster suddenly broke through her defense as light flashed around him, the low-grade security camera barely able to render his surging Aura as his shortsword cut straight through the axe's handle. Ruby only avoided the strike by falling onto her back, and her assaulters fell onto her with steel and boot.

He could see the flashes of her aura through the fence of legs as the thugs tried to beat her to death in the middle of the street, and Ozpin had to remind himself that Ruby was alive. He wanted nothing more than to find where these men had been imprisoned to express his displeasure personally, but he had more pressing matters to tend to…

… like watching the street somehow produce a Nevermore talon from where Ruby laid.

One of the men was suddenly shot into the air, an enormous set of pitch black talons squeezing him around the middle, violently battering the other thugs by using their comrade as a club, while the girl in the middle remained fetal. The thug with the aura quickly sliced the leg in twain, releasing his companion, but was suddenly pounced upon by a Beowolf that had…

His mind nearly ground to a halt as he wondered where the hell it had come from.

Ozpin rewound the video and watched once more as, from the base of the black corvid foot that was somehow sinking into the street as if it were a lake, a lupine shape erupted upwards to tackle the man to the ground, teeth around his face as he scrambled, slugged, and panicked to try and release himself. When the rest of the thugs rushed to his aid, black limbs burst from the street to grasp at their legs and claw their clothing. The vicious gang-beating had turned into a full on panic when black claws and sharp teeth pulled the men to the ground, vile shapes bubbling from a black puddle that had suddenly surrounded Ruby.

This should have been on the news. This should have been _dominating_ the news. How could anyone have contained this mess before Glynda arrived to intervene?

Of course, Ozpin's question was answered almost immediately. The emerging claws, the snapping Grimm, the incoming slaughter, all of it came to a halt by way of a dance… he didn't see where the weapon had come from, but Ruby stood amidst the floating pieces of former Grimm, spinning in place, an ink-black scythe twirling in her hands too quickly for the camera to record as more than an ebony blur.

It was fascinating, yet ludicrous, reminding him once more of a movie… every one of her movements was impeccably quick, every motion so smooth it seemed choreographed, he never got to see the blow in motion, just the tension in her shoulders before the swing and the next Grimm falling apart at the end. They tried turning on her, trying to find a path through her swirling scythe head to tear her apart, but now that she was properly armed and not holding back…

Ozpin found himself breathless. The scattered thugs could only watch in equal astonishment to his own as the tiny girl they'd been menacing slid across the battlefield, dispatching her own creations one by one, as if muscle and bone were as easily parted a paper and cloth. One man, either high on adrenaline or genuinely stupid enough to attack his savior, tried to attack her from behind after the last Beowolf had been dispatched into an inky, vanishing splash on the pavement.

Ruby's speed was beyond admirable. She so easily twisted around his baton and hooked her scythe around his neck, a guaranteed death sentence if she were so inclined, but rather than execute him on the spot, she spun him around herself and flung him into a pile of garbage bags. That was an _impressive_ aura trick, she'd been cutting down the Grimm in single strikes earlier, her weapon's blade should have decapitated him instantly with that much force behind the motion. She had the discipline, the awareness, and the skill to avoid an ambush and end it non lethally, an advanced feat in any conflict.

The rest of the thugs hesitated, and Ozpin began to wonder whether their collective pride had been wounded by being shown up by their victim or if drugs were involved, because they tried to swarm her once more. Ruby had none of it, and she vaulted over them, slid below their strikes, spun around her black scythe's pole to lash out with her sneakers, and one by one, the gangsters were left curled on the ground or draped over benches, clutching painful, but otherwise superficial wounds.

Ruby stood alone in the middle of the street, her chest moving rapidly as she caught her breath, surveying her work with a timid posture, looking increasingly distressed at what she'd done. Her hand shook in distress, then opened to drop her scythe, which hit the asphalt and… disappeared. No, it sank into the ground like defeated Grimm had, the black ink that swallowed it appeared and disappeared without leaving any trace behind.

The Grimm were gone, not even leaving the traditional cloud of ashen smoke; the men were downed, and Ruby stood woefully triumphant in their midst. Her attention went elsewhere, and her stance shifted once alerted, her head tilting upwards as she shouted something. Whatever she spotted out of the camera's view caused her to go right back into a battle stance, and Ozpin hid a smirk as she pointed angrily, shouting once more before she raced after something, or somebody, not visible to the camera. The recording ended, and Ozpin licked his suddenly dry lips.

Qrow had called her 'amateur hour', and Ozpin wanted to call Qrow and demand an itemized list of whatever insane standards the man had for a trainee hunter.

This was no common student sitting at the table in front of him; everything about that fight had been impressive, bordering on professional. Once she'd drawn her scythe– _however_ she'd done it–she was fast, powerful, graceful, using her momentum to cleave from one kill to the next. Those Grimm had died, those men had lived, and both were entirely due to her desire for it to end that way… But Ozpin had to remind himself that he wasn't here to evaluate her prospective hunter abilities. He had just watched the girl summon a mass of _Grimm_ from the ground. Grimm that had assaulted everyone they could reach… including their summoner.

"Glynda, how are the... gentlemen from the recording?" Ozpin asked, rewinding the video to watch again. Ruby fidgeted in her seat, looking ready to bolt if the door so much as fluttered open. Glynda quirked her eyebrow at his choice of words, but seemed to decide it was beneath commenting on.

"In chains, babbling about fighting Grimm. The police couldn't get the same story out of any of them: some fought the girl, some fought the Grimm, some fought both. The video evidence was, unfortunately, missing from the shop, and the crime scene is a mess of vomit, spilled blood, and slash marks in the pavement. There are no lingering indications of a Grimm attack, just a street brawl that seemed to involve one or more unusually large bladed weapons." She cited formally, a well-practiced lie that made Ozpin hide a chuckle.

"Excellent. As for you..." Ozpin whirled on Ruby, who stiffened in her seat. He assumed she was looking at him, but he still could not see her eyes. He let out a quiet sigh; there was a lot of ground to cover, and those goggles were steadily weighing on his nerves. "That was quite a fight. Are you alright?"

"Fine." Ruby answered hastily, her hands curled into nervous fists on the table.

"No need for a visit to the hospital?"

"No, they didn't fade me. I-I'm a little tired b-but… fine..." Ruby's answered hesitantly. She was definitely not bragging; she was far too nervous to show bravado.

"Good. Then we can cut to the chase." Ozpin leaned over the table, resting on one arm as he got to eye level with Ruby. The girl recoiled, trying to keep her distance as Ozpin studied her face. "Your Uncle Qrow keeps close tabs on you for me. You're a very interesting girl, you know that?"

Ruby's expression darkened with remarkable visibility given how much her goggles blocked."You mean a s-scary one."

"Mm. Everyone has the potential to be frightening."

"Yeah, not like _me_ though..." Ruby whispered. She turned away to break their held gaze. Ozpin could have disagreed, given the numerous villains he'd faced over the years, but that was far from the subject at hand.

"Ruby," he tapped the table between them to fetch her attention once more, "I want you to know you aren't in trouble." She chanced a small look his way, and Ozpin put on his best smile. "Rather, I want to commend you for leaping into action and stopping those thieves. What you did tonight was very brave. Dangerous, perhaps even foolish, but brave. Without you, those men would have stolen that shopkeeper's livelihood and no doubt sunk him into a harsh debt. Because of your actions, the owner can continue living a comfortable, and hopefully more secure, life, and by putting those criminals behind bars you will have protected even more lives in the future. Tonight, you are a hero."

The room was filled with a surprised pause as Ruby turned her head fully to stare at him, her mouth forming a small 'o' from bewilderment. The poor girl had probably never heard such praise, and Ozpin gave her a relaxed smile. " _Thank you?!"_ She finally squeaked.

"No, Ruby, thank _you."_ Ozpin stood up straight, taking his cane again to steady himself. He watched Ruby thoughtfully. "Qrow has filled me in on your training; I'm sorry you weren't allowed to enter Signal."

Her surprised euphoria deflated, Ruby hung her head, nodding. Taiyang had made the decision that Ruby's power would cause too much of a stir, and Qrow has agreed with only some reluctance. A young woman summoning _Grimm_ would cause panic in even the best-managed classroom; Ozpin could practically see the slack-jawed expressions of the Signal staff, and the immense paranoia and fear that would end her career as a huntress before it started.

It seemed brutally unfair, but it would be a titanic effort to convince the world that the Grimm-summoning terror was someone's beloved child too.

"Your training has clearly paid off. I've only seen such skills with a scythe twice in my life; it's a dangerous weapon in a novice's hands, but you and your uncle have such remarkable control. Signal would be frothing at the mouth to get such a talented young lady in their ranks." He paused, watching Ruby's expression: judging by her mouth and cheek bones she was somewhere between proud and depressed.

"Uncle Qrow s-said that I was a really good learner. Said I was as talented as a salted slug, but worked like a starving dog." Ruby whispered with a hint of fondness in her voice. "I used to throw myself into practice ev-every day, I always worked and worked and _worked_ , b-but I could never do what Uncle Qrow did. Uncle Qrow was amazing, he would be like _whoosh,"_ Ruby threw out a sudden series of karate chops, "and _hiyah_ and _watah_ and-" Ruby's arms fell to the table, "-and th-there I was, tripping over rocks, or f-falling onto my scythe, or getting stuck in tree branches. I just n-never seemed to catch up. Dad and Yang both have no trouble beating me whenever we s-spar."

"Well, I would argue otherwise; your Uncle Qrow is a much different caliber of hunter than most, perhaps greater than _me."_ Ozpin chuckled at the thought. "And your father is an experienced hunter, while your sister is two years ahead of you in formal training. I can't account for _Qrow's_ idea of training, but Signal's education is designed to propel a student to their full potential in little wasted time. Comparing yourself to two adults and an older student is unfair."

"But it's the _truth."_ Ruby stomped, rattling the table. "I'm n-not as g-good as you say I am. I got _lucky._ "

"And _luck_ is precisely what many a hunter needs in those crucial moments between attack and counterattack. The crunch of a twig behind you, a loosened screw falling out at the wrong moment, finding out you packed one extra bullet by accident after going through your normal reserve." Ozpin then gave Ruby a very quaint, curious smile. "Or, perhaps most lucky of all, a chance encounter with somebody who sees your potential."

Ruby gave him a mystified frown, her gears turning but making no progress as Ozpin beamed and continued. "Beacon, normally, has very strict requirements to enter." His brow twitched as he felt Glynda try to impale him with her glare. He'd have a lot of explaining to do later... "We take the top-of-the-line students from around the world, and thoroughly test them to see if they meet our standards. It's true even a drop-out may find some work as a freelance guard in an outpost out of our jurisdiction, but our objective is to refine our students into peerless shields against the Grimm." Ozpin hummed and hawed thoughtfully. "Now, it _is_ possible for the student of a famed hunter to get accepted; however, your Uncle Qrow isn't what I'd call famous…" Yet, Ozpin knew Qrow very well, and was more than willing to trust Qrow's results...

"Th-that's not true!" Ruby looked up at him with a sudden inspiration in her voice. "N-not being able to enter a hunter academy I mean." She slid her hand into the pocket of her hoodie, and pulled out a pamphlet for Shade. "Vacuo will accept any student that can pass a preliminary test, even somebody who didn't go to school. I-I was thinking, if I used just my scythe skills, and I told them about my abilities beforehand..." She stopped, swallowing thickly.

"You think that would work? That a hunter academy would blindly accept someone who can summon Grimm?" Ozpin asked gently. Ruby went quiet, and drummed the table with her fingers.

"Maybe as target practice…" She acknowledged in a defeated tone, more to herself than him.

"Ruby, I'm always happy to meet an ambitious student who wants to make the best out of a bad situation, but hunters are a superstitious and paranoid lot. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but what I saw in that video…" Ozpin trailed off and gave her a sympathetic look. "If your uncle hadn't been keeping me in the loop, I would have had you locked away for study. Vacuo's a tough place, and Shade is a tough academy. As the only source of authority in that desert, what do you think they would do with you?"

Ruby stayed silent. Ozpin resumed pacing back and forth in front of her, now tracing the edge of the table with his fingertips. Glynda watched him with a frown, no doubt trying to will him into aborting what she perceived as a mistake while he looked up to the ceiling in thought, and Ruby looked down at the floor.

"Ruby, can I ask you a favor?" Ozpin shifted his gaze to Ruby, who stared back with uncertainty. "May I see your eyes?" He pointed to her big black goggles. Ruby placed her hands over her goggle straps at the question, her lips turning pale with fear.

"I-I don't think that would be a good idea. M-my own family doesn't like my e-eyes. Uncle Q-Qrow can barely look at them." Her jaw tightened in frustration, and Ozpin gave her a calming smile.

"I know. He's told me about them. I'd like to see them anyways, to know for myself." Ruby hesitated as she looked up at the headmaster. Slowly, shakily, she grasped the edges of her eye wear and pulled them off her face. Ozpin felt Glynda move to his side–curiosity overriding her foul mood–so they could both watch as her goggles slid up to her forehead, pinning her bangs above her eyes, and revealed herself.

It was breathless and quiet for what felt like a long time, and it was only the clatter of Ozpin's jittering cane that made him realize how hard he was shaking. Glynda was taking very slow, shallow breaths, all color drained from her already light complexion, and both of them forced themselves to stare. "Goodness." Glynda finally rasped.

Ruby's expression implied deep sorrow, but Ozpin had difficulties seeing it for what it was.

Ruby had _her_ eyes: glowing, blood-red irises amidst pitch-black sclera, her perfectly round pupils looking like holes into Grimm nothingness. Etched across her temples were numerous black veins that bulged under her skin and made her look deathly ill. Ozpin firmed himself, trying to cease his shaking as he looked into Salem's eyes.

Qrow had warned him that the girl's eyes seemed to make the fight or flight reflex shift to full throttle, and he had believed he could bare it, but his confidence proved to be unfounded. Even if Ruby's face was slack with discomfort and fear, Ozpin could only see Salem's malice and contempt. It was so disturbingly _wrong_ that his mind repeatedly struggled and failed to accept that they were a natural feature on Ruby's face. He looked into those eyes and saw something more dangerous than any predator: they were the eyes of a remorseless, uncaring god, one that would treat humans as food, experiments, and sacrifices with the same ambivalence a child might treat ants. They were uncanny to a horrific degree, completely devoid of the things that made animals and humans seem so approachable; most creatures conveyed curiosity and suspicion with their stare, Ruby's eyes were entirely devoid of those things, perhaps... _perhaps_ in total opposite to how Ruby actually felt. Ozpin had to reign in his sudden bout of paranoia, he'd yet to be given a reason to think Ruby was deceiving him.

With a painful shudder, Ozpin could take no more and closed his eyes, while Glynda took a few steps backwards and broke eye contact by scowling at the floor. "Thank you, Ruby." He sighed, looking at her out of the corners of his eyes. Her black and red stare seemed to pierce right through him, and he acknowledged that Qrow's choice of goggles were a necessity. He forced his head to turn so he could look at her again, just not at her eyes. Rather, he chose somewhere safe, like the smooth point of her chin.

"Should I put my goggles back on?" She asked in a small, sad voice.

"Are you more comfortable with them on?" Ozpin asked, trying to be clinical with his feelings, but he couldn't shake the feeling of death gripping him. The fear those eyes inspired cloyed like cobwebs, forcing him to fight the humiliation his cowardice caused.

"N-not really. They get sweaty, and I can't really see out of the corners so-"

"Then please, leave them off." Ozpin interrupted her with a small, thin-lipped smile. Ruby touched her goggles, seemingly hesitant to remove them, but ultimately slid them off to drop them on the table with a heavy 'thud.'

With little warning, Ozpin leaned over the table, his face looming closer despite his irrational instincts, his fingers reaching out. Ruby flinched and made an offended squeak as his fingertips traced her black veins, but kept herself from retaliating against his intrusion. Her skin was warm, yet the veins were cool, and oddly tough, and he detected a faint pulsation of blood underneath. He pulled his hand back, and Ruby's shoulders drooped in relief.

He worked his jaw slowly and stood up straight, wearing a thoughtful expression as he rubbed his fingertips against the cloth of his pant leg. "Ruby, even though you've been forbidden from attending a huntsman's academy, why do you train? Especially with such a difficult weapon."

Ruby took her time formulating an answer, and Ozpin took one of the cookies off the plate. He savored it quietly, letting her gather her thoughts while he let the soothing mix of chocolate and sugar help settle his nerves. "More than _anything…_ More than being n-normal, I-I want to be a huntress." She spoke with more assuredness in her voice than before, and Ozpin tilted his head to signal for her to continue. "When I was a little girl, when my mom was alive, she was a huntress, a _really_ good one. My dad's a hunter too, and my uncle. Yang, my sister, she's training to be a huntress, but when we were both little she would read stories to me; the ones all about hunters fighting evil, saving the innocent, helping those who couldn't help themselves. When I could read, I learned all about the towns and cities that failed because of bandits and Grimm. I-I always thought 'I want to do something to help them.' I-I want to help people." Ruby swallowed thickly. "And I thought that if I was good enough I wouldn't have to use my s-semblance. That maybe I could go my whole career fighting and protecting without… _y'know.._. _"_ Ruby whispered meekly.

Ozpin nodded, then ran his thumb along his jawbone in thought. "I understand. You've had the odds stacked against you from the beginning, and yet, you still choose to take the hard path." He noted outloud.

Ruby let out a sigh. "I know it's a stretch, b-but maybe, if I have to, I can go f-freelance. I know that's basically being a vigilante but out in the wild…" She trailed off.

"Out in the wild, you could protect the villages without the constraints of the hunter's guilds, but pay would become inconsistent, and you'd be regarded with great suspicion. It's an even harder life, and one few find fulfilling, and even fewer find success in. Not to mention giving up the modern conveniences of the world..." Ozpin noted, watching Ruby shrug helplessly. "But... I'm guessing you'd rather get a license, and work alongside your fellow hunters, knowing back home there's a bed and air conditioning awaiting you?"

"... 'n cable..." Ruby muttered in shy admittance, and the headmaster had to control a laugh threatening to escape him.

He found himself in a conundrum: on one hand, this girl was filled to bursting with an awful, potential danger that could easily sink his career, if not his entire school, into roiling chaos, death, and destruction… but on the other, she showed a vibrant promise. She wasn't _just_ talented, she wasn't _just_ skilled, she wasn't _just_ preaching the very ideals he wished to instill in all his students, she was all those things, in addition to a particular… _something._

He honestly wished he had a better idea of how to describe it: the feeling in his gut whenever he met particular people, which whispered about how this one individual could change the future course for both man and Faunus-kind. Ruby frightened him, yet at the same time, that feeling bubbled in his stomach, a sort of giddy euphoria pushing back against his doubts.

He got a similar feeling from the blonde boy he'd spoken to a week ago, Jaune Arc. He was clearly lying through his teeth when he presented the headmaster with his manuscript, but there was _something_ that told Ozpin to allow him to attend. Something _besides_ low enrollment and some groveling, that is.

He knew full well the dangers the two would be in by enrolling, but Ruby was even _more_ precarious. She had summoned Grimm–to protect herself, true–and his hunter's instinct was to observe, capture, and eliminate. The Arc boy was a danger to himself, and a possible liability to his classmates if he landed on the wrong team… but Ruby was a bomb, primed to explode if mishandled.

Yet there she sat, her head low, her adorable little face filled with sadness, and Ozpin felt a surge of sympathy. The abomination and the shunned child were not abstract, mutually exclusive concepts… they were one in the same, and she had no choice but to be both. It was unfair, and he was in the position to give her the chance she so desperately craved...

Ozpin turned his head to look at Glynda. The blonde professor's eyes were full of discouragement, still pale from trying to peer into Ruby's gaze. She was disagreeing with him, she thought this was a mistake, but that he and he alone would make the call. Ozpin smiled and shrugged helplessly, prompting her to let out a small feminine grunt and roll her eyes theatrically.

"I guess it can't be helped. Beacon has prided itself on its talented students, and we don't want to leave any teams short this semester." He stated while staring up at the ceiling, causing Ruby to give him a questioning look.

"W-... What do you mean?" She watched him slowly turn to face her with a pleased smile.

"What I mean is, that, at Beacon Academy, we have a bit of a shortage of entrants this year. And, luck be with me, sitting before me is a young woman brimming with talent and a dedication towards her fellow man that is both rare and comforting." Ozpin opened his scroll to open an application page. "What I mean, Ruby Rose, is that I would like you to come to Beacon Academy."

Ruby made a noise not unlike a confused baby elephant as she stared at Ozpin. Her damnable eyes were bug-eyed and only _looked_ furious, the rest of Ruby was entirely dumbfounded. "I-I- but- l-look at me, I mean my _eyes,_ my _powers,_ a-and I haven't gone to Signal and I mean even if I had it's too early for me 'cuz I wouldn't have graduated and I mean that's assuming I even get all passing grades because Dust-stuff is s-super-duper hard because do you know how many times I-I blew up my family, 'c-cuz it was a lot a-and-and-"

Ozpin let her ramble on as he presented the application to Glynda, who quietly signed off in approval before leaning in to whisper, "We are already ankles deep in that woman's plots. Do we really want another potential issue?"

"My dear Glynda," Ozpin looked back at the babbling Ruby with a small smirk, "times of danger are also times of innovation. This is a great risk that may return a greater reward." He turned back towards Ruby, holding up a finger to silence her.

"- I keep mixing up blue raspberry juice with dish soap so- huh?" She stopped mid-rant and focused on Ozpin. She sniffled and he suppressed a smile; how he wished all his students were so attentive.

"We are willing to overlook your lack of formal education in exchange for a greater commitment on your part. We provide learning materials for all students and have tutors on site for those struggling to get by. More importantly, we are willing to help you with your semblance."

"Like, r-repress it?" Ruby was squeezing her fists in nervous excitement, but Ozpin shook his head.

"We will never truly know just how dangerous or how incredible your semblance may be _unless_ we attempt to. However, in the meantime, two things will be required of you: you must never use your semblance except in _extraordinary_ circumstances, and you must continue wearing those goggles. I am sure you are aware what your eyes do to people when they look into them."

"They w-would try to call hunters…" Ruby muttered.

"Indeed. It would be for the best that they remain covered unless you're in private." Ozpin looked over her face one more time. Those eyes, those utterly unbearable eyes... a curse for such an well-intentioned girl. She did not have that _woman's_ evil, yet she was a pariah nonetheless. She needed this opportunity… more than that, he found that he needed to try and give her this opportunity. "Is this an acceptable arrangement?" Ozpin asked, extending a hand.

Ruby looked at his hand with apprehension, then delicately took it. They shook hands, her trembling grip impressively solid, and Ozpin smiled.

* * *

"In all my years working by your side, I have never doubted you more." Glynda spoke in a low, venomous voice as Ozpin walked her to her airship. The click of his cane against the flagstones leading to the landing area was the only other noise in the empty night; how Glynda moved like a wraith in those heels was still beyond his understanding.

Ruby had been left behind at the police station; they had a little more questioning to do and were more than likely going to call her father. Her last, final look towards Ozpin had been one of worry, but also great hope. Ozpin smiled as he recalled that look.

"And I don't blame you." Ozpin paused by Glynda's small, tidy skiff, holding the door open for her. "But this is an opportunity I cannot pass up given what I suspect is coming. Even if Ruby takes twenty years to master her semblance, her presence in the battle between good and evil could make all the difference."

Glynda said nothing as she stepped into her skiff and settled into her seat. She buckled up and turned the key, causing the low, humming engines to activate. The airship lifted up an inch, and the landing gear was retracted. Ozpin was about to close the door when Glynda shot him a sharp look. "In all of human history, there has not been a single recorded encounter between man and Grimm that did not end in violence. They're monsters, and the people who associate with them are _worse_. What if you're wrong about her?"

"Then I'm wrong." Ozpin stated plainly, and Glynda gave him a very bemused look. "I understand your concerns, but that girl has talent, and more than talent she is _noble._ She has an open resolve towards doing good that few her age can match. Even if she is explicitly forbidden from _ever_ using her semblance, her training and sheer dedication may more than make up for it. I want to give her the chance to fulfill her dream and help further the goodwill of mankind. Locking her away and telling her she's a monster will only increase the odds that she turns to monstrous acts in a desperate bid for meaning in her life. Let's give her the chance to be who we hope she is."

Glynda was quiet. She crossed her arms under her bust and stared at her skiff console in quiet thought. "You never could resist the more ambitious little heroes." Glynda snorted, closing her eyes. "She has her chance. I won't go out of my way to dissuade her, but I will be watching her." Glynda's glare sharpened to punctuate the next word, " _Closely._ If she turns out to be too dangerous…"

Ozpin squeezed the head of his cane and nodded slowly. "Then we will decommission her; we'll do our duty and defend our students–and our city–from her… but who knows what the future might hold? 'Plan for the worst but hope for the best', right?"

Glynda shook her head at his optimism and took ahold of the wheel. "I will see you in the morning, headmaster, you're on your own explaining this to James." Ozpin chuckled and shut the door. He waved once as Glynda sped off towards Beacon, and then Ozpin sighed, dreading the coming conversation as he pulled his scroll out of his pocket and checked it while he walked toward his own transport.

He felt a new headache brewing as he realized he'd missed an important staff meeting. Now he needed to schedule another one to cover what he'd missed, and another after _that_ to discuss the training of Ruby Rose, and to account for a new student in the school. That meant looking back over financial aid, housing arrangements, armaments, dust allotments...

Smothering a groan as he settled into his seat, one of the most important men in Vale checked online to see if the little café and bakery was still open...


	3. The Good News

" _Oh Enrique, you and I cannot possibly be together…"_

" _But why, my spring cherry blossom? Vacuo and Mistral are allies once more, we have deposed your tyrant of a father, stopped my aunt from stealing the family's fortunes, and gained the blessings of the King of Vale! What stops us from being together now, sweet Plum?"_

" _It is beyond my control Enrique–sob! For you see, you are a Faunus, I am a mere human, and our relationship has drawn the attentions of a new threat!"_

" _No, Plum, you cannot possibly mean-!"_

" _Yes! The Pale Canines have threatened to kill my younger sister should we marry!"_

" _Gasp! Curse those Pale Canines! Does their villainy know no bounds?! The world seeks to keep us apart once again…"_

" _It is our curse, my sweet Enrique… but alas, I cannot kiss you goodbye this time, for their eyes are always watching! Goodbye… again!"_

" _Noooooooo!"_

" _Will Enrique and Plum be able to overcome the dreaded Faunus gang the Pale Canines?! And what of the mayor's will and testament?! Who will inherit Little Vacuo?! Find out next time on Seas of Mistral Sand, the series based on the book!"_

Yang shot up in her seat with a jerk, blearily covering her eyes as a pair of bright headlights flashed through the living room's big window. Yang took a moment to collect herself, staring up at the television as it played an overly dramatic flute solo over sweeping shots of Vacuo. She was waiting on the living room couch because her father had gotten a call about Ruby...

 _Ruby..._

Yang hastily stood, hopping towards the house's entrance while kicking her rolled-up pajama pants to full length before throwing the door open. Her eyes narrowed in discomfort as she was greeted with a blast of late-winter wind, and she took a few uneasy steps out into the cold night, walking to the edge of their deck.

The familiar old, blue truck rumbled across their dirt driveway, and came to a stop before the small shed they used as a garage. Yang could feel her heart thudding under her breast as she ventured towards the stairs, staring intently at the two shadowy figures sitting inside the truck's cabin. She instantly recognized the shapes of her father and younger sister, conversing under the cover of the truck's ruckus. She couldn't tell right away if everything was okay, and cold be damned, she was growing more agitated the longer she went without knowing what had happened to her baby sister.

Ignoring the way her flesh pimpled in the frigid air, Yang quickly sprint down the deck steps, calling up her Aura to stride across the rocky ground towards the truck. The vehicle abruptly turned off, and Yang slowed as her father exited the driver's side of the cabin. Ruby's darkened shape leaned back in the passenger seat, head tilted back, probably exhausted, but Yang feared that her sister was in grief as well.

Yang was all sortsa unhappy with the idea that something had happened to Ruby, and she was even less happy since she was the one to suggest that her little sister go into town for the day by herself. Not that Yang was too busy to tag along, having graduated Signal two weeks ago and given boatloads of freetime, but teaching her sister to grow out of her shell and get an adventurous spirit while Yang was at Beacon was a priority for her.

Taiyang tiredly met Yang's eyes as he walked around his truck. His expression wasn't condemning, angry, or sad, Yang could tell that much, but she was still apprehensive as her dad opened the passenger side door and held out a hand. Ruby's little fingers wrapped around his, and she slid out onto her heavy, tired feet. Their father smiled down at his youngest, and lead the way towards Yang.

From a distance, the father-daughter pair stood in stark contrast. Yang, at least, had the blonde hair and the muscles to prove she was her father's daughter, but Ruby was so much more pale, with dark hair, such a slim, waifish figure, and the sweetest, most shy disposition… Yang eyed her sister's face, looking past her ever-present black goggles to note the way her cheeks sagged from tiredness, everything about her stance suggesting exhaustion over anything else, which made sense. It _was_ half past two in the morning.

Yang took a few steps forward to try and calmly meet her family halfway, but broke out into a sprint when Ruby stumbled over her own feet. Taiyang let go of Ruby's hand as his youngest collapsed into Yang's waiting arms, a heavy sigh of relief escaping her.

" _Ruby."_ Was Yang's first word, before silently rocking in place to ease the younger girl's distress. She grasped Ruby's thick, black goggles, and carefully tugged them up, over her head. They hung by Yang's hip as, with one arm, she lifted her sister by the butt to let her hang over her shoulder, and marched towards the house.

" _Yang…"_ Ruby whined, her fists playfully beating her sister's back. Yang didn't feel a thing until she reached the steps and let her Aura down. "'m not a baby, I can _walk…"_ The littlest sister insisted, but Yang blew a dismissive raspberry.

" _You,_ young lady, are in the _biggest_ trouble." Yang chided while playfully smacking her sister's rump, which drew an irritated whine. Taiyang just rolled his eyes and smirked as he followed his daughters into their house. The heat made them each unwind in unspoken comfort, but Yang took Ruby straight to the couch to toss her onto her butt. Then, the blonde crossed her arms under her sizable bust and grinned ruthlessly, all the while avoiding her sister's fearsome eyes by focusing on her chin. "Okay baby girl, big sis needs the full rundown: what did you _do?"_ She hid her genuine worry with a joking tone, but it wasn't until Ruby began to playfully swing her feet and glance down to hide both her eyes and a smile that Yang truly relaxed.

"W-well…" Ruby looked up at the ceiling, immediately settling back in her seat when Zwei jumped into her lap for pets. "There was…" Ruby blushed, dragging her pup up to her face to hide a smile. "Th-there was a robbery."

"Sweet, what did you score?" Yang snickered. Her father gave her a friendly, though daring, punch to the upper arm, making the blonde girl wince and shoot her father a vengeful smirk.

"Not like _that,_ Yang." Taiyang corrected, sliding off his heavy brown boots and stripping down to a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "And don't encourage her to make trouble. It was bad enough when _you_ got caught sneaking booze." His eldest rolled her eyes in annoyance as he walked into the kitchen with a knowing grin.

"You wouldn't have been mad if I hadn't gotten _caught."_ Yang retorted, while Ruby squirmed on the couch in barely concealed excitement, trying to distract herself with Zwei's pointed ears.

"Of course I'd be mad!" Taiyang called from the kitchen as he filled the coffee maker, "Last thing I need is you turning into Qrow 2.0!"

"Whatever, dude!" Yang dismissed the conversation, whirling right back to face Ruby as best as she could. It agitated her that their eyes couldn't meet, or Yang would end up sweating and wanting to run up to her room, but she had long learned to compensate by training to block those eyes out from her vision. "Okay, for real though, Ruby, what happened?" Yang threw her arms out in demand, and Ruby cuddled Zwei closer, the panting pup trying to reposition to lick Ruby's face. "Dad and I were about to go on a manhunt to find you once curfew passed, _then_ we get a call from the police saying they'd brought you in! I told you to find music, clothes, _books,_ not- not getting caught up in a robbery!"

"I s- _stopped_ a robbery."

"There, see? I wanted you to _shop,_ not stop a robbery! I'm very disappointed in you. High-five!" Ruby eagerly high-fived her sister as the blonde's lilac eyes sparkled. "Okay… now start from the beginning. I gotta know _everything."_ Yang insisted, flopping onto the couch next to her sister with an eager grin.

"Well… first, there's k-kinda something more important I gotta tell you." Ruby spoke in a low, shaking voice, and Yang recognized the signs of her sister's overexcitement.

"Uh-huh?" Yang asked, a dozen possibilities racing through her head, every single one of them incorrect.

"Yang…" Ruby whispered, before looking up with the brightest, most hopeful smile. "I'm going to Beacon!" She finally said, her voice filled with happy disbelief.

Yang stalled. Her eyelids bat rapidly, and her mind only barely began to pick up again at the smell of hot bean water wafting from the kitchen. "Wha-...?" Was all Yang could manage as she tried–and failed–to come up with a believable answer to her sister's sudden enrollment.

* * *

The hot coffee in her hands had been exactly what Ruby had needed after her eventful day, though it had cooled by the time she'd finished her story. She enjoyed the heavy hit of caffeinated sweetness, even through Yang's chiding over how much sugar she'd forked into it. Taiyang was chewing a coffee biscuit, wearing the 'tired but too stressed to go to bed' face he'd had on for the last hour, while Zwei rested at his feet. Yang…

Yang pulled Ruby to her chest, ignoring her sister's indignant yelp at being planted in her bosom, and let out a happy laugh. "This- this is _real,_ right?" Ruby missed the way Yang's voice trembled. "Nobody's punking you? Or us…?" Yang pat down Ruby, as if looking for a planted wire, before dragging Ruby into another bone-creaking hug. "Ruby! This is huge! Like not just you going to Beacon–which I am _so_ proud of by the way–but this has to be, like, a record or something!" Ruby let out an annoyed whine as she was shaken, "You're going to Beacon at the age of fifteen!"

"It's not." Tai chimed in, scratching his dog's ears as the corgi panted contently. "It's rare, but I've heard of a few other cases as young or younger than Ruby who were admitted."

Yang scoffed in disbelief. "Really? What could they do?"

"Some kid who could turn his body into rubber, and another kid with red eyes and an _absurd_ number of semblance powers."

"Ah, whatever. Still, I'm so proud of you, Ruby!" Ruby could only squirm as Yang's arms tightened once more in her exuberance.

"Yang? I miss my arms, Yang..." Ruby grunted, trying to figure out how to sip her coffee around her sister's iron grip, not that escape was really an option. _No_ one got away from cuddle time with Yang. Yang suddenly held Ruby at arms length, her lilac eyes beginning to glisten as she visibly restrained herself. Ruby whined softly, she knew that Yang's excitement was one way she dealt with anxiety, but she hoped it was genuine joy, not an oncoming panic. "What i-is it? I'm okay, r-really…" Her fingers gently traced her sibling's jaw.

"You're really going to Beacon?" Yang whimpered, "They're not, like… tossing you in a lab, or drafting you into some skeevy black ops team or something stupid like that?" She swallowed, her throat feeling tight. Her parents had warned about talking openly about Ruby's abilities with the threat that her little sister might get taken from them and end up strapped to an operating table. Their uncle had a vivid imagination when drunk, and an equally unfiltered mouth. Ruby looked at her sister's shoulders with a small smile.

"Yeah. Professor Ozpin had me fill out an application, and we're even going to be talking about making use of my semblance after orientation." Ruby's voice was relaxed. Either Ruby was exhausted and had gotten all of her babbling excitement out of the way when offered the opportunity, or the thought of making any use of her semblance quelled her joy.

Yang finally let Ruby go, wishing she hadn't finished her coffee so fast so she could do something with her shaking hands. Yang shot to her feet with a joyous hop, shaking her fists with excitement, her energy turning more genuine now that her fears were subsiding. "You're going to be a _huntress!"_ Pride, hope and delight surged within her unabated, and Tai settled deeper into the couch with a content smirk, happy to let his girls work themselves into a an adorable frenzy while he stealthily recorded it on his scroll. Ruby's grin matched her sister's for once, the two girls having rather similar smiles when they were both excited.

"With a _team!"_ Ruby bobbed her head, quivering in tired delight. "I'll be going with you!" A thought struck Ruby, and with a squeak she shook her sister's hands, "We can be for _real_ study-buddies now!" Ruby already hunkered down with Yang during cram sessions to help her memorize her material, now they could do it for _both_ of their benefits!

"No one says tha- Ah! My baby sister's coming with me to Beacon! Crap, now I _have_ to be a model student." Yang mock sighed, and Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. Tai gave his oldest girl a stern look, and Yang let out an anxious chuckle. "Whi~ch was my plan the whole time~!" She added in a sing-song, making him to roll his eyes and scoff. Yang hastily deflected by turning back to praise. "This is- like, I can't even _begin_ to tell you how happy I am for you, Ruby!" Yang set her hand on her sister's head, her trimmed nails scritching her sibling's scalp. Ruby's lips pursed in mock annoyance, since it was a gesture Yang had done when they were kids, but she still leaned into the comforting scratching. "I know it's been hard." Yang murmured, recalling the number of times she'd walked in on Ruby holding a brochure to one of the academies, lips tight in thought, before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Not that hard." Ruby insisted softly from behind her mug. Yang knew better. Yang knew _exactly_ what this meant to Ruby. The next few days were going to have Ruby pinballing off the walls in her haste to prepare, even if they still had the rest of the winter.

Yang nodded, letting Ruby lie. She'd argued with her father and uncle over their decision to keep Ruby from attending Signal. Ruby's childhood dream had been to follow in her family's footsteps and become a huntress, all because the little girl–now young lady–wanted to help people. Yang couldn't make the same claim, she had the training, a craving for thrills, and a blazing fighting spirit that demanded a life of action; it just so happened she could help people at the same time.

Ruby had never been given the option to pursue her dream until now. Qrow and their father trained her, Yang sparred with her, but it wasn't the same as going to a school, sharpening her skills, and growing alongside people her own level. Ruby's almost obsessive training with her weapon was the only reason her skills could pass muster at Beacon, but she wasn't at Yang's level in a hunter v. hunter fight. It put Ruby's ego on the rocks, but it didn't quell her desire to keep practicing. Yang had watched her go from an amateur with no balance and no foresight, to a genuine challenge that could surge across the battlefield, and make Yang sweat when that curved blade came a little too close. Where Ruby really excelled was when the sisters went Grimm hunting together, and Ruby proved she was more of a danger to the Grimm than they were to her.

But... an education was more than fighting. Her scholastics were spotty at best. Tai followed the home learning guidelines he'd gotten from Qrow to the letter, sure, but he was not a master of any subject, aside from maybe combat and fitness, and Yang was a student herself. Despite her sincere attempts to teach her sister, Yang was aware that her explanations were full of gaps. Ruby would have to do a lot of catching up for Beacon, but she could do it _..._ she _would_ do it, and Yang would be right there to help _._

"We should celebrate!" Yang offered, looking from her father to her sister, her eyes lighting up in a plotting way. Ruby looked to her father hopefully, and Taiyang could practically feel the mountain of cookie dough he was going to have to fit into the oven. He groaned in defeat when Ruby giggled in proud delight, crumbling his desire to be responsible into sand. He snapped his scroll closed and slid it into his pocket.

"Sure. We'll get _another_ cake and _another_ feast going. We finished all the leftovers from Yang's party anyway." He quipped dryly, though his daughters beaming smiles implied they either missed his subtle complaining, or did not care in the slightest. Teenagers were more merciless than the Grimm… "Qrow's out for a few more days, so it's probably just gunna be us three." He reminded them while scratching his scalp. Even if he wasn't one-hundred percent sure this was a good idea, far from it even, he wasn't going to deny Ruby again. A father could only break his baby's heart so many times, no matter the justification, and he just knew sweeping the rug out from under her would put a rift between them.

No amount of explaining would ever rekindle Ruby's fire if this chance was snatched from her hands, and if her own father was the one to do it…?

"That's cool!" Yang pulled Tai from his thoughts. "More cake for us, and we can get presents and- _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Yang's scream made her family members reel in shock, Zwei hopping to his feet in preparation for an attack, and Yang danced with sudden excitement. " _School. Shopping."_ Yang gasped, grasping Ruby's arms. "I'm going to make my little sis look _hot!"_ Yang lifted her sister a few inches off her feet like she weighed nothing, and Ruby squeaked in distress.

" _Whoa,_ Yang!" Taiyang stood up, his hands held out in a weak attempt to corral the storm of ideas she was new doubt brewing. "I know you're excited, but you're _not_ running up another clothes bill like _that_ again." The zeroes still haunted him, though not as much as the implication behind all that lace...

"But Ruby doesn't have any good school clothes! Or even a signature Huntress look! How can you expect her to be herself when all she has is T-shirts and hand-me-downs?! They don't even fit!" Yang smacked Ruby's chest, causing the girl to yelp.

"Hey!" Ruby wrapped her arms around her chest, and fired a pout that was unintentionally, but unavoidably, accompanied by a horrific death glare. Her family pretended not to notice.

Taiyang pinched the bridge of his nose. "They have a uniform at Beacon…"

"So when you think of our moms, you think of school uniforms?" Yang crossed her arms and raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Tai's eyes briefly lost focus as he remembered black spandex with red stripes, and a white sundress gleaming under the light of the sun…

… As well as mid-semester negligee on creamy curves, and those _swimsuits..._

Yang knew she had won the moment her father had on his 'flashback face', but the quick shudder, and his thick sigh, clenched it. " _... No underwear shopping."_ He conceded and Yang smirked in triumph, cocking her hip as she all but preened at her victory.

"S'cool, she doesn't have much to show off anyways."

" _Hey!"_ Ruby's glare was far more intentional this time, as was Tai's annoyance.

"Young lady, you said those were for support, _not_ for boys!"

"They're _not_ for boys! Never said anything about _girls_ though..." Yang let out a throaty purr that made Ruby blush at the same moment Tai paled.

"You- I can and _will_ return them!"

"Already…" Yang trailed off, thinking of an appropriate word, " _Used."_ Yang planted her hands on her hips triumphantly. "The Signal volleyball team appreciates your donation to their already confused sexualities!" The serpentine swaying of her hips and smug grin made it clear she meant it.

Taiyang buried his face in his hands, trying to sort out if he was angry or jealous as Ruby swatted her sister's backside in revenge.

* * *

Just as Glynda had told Ozpin, Qrow had returned to Vale with a detailed message of everything that had transpired that fateful night one week ago, and the decision regarding Ruby's entry to Beacon.

Normally, Qrow would have ignored the messages until he'd found a good bar to squat in and get his much-needed liquor on… which is exactly what he'd done, up until he had a drink in his hand and his scroll to his ear.

The only thing Qrow regretted was agreeing to pay for the glass _and_ the bottle he'd shattered in his panic at the news, he was already paying mint to have his flask filled behind the bar, and his manic, _literal_ flight to Ozpin's door was just a blur of muttered threats and musings on worst-case-scenarios.

That was why Qrow was all but crushing the arm of the chair in front of Ozpin's desk, his eyes a narrow, unhappy squint at the headmaster.

"I have had it up to here," Qrow held a hand just above his head as he fixed Ozpin with an unhappy frown, "with you getting my family involved in shit they don't need to be apart of."

Ozpin sat at his desk and said nothing as the booze-soaked hunter slapped his hand down on his chair's armrest. Ozpin steepled his fingers as Qrow slouched low in his seat, his other hand idly sloshing a flask full of something that smelled like paint thinner. "Qrow, this was the best decision."

"The _best_ decision he says." Qrow's head rolled on his shoulders to face Glynda, who stood by Ozpin's desk with a ladylike non-hostility, even as her middle finger rubbed against her riding crop. Her eyes weren't as icy as usual… Qrow suspected she was roughly on his side in this case. Heartening, if ominous. Qrow's gaze snapped back towards Ozpin. "Tell me Oz, has Beacon _really_ started slipping so much that you're gunna push an uneducated, underage girl into your fancy little _slaughterhouse?"_

Ozpin let out a small, tired sigh, and turned towards the holographic figure dominating the right half of his desk. "For once, I agree with Qrow." Ironwood spoke, arms crossed behind his back, eyes closed as the fresh information mulled in his head. Ozpin's nose crinkled in annoyance… having Glynda agree with Qrow implied the drunkard was talking sense; having Ironwood in his corner just made Ozpin feel dirty. "Disregarding her age–and that is a very difficult thing to disregard in training a developing hunter–her academics are two years too short, if not more since she was homeschooled."

"Respectfully, James, I disagree. We both saw the video." Ozpin looked to Qrow, who was sipping at his flask thirstily. "Ruby _is_ Qrow's niece and, left unsaid, his apprentice. What she showed was no middle school kata performance, she fought, and she _dominated;_ neither the Grimm nor those men stood a chance, and she expressed the very same ideals we are striving for. Most of all, once her weapon was in her hand, she was calm and in control. Her book learning is an issue, James, but we both know that mere knowledge is far easier to instill than a calm mind on the battlefield."

"Heh." Qrow picked himself up just enough to look at both Ozpin and Ironwood, his smirk bleeding a cruel humor. "What you _saw_ in that video was Ruby whupping the pants off a bunch of ego-bloated dumbasses who assumed she was easy-pickings. You remember when Summer 'n I became a team in my first semester? Me 'n the Ursa? I would bet you two ta one that if you put Ruby–my ' _apprentice'_ –in that same cave she'da been left a cold smear on the ground."

"A little _harsh_ , don't you think?" Ozpin asked dryly. Glynda's left eyebrow quirked upwards slightly at the rather blase description of Ruby's likely demise.

"Harsh? I'm being realistic." Qrow leaned forward, resting both arms on his knees and he leveled a low glare at Ozpin. "That girl's got spunk and a lotta skill in the making, but I haven't even scratched the limits of what she can learn to do and I never intend to. Her best bet for living a happy, comfy life is staying on Patch and meeting a boy who can keep his mouth shut. If I _really_ wanted to crush her hopes, I wouldn't have even let her hold a scythe, much less swing one." Qrow stretched, his back popping, before settling back in the chair with a frown. "Girl's got moxie though. Lotsa moxie. Was hoping she'd never step foot off the island and just help Taiyang 'round the house, maybe join the Island security force, do non-combat rescue work when she was grown. Figures she'd somehow make it into _your_ good graces." Qrow levelled a much more personal glare at Ozpin as he tipped the flask against his lips once more, and Ironwood gave a small cough.

"Your optimism and trust in the youth of today is endearing, Ozpin, but I still agree with Qrow. Young, inexperienced, and lacking standardized training, Ruby Rose may show promise but she still has to undergo the basic curriculum we all agreed to." Ironwood turned to study Qrow with an appraising look. "Though we're all sidestepping the real Goliath in the room: her powers."

"Oh, oh!" Qrow shot up, eyes wide with excitement. "You mean we're _finally_ going to talk about how she can summon _Grimm?!_ The shit every kid in this goddamned school is being _trained to kill on sight?!"_ He held his fists up like an excited child and grinned from ear to ear. "'Cuz I was worried that if I said this was the worst idea since Menagerie that you'd all think _I'm_ the crazy one!" Qrow fell back into his chair with a disapproving snort.

"... Indeed." Ironwood turned towards Ozpin and crossed his arms behind his back, dawning a deeper, more authoritative frown that made Qrow want to punch him on principle. "Do you intend to tell the student body at large that Ruby Rose can summon Grimm? Their every lesson will be intended to make them more and more efficient at seeking and destroying mankind's enemy. It is lunacy to assume this girl will be able to suppress _every single_ possible sign of Grimm activity from hundreds of soldiers itching to prove themselves." He arched a thin eyebrow.

"Students, James, not soldiers. Hunters, not an army." Ozpin sighed, and clasped his hands in front of his face, his eyes briefly closing in thought. The others patiently waited for an answer, or impatiently in Qrow's case, and Ozpin finally sucked in a calming breath. "No." He set his hands on his desk and looked Ironwood's projection in the eye. "For all of the reasons you have mentioned, I am not telling my students about Ruby. Singling her out would lead to consequences that would isolate her and possibly make her a target for vigilante justice."

"Then _why_ bring her here _at all?"_ Qrow demanded, squeezing his armrest with one hand while the other waved in agitation. The padded steel squealed softly under the displeased Hunter's fingertips. "You think they won't find out? You think they'll be _forgiving?!_ You think the parents will be fine and dandy with you bringing her here? All it takes is one scroll message back home saying 'by the way, there's a girl here who accidentally broke the cafeteria by summoning a pack of Beowolves, please send help' to not just ruin you, but ruin _her."_ Qrow stood, holding his chair for balance as he pointed to Ozpin furiously, while his sneer turned into a threatening growl that caused the headmaster to quickly glance at his cane. "May I remind you this isn't just another one of your precious pet projects you're wanting to raise, this is _my niece!_ Maybe not my blood, but she's still my family! I trained her because I didn't want her to have to rely on those powers to save herself in this dog-eat-dog world, and because it was the only thing that made her get off her ass- _give her hope_ some days! I filled you in because, damnit, if I needed somebody I could trust to hide her there's nobody better than you! But now you- _you_ want to put her in the firing line because- w-wait, how did you put it?" Qrow pressed his palm to his forehead and spoke with airy mocking, "'We'd be _one_ person short of a _full four person team!'_ The same shit happens whenever some kid fails initiation, Oz. You know, like twenty percent of em do every year?"

"Eighteen percent, most commonly from broken limbs during landing or combat." Glynda chimed in. Qrow motioned to the woman with both hands, as if demanding acknowledgment of how close to right he'd been, while Ironwood squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, thank you Glynda." Ozpin's tone was dry enough to make the stoic woman huff defensively. "Qrow, please sit down." Ozpin ordered, his hands pressed together as he closed his eyes again. Qrow stared him down a few seconds longer, but slowly sat with a heavy thud. "I had a good long talk with Ruby, about her powers, her skills, and most importantly, _herself._ Miss Rose is an honest, thoughtful young lady who has told me that, without a shadow of a doubt, her dream is to protect people. You must have had this talk with her Qrow, and I know you. You may be a bitter, sarcastic _ass,_ but you want what's best for the world too."

"I-" Qrow raised a finger, biting his tongue in restraint, "I want what's best for my family. My _real_ family. Everything else I save-"

"- is mere collateral, yes, I know. But Ruby is a part of your family. She one day looked up at you and asked you to train her, and somehow, someway, got you to say _yes."_ Ozpin stared at Qrow, daring him to refute. The drunken hunter opened his mouth to say nothing, and realizing this, sat back and stayed silent. "I spoke to Miss Rose for some time, as I said. She is _ashamed_ of herself because she was born with a power that marks her as the sworn enemy of everything she wishes to defend. She is _afraid_ of others because she was born with eyes that could very well get her lynched. She is lonely, hungry for inclusion and purpose, and it has been my experience that when someone needs something in their lives badly enough, they will go to ever greater lengths to get it. This school, and the people we all trust to run it, can give her what she needs and try to channel what she sees as a curse back into a blessing… or we can leave her to stew on that island, alone and largely forgotten, and hope she does nothing we can't undo in her frustration. Teenagers are renowned for their sense of restraint and long-term planning skills, after all."

The room went silent. Qrow was staring at his lap, Ironwood was watching Ozpin, and Glynda took a deep breath. Ozpin gently ran his thumb down his chin, eyes closed, when Glynda cleared her throat softly for attention. Three heads snapped in her direction as she laid out a series of files on the desk. "I have gone over some lesson plans for Miss Rose in regards to her lacking education, and I believe she can be raised to Beacon's standards in just over three months, should we cut out less hunter-related topics like higher math and electives. This will still mean she needs to work at an accelerated pace for twelve weeks, on top of our standard course load and time spent trying to explore her semblance. In all honesty, this is a exceedingly large increase of responsibility and stress for anyone her age, but especially for someone used to one-on-one tutelage with their family. How certain are we that Miss Rose will be willing and able to meet the demands we must place on her?"

Despite himself, Qrow let out an amused grunt and grew a small, wry smile. "Please. You told her she has the chance to be a huntress. You think you know what this means to her, but you've got no idea. She'll give up eating and a couple of fingers before she lets something like bad grades come _close_ to takin' this away."

"So you approve of her coming here?" Glynda sounded surprised, but Qrow let out a mocking laugh.

"I'd sooner kiss my sister than tell you this was a good idea, this is a tragedy in the making." His face contorted oddly, before resting his forehead against his thumb and pointer finger. "But even if I think Oz is overselling how cranky Rubes might get if she stays home, he's spot on about how bad this'll go if anyone tries to stop her now that she's been given a shot." He gave Ozpin a glare that made the older man very uncomfortable. It was rare for Qrow to focus his ire enough to truly seem threatening, but this issue had clearly pushed some buttons. "Even if I was never given a say in this, what's done is done, she's not some company that's gonna sue over a broken contract, she's a kid who's going to throw an entirely justified shit-fit if we screw her over _after_ she warned Oz how dangerous she is." He lifted his flask, draining it completely as her scowled at nothing in particular. "All I can do now is hope that, maybe, this _will_ be good for her, that it'll all work out and she won't end up with a death on her conscience before she breaks twenty, or worse, torn apart by her classmates in the middle of Beacon." Qrow shook his head. "Either way, Oz, this is on you. We're in this mess together, but if you hurt that kid, or cost me my niece...?" Qrow's expression darkened to the point that Glynda swallowed silently, and James nervously adjusted the collar of his jacket. "Salem's going to be the last thing you'll have to worry about."

Ozpin let out an small, nervous chuckle. "I'll be sure it doesn't come to that. Ruby's going to be well taken care of here, and her training will be thoroughly planned out to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone involved." Qrow simply shook his head at Ozpin's reassurance and lounged in his chair.

"If her own family is supporting this… venture, I suppose we can consider the matter settled. I expect regular reports on young Miss Rose's progress, and any incidents that might require us to rethink her place at Beacon." Ironwood said, examining his watch. "Should her powers prove more stable than expected, I may request a brief transfer to Atlas for a better study of the Grimm she conjures, provided they are identical to those in the wild."

"We'll consider that when and if the time comes, James." Ozpin noted his expression as he lowered his watch. "Are we keeping you?"

"Yes. Is there anything else we need to discuss?" He turned his head towards the other two, but was met with silence. "Then I will be in contact again at 1700 hours. Stay safe. Stay vigilant." Ironwood nodded his respect towards his allies before his hologram disappeared.

Qrow examined his empty flask while the room went quiet, then stood with an exaggerated stretch. "Welp, this has been a pain-in-the-ass. Ozpin, you'd better be dead serious about this." Qrow leaned forward, hands on his knees, stretching and staring the headmaster in the eyes at the same time. "I'm gunna make sure the twerp writes to me and lets me know what you're putting her up to. But if somehow, someway you get those powers under control, those eyes under wraps, and shape her up into the hero she _wants_ to be…" He touched his thin, pale lips. "I'll kiss-ss…" He pointed to Ozpin, drawing out the "ss" before turning towards the only other person in the room, his fingertip angled to point right between her breasts. "Glynda."

"Do so, and the Salem will be the last thing you have to worry about." Glynda parroted dryly, hiding her mouth behind her hand in disgust.

"Hey, that's the sort of faith I have in this 'plan'. You two try not to get a papercut." Qrow turned, hands sinking into his pockets, and walked towards the exit. He paused, however, just long enough to shoot a serious look at the two. "Oh, and lemme know if you find anything on that fire Dust sorceress. It's a longshot, but I have some suspicions… ciao."

Ozpin watched him until the lift doors closed, then subtly shifted his eyes towards Glynda. She noticed his attention, and cocked her head in silent question. "...You know, you _could_ stand to take a break from work and find a date." He admitted with a smirk.

She gave him her dirtiest look, and he abruptly announced he had a meeting elsewhere.

* * *

Ruby presented herself to her older sister with a horribly forced smile, as if she was being forced to present a shoddy school project somebody else had made. Yang had failed to take into account how _pale_ her sister's legs were.

Yang had a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as Ruby uncomfortably shuffled around in a pair of black leather hotpants. Ruby had a bit of a funny build: she was almost all leg, with a bit of a stocky torso, small breasts, and a wash-iron tummy; however, she was also rocking long, strong legs, a pair of womanly hips, and–to Yang's annoyance–a butt that would not quit; it seriously spoiled yoga pants for Yang. The only issue was turning out to be Ruby's lack of sun, as her pale legs seemed to glow under the dressing room's artificial lighting; otherwise, Yang would have considered the hot pants pure gold.

"Yang, I feel s-stupid..." Ruby admitted as she stared down at her legs, hands on her hips since they wouldn't fit into a pair of pockets that seemed deliberately designed to only be able to fit sticks of gum. "It's so _showy._ And c-c-cold! And I think it's trying to e-eat my butt…" Ruby lifted her leg and stared at herself in quiet appraisement, while Yang tried to consider how to spin her sister's milk-white complexion in her favor.

"You don't look _that_ bad." Yang walked around her sister. "I mean, in an emergency, we can reflect light off your knees to make a beacon!" She beamed. Those goggles could _not_ hide her little sister's bemused glare. Yang stopped giggling when Ruby kicked her ankle, and Yang pointed to the pile of clothes. "What about the skinny jeans?" Ruby sighed, and slipped into the dressing room again.

It was difficult shopping for clothes with Ruby, if only because the younger girl was entirely ambivalent to her looks. It wasn't that Ruby didn't _notice_ fashion, or appearances in general, but Yang had slowly worked out that Ruby didn't see a reason to dress herself up. Who was she trying to impress? She rarely ever went out of the house, she had no friends, no crushes to attract, no eyes to draw… to Ruby, her clothes were just a way to stay modest and warm. However, that would _not_ fly when they went to Beacon together! If Yang was going to be the walking wet dream she believed herself to be, she wasn't going to do it alone; Ruby was a good-looking young lady, and Yang wanted to make sure everybody else–Ruby included–saw that.

Provided they kept a healthy distance and didn't lay a single, perverted finger on Yang's baby-sister. The mere _thought_ of some jackass hitting on Ruby made Yang gnash her teeth...

When Ruby came out–yanking Yang out of her self-induced fury–it was with rigid steps in a pair of pants that tightly compressed her legs into long, skinny columns. She looked even more defeated if possible. "I can't _move_ with these!" She whined, wriggling a leg in annoyance. Yang giggled before spinning Ruby around and marching her back into the changing room to get her out of the restrictive garment and back into what she wore into the store.

"Okay, so, my favorite store didn't work out." Yang stroked Ruby's back as they walked out of Club QT a bit later, arms visibly lacking in bags. Ruby officially began to pout not that her annoyance was overwhelming her excitement in preparing for Beacon.

It was springtime in Vale; Yang's element. Ruby didn't _mind_ the cold, but the little sister jogged rather than shuffled in the warmer air, and Yang simply felt more alive. The numbness the cold brought left her feeling miserable, she only wanted to fight or relax, and there was no in between, but in the heat, she had the compulsion to do _everything._ It was why she had most of the day planned out for the two of them: go get lunch, see a movie–which Ruby lamented had strayed from the book–people-watch at the harbor with some ice cream, and, of course, go clothes shopping. The city's pools were open, which Yang had discovered when an old coworker asked if she wanted a lifeguard job again, but she'd politely declined–professional hunting schools like Beacon started just a few days past a month after graduation, so there was no time for a job. Ruby and Yang got to watch all the fishing and leisure boats in the Valean Bay while riding the ferry into the city, and the seagulls were arriving in large, noisy flocks that sent diners on the harbor scuttling for cover.

The dramatic change in temperature came with rapid changes in wardrobes; Ruby wore a dark T-shirt that was far too baggy on her, as well as a comfortable, knee-length black skirt; while Yang's outfit was practically begging for attention with a sunny yellow tank top, and jean shorts that adhered to her curves like the eyes of her admirers.

Ruby's day-to-day clothes were, frankly, miserable. Comfortable, sure, but they lacked an _identity._ Yang's old clothes left her little sister looking unimpressive, and worse than that, Ruby didn't really have an identity as a hunter. There was a sense of style associated with fighting the Grimm, there was a flair, a flaunting, an unspoken dress code to stand out. It was part of the legend: ancient hunters often came from communities where the fashions were simple, but the proven protectors wore bright and unusual outfits to stand out amongst the Grimm they fought.

These days, it meant dressing was a fashion contest; after all, hunters who gained fame were put on cereal boxes and posters, they were inspirations to the next generation and treated like celebrities. Having a signature fashion allowed normal people to show their loyalty, favor, and respect by imitating it. Hunters, the primary defenders against humanity against an inarguable evil, liked to be recognized for their efforts.

Yang, personally, savored any opportunity to show off. In a fight or in the school hallways, she wanted to be recognized for her full figure and sexy looks every bit as much as her flashing, flame-spitting semblance and assertive personality; people would see wild blonde hair, brown leather, and an eruption of flame one day, and they would think of _her_. Ruby wasn't a showy girl at all, but she'd also never had the opportunity to really go all out, to experience that sort of attention and decide if she liked it.

It wasn't as if Ruby didn't know _how_ to be stylish. She'd picked through Yang's magazines on lazy afternoons, and could identify pieces of famous hunter clothing with just a glance. It tickled Yang how much of a nerd her little sister was, she adored that sincere adulation of humanity's protectors. The problem was, Ruby had never seriously thought about the Huntress she wanted to be, since she'd thought her chance would never come. She could articulate what she did or did not like in an ensemble, but unlike most girls her age, had not spent days dreaming up her ideal outfit. Ruby dreamt of heroics, monster slaying, and acceptance… she'd never had a reason to waste time thinking about what would make her memorable to a public she never thought she'd meet.

Bumblebee rumbled underneath Yang while Ruby secured their purses in a side-hanging luggage compartment. While it was _terribly_ unstylish on the sporty, yellow motorcycle, Yang wasn't stupid enough to lose two scrolls and her wallet to a sudden swerve. "I know a few more places near the docks. They're a _little…_ err, hum." Yang handed Ruby a helmet while trailing off in search of a proper euphemism. Ruby popped it on and took her place behind Yang, whose idea of 'protection' was throwing her wild mane back into a ponytail to keep out of her eyes. "They're _exotic."_

"Don't y-you mean 'erotic?'" Ruby corrected, hands around her sister's middle as Yang grinned, sliding her riding goggles on.

"Ya caught me. They're sexy but not _gross,_ it's where I found that dress for prom." Yang and Ruby coordinated to back the motorcycle out of its parking spot, and Yang checked her surroundings before revving her beloved ride's engine.

"You mean the one dad hated?" Ruby called over the vehicle's roar. Yang tossed a thumb's up rather than trying to shout over the bike's noise. "It was a _really_ nice dress!" Yang smiled and, with a twist of her wrist, gunned her ride's engine.

The ride through the hot Vale air, and the rush of wind through her hair was addicting. Yang got to admire all the sights from atop her growling ride, enjoy the sweet smells of the marketplace when they passed by, and get a thrilled shiver when the scent of gas and oil hit her. It smelled like a challenge, an obstacle to be surmounted, and she loved it. Her bike thrummed beneath her and her arms trembled on the handles, the passing air and warm sun whispering that she could go so much _faster_ than this...

The only thing curbing the reckless rush toward infinite freedom was the soft weight resting against her back, and the gentle breathing in her ear, a reminder that she had responsibilities beyond her own wants. She secretly cherished the trust Ruby put into her when they rode, since she was so hesitant to climb on behind her older sister when Yang first got her bike. Without a life of challenge, isolated and stuck inside the house, her sister was meek and gentle. Yang took it upon herself to try and show her how fun the world could be when she pulled the throttle a little, both figuratively and literally. Still, as much as Ruby seemed to share Yang's love of speed, the presence of her sibling always served to keep Yang under the speed limit. The call to adrenaline was strong, but some things were stronger.

They rode along the road by the pier, able to stare out over the water, at all the ships and dock workers, and beyond that the little speck on the liquid horizon that was Patch Island. It seemed so strange that it was so far away, yet the trip to Vale and back wasn't even fifteen minutes on the ferries. On the other side of the bay they turned to go into a seedier part of town. It wasn't a hive of scum and villainy like the northeast quarter, but it was where people went if they wanted a little under-the-cover fun, and Yang had gotten dragged there on several occasions by her less than responsible friends. She wasn't a fan of the place, but it _did_ have one of her favorite costume shops: Redlite/Greenlite.

Yang pulled up to the festively painted store, parking in an open space and silently cheering at the lack of a parking meter. She stopped the motorcycle's dust engine, the neon body lights of her ride going black as the throaty electric hum of the powerplant faded to silence. She kicked up the stand, and hung Ruby's helmet on one of the handlebars after her sister dismounted. Swinging her leg back and over the bike to rise to her full height, Yang arched her back in a heartfelt stretch that would probably end up in a chatroom if anyone filmed it while she headed straight for the entrance. Ruby looked up at the store with some trepidation, hesitant to move toward it, but followed Yang to the door when her sister looked back and whistled, as if calling Zwei. Yang decided the kick to her heel was worth it.

"Okay, so, first thing's first, stay up near the front. Sneak around towards the back and you'll find the weird stuff." Yang explained before she opened the door for Ruby, following her inside to block off escape and to safeguard against more kicking. The lighting was a low red, there was a stench of pumpkin air freshener in the air mixing with leather and metal, and Ruby instantly felt out of her element. "The outfits here are pretty high-class, and we can even accessorize."

"Okay." Ruby shifted from leg to leg as she looked around. Behind the checkout desk was a tall, older woman in punkish clothing reading a magazine. She was extremely pleased when Yang approached, and the two chatted conspiratorially while Ruby walked into the aisles. Some of the stuff looked like it belonged in a teen store, like the leather wristbands with studs, the only thing giving them away as the _adult_ version were the odd hooks and clips here and there where something was clearly meant to attach.

Yang kept an eye on the bobbing, dark-haired scalp that wandered the aisles. She heard her little sister flicking metallic rings and testing leather, but mostly let Ruby explore. Yang had an… _idea._ Ruby's identity as a hunter didn't begin _or_ end with an outfit, but with a weapon.

Resting in waiting in the Xiao Long's craft room was a weapon made by Ruby, _for_ Ruby; an astonishingly high-quality weapon built from hours upon hours watching videos, reading guides, and dragging her father and uncle to the anvil to ask them hundreds of questions, all to create Ruby's prized possession, the first thing she handmade after several _years_ of labor in an amateur workshop with materials bought–or begged for–with her allowance: Crescent Rose.

Of all the things Yang had expected, it wasn't a high velocity sniper-scythe. She knew Ruby had wanted a scythe, it's what she had spent her formative years training with under their uncle, but Yang had expected something simple, and Rose was anything _but._ Its numerous extending, retracting, and moving pieces should have made it unreliable, but underneath its somewhat boxy, ghetto appearance, it was _rock solid._ Ruby had integrated her scythe into a _sniper rifle,_ something that had surprised even Uncle Qrow. All those shooting lessons actually _counted_ for something.

The elder sister checked her wrists, where a pair of thick, yellow bracelets sat ready and waiting. Ember Celica had taken Yang only a few months to perfect, and she'd had Signal's workshop and blacksmiths working by her side. Ember Celica was hers, and it did exactly what it was designed to do, but Crescent Rose was… art. A labor of love. It looked weird from some angles, and utterly lethal and gorgeous from others. It was an amateur's take on an extremely difficult craft, and it turned out magnificently. It could have used some tweaks, but at the end of the day, it would have sold _very_ well if Ruby had wanted to turn a profit.

Yang was proud that her sister was as talented, and dedicated, as she was. More than anything, she was thrilled Ruby would get the chance to put all that hard work to _use._ Ruby Rose had a purpose, and Crescent Rose would help her fulfill it.

At the moment though, the scythe was also an immensely unique weapon, one that could easily become iconic to anyone who used it. They were usually just ceremonial, or used to represent villains or darker heroes in TV, plays, and comicbooks. They had a _reputation,_ one both awe-inspiring and sinister, and while Ruby couldn't tap into that air of danger and intrigue with her quiet and gentle personality, there were ways to get some… _assistance_ …

"No." Ruby said flatly, giving her sister an unimpressed frown as the fine, black corset was presented to her.

"C'mon Ruby, just try it on!" Yang insisted with a wide, pleased smile. "I bet you'll look _ama~zing!"_ She sang, while Ruby shuffled quietly in place, her face already red from spending a little too much time staring at assless chaps and fuzzy handcuffs.

"I-I'll look like s-somebody out of one of those m-magazines you keep under your bed." Ruby grunted, and Yang huffed as she shook the corset again.

"I didn't give you permission to look at those to hear your _snark,_ young lady." Yang smiled more brightly, and held the combination of leather and string to Ruby's torso to compare, while Ruby, looking scandalized and embarrassed, wriggled in discomfort. "Pleeeeaaase? It'll help you stand out, and it'll give you this ' _dark, femme destroyer'_ feel!"

"I don't _wanna_ be a d-dark, femme de-destroyer!" Ruby pouted loudly, only taking the corset because Yang wouldn't stop shoving it against her. "I-I wanna make people feel s-safe, maybe s-something… _pink?"_ Ruby asked, looking hopeful. Yang managed to look more scandalized than her sister had.

" _Pink?!"_ Yang demanded incredulously. "Your _scythe_ is bright red, and accented with black!"

"... So?" Ruby asked, looking honestly confused by Yang's offense. Yang gasped as if she'd just been told the house was on fire.

" _So?!"_ Yang flailed her arms, while Ruby glared down at her corset in thought. "It needs to match! You need a distinct set of color identities! Pink, red, and black sounds cute in _theory,_ but we need to match that 'little miss reaper' persona your scythe will give you! I mean, look at Uncle Qrow, he walks around like he's always just stumbled out of a bar after work! Don't you wanna look cooler than him?!"

"Uncle Qrow is _s-super cool!"_ Ruby gasped, offended, but then had a short pause as she dug through her memories of the man's sense of fashion. "H-he _could_ try a different wardrobe th-though…"

"Ex _actly."_ Yang bobbed her head, and pointed to the dressing room door. "It'll also make your boobs look nice, now go try it on!" She ordered. Ruby pursed her lips, snorted, grumbled, and muttered something distasteful about Yang's breasts, but ultimately conceded and slipped out of sight, her clothes rustling behind the door.

Yang sat nearby, listening in case her sister needed help while checking for messages on her scroll. On top of giving Ruby a deadlier, more distinct look, the corset would enhance her slim figure. Ruby already had a fantastic set of legs, in addition to some good hips, but the corset would hopefully compress and redistribute some of Ruby's torso mass to help her slim breasts pop out and draw more eye to her hips. Yang tapped the delete button to clear out the morning's digital spam and paused, once again focusing on how others might react if– _when–_ she succeeded in helping Ruby's charm come into bloom.

On one hand, the thought of Ruby being eye-candy for a bunch of horny top-dog wannabes made Yang's knuckles itch, but on the other, Ruby needed to make the most of her big debut. After years spent in virtual exile, Ruby could finally get some attention and learn how to deal with it, what she did or did not appreciate in come-on's, looks, and potential suitors. Maybe a new image, and the confidence boost it inspired, would help her meet the right person, the future mister or misses Rose; Yang couldn't know for sure, but she wanted to make Ruby look her absolute best at Beacon for all the potential benefits that could bring.

Sure, she'd started with a fashion statement that was a little extreme, but Ruby had spent her whole life being as mundane as possible to avoid the dangers surrounding her powers, so 'extreme' seemed like a good place to start.

She yawned and leaned against the wall by the door, listening carefully to the shuffling within. She heard the creak of leather, and the stretch of cloth strings, but after a short time there was strictly silence. Yang waited patiently, or what passed for patience in Yang, before she knocked on the door. "Everything alright in there?" Yang asked.

There was a few, long seconds of silence, and the door timidly cracked open by an inch. Yang slipped inside, the portal clicking shut with a firm press of her fingertips behind her, to see Ruby standing in front of the mirror. She was staring at herself, her finger tracing the reflection of her goggles silently while the fitted, tightened leather sculpted Ruby's pale, meager cleavage into bold, perfect globes. Her expression was a strange mix of awe and something… dark and unpleasant, but not hostile either. Regret or bitterness? Yang couldn't tell...

… because she was far too engaged feeling _ecstatic._ The contrast of black leather and light flesh looked _incredible,_ and being a lightweight corset model, Ruby didn't appear to be in pain from having it squeeze her ribs and stomach into a more womanly shape.

Yang's excitement was quickly quelled when she really noticed the look on her sister's face. Ruby looked fine, _great_ even, but her lips were thin and taut, while her fingers left her reflection to gently touch the not-at-all beautiful, cute, and certainly not sexy goggles on her face. Her jaw quivered, and Yang frowned.

"... You look good." Yang insisted, appearing behind Ruby with a comforting smile. Her hand settled on bare shoulders drawn as tight as a bowstring. A small flicker of her aura, a tiny pulse of her semblance, and soothing heat eased into her sister, helping her tension ease away. Ruby sighed softly, and Yang was proud of how she straightened and tried to let the dark emotions pass.

"I-I guess so." Ruby answered in a tiny voice, her hands moving down to cup her sculpted breasts. "You really like it?" She asked her older sister tentatively, getting a quiet nod from Yang.

"Of course!" Yang's jaw suddenly clenched as she spoke, "The boys'll be coming outta the woodwork to check you out." Her eyebrow twitched, and Ruby, briefly, put on a pleased smile, but it quickly shrank away. "... What's wrong, baby girl?" Yang flexed her hands on Ruby's shoulders gently.

"It's fun to th-think about…" Ruby murmured, "B-but… I-I can't really- right? Th-they'll ask questions a-and…" Ruby shuddered, her frown deepening. "I only e-ever wanted to g-go to Beacon, wh-what's it matter wh-what boys th-think?..."

Ruby formed a tight fist, and let out a surprised gasp when she was suddenly engulfed in warmth. Ruby and Yang stared at their reflection, in which Ruby was trapped in Yang's embrace from behind. "It doesn't." Yang confirmed, tickling Ruby's chin fondly until the younger sister squeaked in distress. "All that matters is what you think, so I'm gonna make you look _so damn good,_ you're gonna look in the mirror and say, ' _fuck yeah,_ _I'm a_ hunter!' I want you to feel good about yourself, you're gonna have a team at Beacon, and gonna make friends. Look, this'll sound _super_ shallow, but people generally like other, good-looking people. That doesn't give pretty folks the right to be dicks, of course, but a little confidence and a some sex appeal is it's own mini Semblance… so I'm gonna make you look _incredible,_ and what you do with all the attention is up to you _."_

Ruby let out a soft, shallow breath as Yang examined the corset strings, and Ruby's chin dipped in thought. "Friends…" Ruby sighed, wondering what in the world that would entail for her, how she could avoid the questions, if at all possible… but Yang seemed confident, and Yang was super good with people.

"Yep!" Yang smacked Ruby's back, drawing a surprised yelp. "Now let's go pay for this. I have an idea, we're just gonna have to visit one more store to get it all together."

"We have to g-get home _eventually,_ Yang…" Ruby grumbled fondly as the strings to her corset were slowly undone. "D-dad's got a h-hunter's pie in the oven."

"Dad's casserole can wait. Perfection takes _time."_ Yang insisted, ideas brewing in her head.

* * *

"A c-costuming store?" Ruby asked as they pulled in front of a building labelled 'Pier-View Costuming,' and Yang bobbed her head insistently. "... It's not even n-near the pier. There's two whole b-b-buildings in front of it! It doesn't have a pier v-view at _all."_

"Quit griping! It's just a name!" Yang grabbed Ruby to drag her to the window up front while Ruby let out an annoyed whine. "I've heard good things about this place. Marigold found her boots here." On display was a long-robed, hooded, leathery outfit that looked like it was out of the Vacuo fairy tales of the Dune Guards. Aside from looking like it'd offer genuine protection from the sandstorms, it had plenty of pockets and strategic areas to keep smaller weapons. Ruby fluttered her eyelids behind her lenses as she stared. It looked like an actual _hunter's_ outfit. "See? It's the real deal, Ruby."

"O-okay." Ruby nodded, idly hopeful as they walked inside. The store was small, but packed with outfits of all shapes and colors, with styles imitating iconic outfits from across the world and from history. Ruby recognized the signature green-and-gold woven cloak of Onsen, the Fury of Mistral on one of the racks.

"Hello, and welcome!" A portly gentleman waved from the back. "If you're interested, we just got Pyrrha Nikos' tiaras in!"

"Thanks, we'll check them out!" Yang called. "Alright, black skirt, black stockings, _boots…"_ The blonde murmured as she slipped into the rows of clothing by herself. Ruby went to the racks of cloaks, ignoring her sister's plotting. Finding the right clothing was going to be a tad on the difficult side, but Yang had a malleable mind, she wouldn't get stuck purely on a feeling.

She knew for certain Ruby would be interested in exploring the place once she saw the one-to-one replicas of famed hunter outfits, whether it was Nicholas Schnee's famed, fur-lined coat, or the Last King Oscar's green war cape. Ruby adored hunter legends, something Yang had encouraged all their lives.

Except they weren't here to imitate the great, they were here to give Ruby her _look,_ the things people would one day associate with _her._ As a _hero._ Yang's eyes briefly unfocused as she held up a skirt for inspection, a frown forming… they would see. Ruby was meant for good things, just like their mother had said. Yang wouldn't allow otherwise.

With a shuddering breath, Yang continued her perusing, periodically tossing a piece of dark clothing over her arm until she was satisfied. She spotted the top of Ruby's head still by the cloaks, and marched over with some forced pep in her step.

"Ruby, I found something that's like, cute _and_ cool!" Yang called out as she emerged from the aisles, holding a pile of black clothing with red frills. "They even have some matching boots, and all sortsa accessories! Did you find anything?" Yang halted. Ruby stood in silence, a cape hanging near her ankles as a hood hid her face. She turned, broken from her thoughts to look at her sister. Yang's face was slack from shock, and her boisterous stance lightened. Totally free of self restraint, her eyes pinched, her lips quivered, and she smiled. "That looks really nice Ruby." Her voice was trembling, thick with emotion, but was no less genuine for it.

"It f-feels nice too." Ruby twirled in place, the cloak trailing behind her. "It's like…"

"Yeah... It's like mom's." Yang set her hands on Ruby's shoulders before she slid the hood back, showing Ruby's face. She idly ran her fingers through Ruby's black and red locks, clearing them from her face and examining her. "Do you want it?" Yang asked softly.

"Y-... yeah." Ruby said after a moment of thought, giving Yang a somewhat hopeful smile.

"Okay. I think it'll work with what I found. C'mon, let's get you fitted so you can tell me what you think." Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulder and lead her to the dressing rooms.

* * *

 _"Yang!"_ Taiyang cried out from the front door, causing the blonde to dog-ear her magazine and sit up. "Yang, c'mere!" Her father yelled again. With a sigh, Yang slid off her bed and tossed her impressive mane of yellow-gold curls into a quick ponytail. She didn't plan to leave for the rest of the night, so she casually rocked a pair of pajama pants and a tank top with ' _I Burn!'_ inscribed over an explosion. " _Yang?!"_

"I'm coming dad!" Yang finally called back, taking the stairs two at a time before striding into the kitchen. "Wassup, doc?" Yang asked while leaning against the doorframe.

Taiyang shot her a self-pleased grin before he pulled open one side of a large box resting on the counter. "Get this sweetheart, I've got a couple new gadgets to play with in the kitchen." Yang's nostrils flared in niggling curiosity. New gadgets, eh? Yang not-so-casually bounced over to her father's side to look into the box, and seeing it was full of smaller containers, pulled one out to read.

"' _The Atlas Kitchen and Hardware Corporation special deluxe peeler, from potatoes to pineapples, peels fast, clean, and easy.'"_ She read, then set the box on the counter. New kitchen stuff…?

"And get this," Her father set his hand on the box, his smile still strong and sunny, "It's designed to detect bare skin and stop so your pop doesn't end up degloving himself." He grabbed the next box. "Robo slap-chop! I just toss it onto the conveyor and it does all the work while I prep the next set of ingredients." Yang watched him pull the next box out, and a slow frown formed on her face. "And look at this! This blender can do rough, smooth, super smooth, and puree! I can replace the old clunker you always complain about. And this is a plastic clamshell remover! Once I open up the plastic clamshell it comes in, opening everything else will be a breeze, and- and-"

A hand rest on his. Taiyang paused, looking up at Yang's quiet, if sad smile. "I'll miss you too, dad." Taiyang looked into her eyes for a long while, then let out a long, tired breath. "You don't have to cook nearly as much with us gone. You can work on _you_ things!" Yang insisted as she helped him unpack.

"Heh, yeah." Taiyang sagged, and took Yang's hand. His rough, calloused thumb stroked her palm thoughtfully. "I can renovate your rooms, have my own personal den upstairs. Laundry'll be easier too, no panties to sort through." He _deserved_ that punch to the arm, and the both of them laughed. "Damn, you're hitting like a huntress these days. That or I'm getting too soft. Am I getting soft, Yang?"

"You cried like a baby when we went luggage shopping, so I'd say about the same as when you saw me in my prom dress." Yang hid her mischievous smile behind her hand.

"Oh _man,_ don't remind me my little blonde baby's all grown up!" Taiyang hugged his daughter, rubbing her back with a small sigh. Yang briefly squeezed his middle, smirking to herself in fond exasperation. "It's gonna be so quiet without you and Ruby around. _Especially_ you." He accused with a joking smirk, drawing an eye roll. "Ruby isn't even half the trouble-maker you are."

"Oh, she'll _learn_." Yang assured her father with a snicker, breaking the hug to help him unpack all the overpriced appliances. She slid out a new cheese grater and sighed. She did all the peeling, chopping, and grating while her dad prepped and cooked the meat and watched the pots. It was a nightly tradition, in which Ruby was allowed to watch as long as nothing exploded. "You'll be fine too, dad. Without me around, maybe the girls'll look your direction." She bumped his hip with her own and grinned at Tai, who let out a quick guffaw.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for that just yet. Thanks for the show of confidence, sweetie." As new kitchen hardware lined the countertops, a pile of cardboard began to collect in one corner of the room. It was almost immediately taken over and annexed by the dog, and Fort Zwei's lord and master napped in his new nest. Taiyang cocked his head, somewhat resembling his dog, between the moments of tearing and clinking, and eventually looked up at the ceiling. "Your sister's pretty quiet."

"She's probably staring at herself in front of the mirror again." Yang beamed, inwardly shimmying as she handled a knife set. Taiyang had cried when Ruby strode in wearing her new hunter's outfit. Yang couldn't tell if he'd cried because she was finally growing up, because her smile was the largest it had ever been, or if because her cloak reminded him of Summer… Either way, they had gotten tearful approval. "That, or she's going over my old textbooks again." Yang paused, and squinted. "She didn't even put them down for cake." Now worried, Yang shot her father a disturbed look. " _For cake!"_

"Well, this whole prospect's lit a fire under her ass, and she needs to be ready for it." Taiyang smiled and glanced up at the ceiling again. Ruby was a hard worker, that was from _his_ side of the family, he felt. Over a number of years, she'd gone from falling flat on her ass while failing to bruise an apple, to turning into a startling little whirlwind of decapitations. Ruby had trained until Taiyang could rattle her awake in the wee hours of the morning and she could perform flawlessly, it was how he knew his baby girl was making progress.

Somedays, Taiyang would watch her and a painful pit of nostalgia would open as he remembered Summer…

"Hey." Yang nudged him, making Taiyang snap back to focus on her as his aura crackled reflexively for a heartbeat. Rather than being offended, Yang looked concerned as she gently butted shoulders with her father in a lazy display of solidarity. "You got that look on your face."

"Yeah." Taiyang nodded, rubbing his face until his muscles relaxed. "Just thinking about your mom again."

"She was the best mom." Yang smirked. They were both talking about Summer, as Raven was a touchy subject between the two of them, and Taiyang didn't know how to talk about what had happened with a straight face. So, Summer had earned the official title of "mom" around the house, despite her absence.

"She was. She helped bring up two really fantastic kids too." Taiyang gave Yang a look of fatherly pride, and Yang held her hands up like a hostage.

"Alright, we are officially turning into nostalgic saps and I'm not even twenty. I'm going upstairs to be a teenager, I'll find something to rebel against or whatever." Yang turned, hands still held up, but she smiled to herself. She idly wondered how things would have been different if their mother was still around, how Ruby would be treated, if she herself would be at all different. Maybe she'd have been less rebellious, and she and dad would have fought less once teenage hormones had kicked in–and before she learned to reign them in and settled down into a more loveable shade of troublemaker.

She knew for certain that her dad would spend fewer nights staring out at the backyard swirling a glass of something strong, lost in thought...

Yang stepped into her room and frowned. Her dad would be lonely. The man was already in a weird state without a wife to help with the domestic life, but now she and Ruby were going too. If Ruby was staying, that would be one thing…

Yang rubbed her upper arm and flopped onto her bed. She ignored her magazine and opened her scroll to text to the last person that should be asked for advice, but still managed to make his drunken self useful from time to time.

 _[Hey dude.]_

 _[Too early for you to need picking up. What's up?]_

 _[Ruby got into Beacon.]_

 _[I heard.]_

 _[Dad's going to be lonely.]_

 _[Yeah, and?]_

 _[You could move in with him.]_

 _[I could also take ballet. Not happening.]_

 _[I'm worried about dad, can't you try?]_

 _[No. I don't stick around for a few reasons, and he understands completely. You need to trust us.]_

 _[Then what do we do?]_

 _[How about your red-headed friend?]_

 _[Rees?]_

 _[Her mom's hot. Set them up! :D]_

 _[:( Gross, no. She's married.]_

 _[I tried!]_

 _[Asshole.]_

 _[Love you too, Firecracker.]_

Yang flopped onto her back with a sigh. She rolled onto her side to stare out the window, her frown slowly being joined by a deep furrow between her eyebrows. Her father was a hunter, he made his money keeping Patch safe, but his expertise was rarely needed. Qrow found all sorts of work doing jobs across Remnant, but her dad liked to keep it close to home, where her girls were. Qrow did some work at Signal too, though, when he wasn't on a mission so-

Yang grabbed her scroll again, her feet kicking in the air as she rolled onto her tummy.

 _[Can you get him a job at Signal?]_

 _[Nope.]_

 _[Why?!]_

 _[Your dad's a jock. Every dad on Patch is a jock. All of them went into teaching at Signal. See where I'm going with this?]_

 _[He needs something to keep himself busy.]_

 _[He's got Zwei.]_

 _[Zwei's not good enough.]_

 _[Ouch. Pup works so hard though! :(]_

 _[I'm being serious!]_

 _[Me too! The dog's great.]_

 _[Qrow, I'm really worried about dad. Isn't there something you can do? You work for Ozpin, right? Maybe he has a few jobs dad could take?]_

 _[You think I have that kind of pull?]_

 _[I don't think he'd put up with you if you didn't do something he couldn't outsource to a bottle of gin.]_

 _[I'll ask, but I'm making no promises. Ozpin runs a tight ship and he likes his crew a particular way.]_

 _[So he went out of his way to hire a soggy old drunk?]_

 _[Ouch! Right in the heart, Yang. Yeah, but he has a special place for us all. I'll see if there's some cozy perimeter control job that your dad can take.]_

 _[Thanks Qrow.]_

 _[You owe me.]_

 _[Next round's on me.]_

 _[Top shelf?]_

 _[I'll figure it out.]_

 _[Legally.]_

 _[Don't trust me?]_

 _[Like I'd trust a wildfire to not burn the bar down. Don't break the law, kiddo, not until you graduate. Then me and your dad aren't legally obligated to shell out credits to save your sorry butt. :D]_

 _[Fine.]_

 _[Good girl. Go find me a good brand while I brown nose.]_

Yang closed her scroll and set it on the windowsill. Maybe she was overthinking this; her dad was a strong man, he could probably handle being lonely. Maybe the only thing holding him back was herself and Ruby? He was fairly responsible around them, but when he had some time to himself he could be rowdy...

She wiggled back onto her side, getting comfortable as she picked up her magazine. Either way, if Qrow got the Headmaster to give her dad a job to keep him busy, it'd be her dad's choice to take it or not. She would, of course, take credit for the idea if he loved it, and knew how to be his perfect little girl when she visited to calm his mind if he didn't. She smirked.

The things she did for family...

* * *

In the dead of night, the warehouse activity stalled as three familiar figures strode towards the back, ignoring the frowns and weapons around them entirely. Dozens of masked, uniformed men saw the woman and her companions and opted to give them a wide berth, avoiding barbed remarks and potential pain if they took offense to their presence.

In the back, hovering over a wooden table dominated by a large map of Vale covered in smartass remarks, Roman Torchwick chewed the butt of his cigar, rolling it across his teeth in a practiced motion from time to time. He was speaking to two of the White Fang operatives, their mutterings and ravings coming to a stop when they noticed the sudden silence beyond the improvised wall of shipping crates.

"Okay," Roman patted the two White Fang members' shoulders, "why don't you two go grab a snack. Yours truly's got some business to discuss with our 'benefactors.'" The air quotes did little to relieve the tension as the two men fled to the far side of the warehouse.

Roman held his arms up in a thoughtless shrug, and turned to face a sultry vision of a woman, all shapely curves and midnight locks wrapped in a form-hugging red and gold dress, and an air of confident control that bordered on arrogance in Roman's eyes. He'd only found her attractive for about a day before he'd decided it would be easier to get physical and emotional satisfaction out of a pillow sack stuffed with nails. Tonight, Cinder's expression was particularly dark, her body language oozing malice and tension. Behind her, a green-haired young woman and a gray-haired punk smirked, but their postures were nervous, their eyes flicking towards their leader repeatedly while they kept a larger distance from her. Roman wasn't used to seeing Cinder so wound up, and took the hint from her entourage by casually shifting a half-step away from her.

"Sooooo…" Roman rolled his tongue as if he was tasting the word, and suppressing a wince at the way her jaw clenched at his voice. "To answer the question you _obviously_ want to ask, I have no clue where the little Grimm girl went." He beamed, even as Cinder stormed forward and forced him to confront her angered gaze. He held his hands up in a somewhat mocking display of surrender, Melodic Cudgel swaying from his right elbow. "Look, I don't know what you want from me." Roman shrugged, his smile shifting to a petty glare. "I'm in the businesses of stealing, chemical entertainment, and providing security to a select group of generous clients. I don't do human trafficking, so what do you want?"

"I want that girl found." Cinder's lips peeled back to show her perfect white teeth. " _Now."_

"Hey hey hey, calm down missy, you look like you've had a rough day." Roman edged out from between Cinder and the table, then walked over to a fridge shoved into the corner. It opened with a metallic click, and the rattle of a dozen shaking bottles of liquid. He pulled out a quartet of beers and slammed it shut with a clang and a grin. "You need to _relax._ So we got jumped by a little girl who can summon the stuff of death and nightmares, these things happen when you run around this close to a hunter school. Since we work on a need-to-know system around here and you've decided we need to know _jackshit_ , there's no way I could have guessed how important this random damn kid was to your little scheme!"

Cinder slapped a bottle out of his hand and snarled as it shattered on the concrete floor. "She _isn't._ But my mentor has a keen interest in her, and she will not be denied. I want this girl found _before_ our employer finds out she's here."

"I got a pair of eyes on every corner of Vale looking for this little Grimm girl." Roman lied, grumbling when Emerald and Mercury each took a bottle out of his hand, then stood back to watch with expectant grins now that it was clear they weren't in the line of fire. "I don't exactly see you contributing, y'know. You want her found, maybe _you_ should complain less and _help."_ He snapped.

Cinder's slap was intercepted by Roman's cane, and the two of them were locked in a stare down, both refusing to break eye-contact until Cinder closed her hand around his cane and tugged it away, squeezing it angrily. "I am busy ensuring other operations are running smoothly elsewhere. You are the only person in this entire endeavor that has been failing me."

" _Failing_ you?" Roman asked in surprise, his arms extended towards the piles of dust-filled containers lining every surface and wall in the warehouse. "Cinder, baby, do I need to remind you that I have more than enough dust to keep this dumpster fire of a group burning for the next eight months? I've looted every store, robbed every tanker, stopped every truck, I've done everything short of tear the sparklers out of babies' hands and you're accusing _me_ of failure?" He scoffed and stared down his nose at her, pushing on despite the way her hands smoldered and trembled. "You were damn lucky you found me when I was in a helluva rough patch. I've done every stitch of work you threw at me feet after you stormed in for 'assistance.' It sounds to me like the only person who cares about pursuing that Grimm girl is _you,_ so I'd say the only failure right now is _you."_

Cinder whirled around to stare at Roman. Emerald and Mercury both stood in silent terror and slight awe, watching Roman's bluster fall flaccid as Cinder, far too calmly, and far too gently, walked to Roman and held out his cane. He took it nervously, trying to meet Cinder's suddenly flat stare. "Whether the girl is found or not won't affect the endgame." She spoke, her voice gentle and measured as she took the remaining beer in his hand, and popped the cap with a flick of her thumb. "The only reason I care about her is because of my mentor. If she were to find out, then she would send somebody to secure her. Someone that neither of us would want to deal with."

Roman let out a single, disbelieving laugh. "And who could that be? Sweetheart, I've dealt with killers and thieves, I've seen the worst humanity has to offer. That one-eyed freak you saw me drop into the drink a few weeks back? Sex trafficker, I've seen what he does to pretty girls."

"And believe me, I know just how deep humanity will sink if it means getting satisfaction for themselves." Cinder eyes narrowed as she met his stare, the bottle in her hand warping as the beer started to boil. "My mentor has somebody worse with myself at her disposal. Somebody who craves violence and murder more than power and prestige. Someone who will draw it out until you plead for death, all for their own perverse glee. I'm not worried about some simplistic _human_ coming to check on my progress, Roman, I'm worried that the devil will come knocking, and we'll have no choice but to let them in."

Cinder watched Roman squirm as the glass in her hands began to melt, the beer inside evaporating into a thick, pungent cloud as Cinder's hands tensed, resembling angered claws as the mixture of alcohol and glass dripped from her fingers. She frowned, her eyes closing.

"My mentor will send something worse than any crime lord, terrorist, or mass murderer you can imagine. Something who looks gentle and human, who you would mistake for an ordinary person at first glance, but believe me," Cinder began to glare, her teeth showing again, "they have the heart of the Grimm, and they would love nothing more than to show up and skin this town alive. So," Cinder hissed, "if we want to continue our mission in peace and avoid unwanted casualties–like our own–we will find this girl before word gets out, and ensure we never have to be visited by _it."_

Roman stared after Cinder as she approached her two companions, and let out a nervous giggle. "Oh c'mon, it's just another grumpy little serial killer with way more talent than the police, right? An exotic weapon, a scary semblance, nothing I haven't shot in the back of the head and ditched in the bay before."

Cinder paused, examining her nails briefly, before answering. "Shooting only works if they _need_ the head _._ Find this girl, Roman. Dead or alive, I want her in chains and ready to be shipped out. Understood?"

Cinder waited, back turned to Roman, and the man flailed his hands in annoyance. "Fine! I'll get your little damsel." He grunted, turning back to the map, his hands slamming onto the table hard enough to make it jump.

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury walked towards the exit of the warehouse. Though Cinder had won that exchange, Emerald couldn't help but notice how tense her leader was. She wasn't sure what was worse, a girl that could summon the Grimm, or whatever it was that could make Cinder openly express fear...


	4. First Impressions

"Good morning, students of Beacon." A chipper woman's voice spoke to the crowd gathered at an airbus's terminal. Ruby slid her headphones off and cocked her ear towards the ceiling while her family continued to chatter beside her. "The airship is experiencing a minor delay in unboarding, but we should remain on schedule. We'll be loading in just a few minutes, so please gather your things. When you are called, form an orderly line so the attendant can check your tickets, then direct you to your assigned seat. This will be a low-turbulence flight, so the viewing lounge will be open. Thank you for flying Air Vale, and we hope to see you again, future hunters and huntresses!"

Ruby let her headphones hang about her neck as she turned her attention back to the book in her lap, more interested in the budding romance of two hunters who, at the start of the story, could barely keep themselves from drawing their weapons when they spotted the other. She suppressed a smile, grew a blush, and nibbled the tip of her thumb.

Her family sat around her in cushion armchairs bolted to the skyport terminal floor, with Taiyang looking silently pleased, Yang barely able to peruse her magazine and scroll in her excitement, and Qrow lounging back, eyes closed. Overhead, the departure board listed the airship's various stops throughout the day, but the only stop that mattered was Beacon.

The terminal was filled with young hunters-to-be and their families and friends. All young, hopeful, and at their physical peak, which Yang only admired from a distance so her father wouldn't give her guff about getting distracted; her one job now was to make sure Ruby got settled into Beacon without any incidents. They all looked out at the airship, all of them excited to move onto the next stage in their education and careers–and, more than likely, get away from their families and live it up with their peers as opposed to their parents.

The excitement was palpable, but Ruby kept her head underneath it all by focusing on her book.

"Are you sure you don't want to at least come say hi? Maybe give us a little clout with the higher ups?" Yang gently ribbed Qrow, whose drinking hand was drumming his armrest.

"Yang, your uncle's not toasted enough to get on one of _those_ things. If I have to come by, I'll take a boat." Qrow grumbled. He instinctively pulled his flask and tipped it towards his lips, but the contents had been 'confiscated' by security before reaching the terminal. Needless to say, the hunter was rather agitated.

"I don't get how you can be a world-class hunter if you won't even get in an airship. What, do you take a bus to Mistral? Walk?" Yang snickered, and Taiyang let out a short laugh.

"I got my ways kiddo. I got my ways." Qrow muttered in a conspiratorial fashion, then looked past Yang and right at Ruby. "Hey." Ruby turned her head to look at him, and he offered a small, tight smile. "Doin' alright pipsqueak?"

"Fine." Ruby answered calmly. She was tugging at her skirt, and wouldn't leave her music player alone. Qrow continued to examine her, and now Taiyang was watching her too. "W-w-what?" She finally asked, her nervousness cracking her voice.

"You look like you need a drink, Ruby." Her father answered her, leaving his seat to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I can't get you anything alcoholic, but I can grab you some water, or milk? How about coffee?"

"N-no, I drank a lot this morning. Too much more a-and I'll pee my-myself." Ruby was visibly paling around her thick goggles. "J-just... s'all a li'l much I th-think." Ruby stared out the huge, wall-to-wall windows that showed the airships arriving and departing. The ship she'd be riding in was already docked, but getting checked over and refueled before anyone but the crew got on.

"Well, it's been a shock for all of us," Taiyang ruffled her hair, making Ruby's cheeks puff up in indignation, "But Professor Ozpin's a good man, and I'll tell you, not sending you to Signal was a hard decision to make, but I'm proud of all that training you've done at home. You haven't had an outburst in years."

Ruby puffed up more, ducking her head to hide her chin behind the fabric of her cloak.

"I still don't like this." Qrow was leaning back in his chair, watching the ceiling with a frown as his family turned to look at him with a mixture of flat glares or fright. "But it's not my call. Pipsqueak, _you_ gotta keep control, and _you_ gotta clean up your own messes." Qrow settled his eyes on his niece, whose apprehension made her sudden confidence seem forced.

"I know!" Ruby huffed, letting all the air in her mouth out. "I just- I-I'm not worried about _that…_ P-Professor Ozpin s-said they'd help me w-with my sem-semblance…" She rested a hand on her forehead as if feeling for a headache. "P-Professor Goodwitch sent me an email this m-morning with my out-of-class catch-up p-plan. I-I'm not gonna have a d-day off for a _m-month_ at this r-rate..."

"Aww, c'mon, it can't be _that_ bad." Yang held a hand out. "Lemme see!" Ruby passed Yang her scroll and Yang sat back to read. "Hah, history of Vale is easy. History of Remnant isn't much harder than that. Dust mixing is fun! Well, for me, _I_ might mix for you. Y'know…"

"N-not everything I touch b-blows up…"

"Just in case! Okay, basic stuff, nothing you gotta worry about, I aced _all_ those classes." Ruby reached over and scrolled down. Yang stared. "Um, hm... History and laws of hunter organizations across Remnant, basic day-to-day elementary classes including mathematics, linguistics, and the sciences, basic business sense for wanderers and hunters, Grimm anatomy and theoretical practices against them, and," Yang leaned forward, brown scrunched, eyebrows knit together, "additional classes may follow depending on your performance in class. Wow."

"Y-yeah."

"We went over most of that in Signal, maybe they'll sum it all up in one night." Yang shrugged, handing the scroll back over.

"Yeah, but you had five y-years to learn all of that. I g-get a s-s-semester to do this _and_ cl-classwork! And c-combat training, which will probably be the b-best part..." Ruby crossed her arms with a huff, her face dipping down in worry. "Yang, will y-you help me?"

"Well _duh,_ and we'll have teammates! Even if we don't end up on the same team, all of us can work together to get you up to speed." Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's midsection and crushed her to her side, making her sister wheeze. "So don't worry, sis. We'll make sure you get through this."

"Th-thanks… ribs…?" Ruby wheezed, letting out an unhappy squeak as Yang snickered and repeatedly squeezed her.

"And I have a surprise for you when you two get settled in at Beacon." Taiyang smiled brightly. He glanced to Qrow, who shot him a limp thumbs up and a smirk. "So look forward to it, will ya?"

"Attention." The soothing female voice announced. "Boarding for terminal 3A is starting; boarding for terminal 3A is starting."

Taiyang stepped back as Ruby and Yang both stood, taking a moment to size his daughters up. Yang's outfit was rather expected: something that would show off, make everyone think she was a daredevil. Though he didn't necessarily approve of all the skin, it looked _good_ on her... the warm browns, bright yellows and cheerful orange all came together in a chaotic but charming mix that was uniquely Yang. He just wished she was a little more conservative.

Ruby though… His youngest had always been a daydreamer, a lover of fantasy and stories, and rarely had an eye for fashion. Her older sister knew her strengths, and Ruby looked… Taiyang stared at her outfit with a bit of wonder. Her mother would have approved, he knew that much. She looked like a young, dark maiden fresh out of a storybook. A modern interpretation of a classic tale of heroism and darkness protecting those in the light. Her ruffled skirt, her dark stockings, her tall black boots; even the corset tied the outfit together, making her look less like a little girl, and more like a young woman. She was, to his horror, growing up, and looking ready to attract a potential mate.

And that cloak… she was her mother's daughter.

He took a moment to reign in his emotions before speaking, "Okay girls." Taiyang smiled sadly, he opened his arms and the two rushed in, squeezing him tight. There were no words as they held one another, and Taiyang buried his face into their shoulders. He planted a kiss on each of their foreheads and stood back, his face bright with a sunny smile and watery eyes. "I'm proud of you both. Give 'em hell, my little huntresses."

Both girls smiled, Yang keeping an arm around Ruby's shoulder, and Qrow finally stood. "Welp, I won't see you two 'round the house anymore. Dunno when I'll see you again, so, I'm gunna be a little dramatic." He stood up straight and opened his arms. Both girls stared at him like he'd grown a second head, and he shuffled awkwardly, creepily widening his smile while making a hugging motion, as if his nieces didn't understand the concept. He was not prepared when the girls charged him with twin shrieks. " _OKAY."_ Qrow glared from his back on the floor, both girls laughing wildly as they clutched their uncle. He tried to sit up, but they wouldn't let him, and he feebly tugged at their arms to try and escape before giving up with a shout, "Tai, call them off!" Taiyang was cackling as he tugged his daughters off of their grumpy uncle, allowing Qrow to stand, stretch, and cough in embarrassment. "I really need a drink. You two stay out of trouble and don't make me or your father worry. Bye!" He threw his hands up and walked off. It was a little hard to catch, but Yang thought she saw him glance over his shoulder with a tiny smirk before he disappeared behind a crowd.

Taiyang picked up his girls' carry-on luggage and handed it over, giving one last kiss and hug to each of them. "Don't worry about your uncle. I'll see you two soon enough, but I still want letters! Pass your classes, don't give your teachers trouble, and if either of you come out of school pregnant," His gaze darkened, and he cracked his knuckles, "the child's gunna come out a bastard. Got it?"

There were quick nods before their frantic dash to get into line to board the ship. Taiyang watched his girls board by themselves with a proud smile, but the moment they were out of sight his smile slipped. He went to catch up to Qrow for a few drinks. They'd need to start moving as soon as they could.

* * *

The tip of Ruby's nose pressed against the window as she looked over the vast, sprawling city of Vale. She had been on an airship only once before in her entire life, and it had been as a little girl, tightly clutching her mother's hand as they took a skyborne tour of Vale. The memories had long faded, and the thing Ruby remembered most about the trip was the smell of her mother's perfume, and her thumb soothingly running along the back of her neck. It allowed Ruby a fresh perspective as she stared at her city, letting her see how small, yet sprawling it truly was.

Vale, compared to the climbing vistas of Mistral, or the billowing tent towns of Vacuo, was a plain and efficient city. Dominated primarily by pyramid-roofed, square buildings in varying pleasant colors, the city of Vale was a lot like its people: simple, homey, and ergonomic. If Atlas was progress, Vacuo was freedom, and Mistral was beauty, then Vale was comfort. Nothing moved too fast, business thrived, and though there was a clear class divide in the more rich districts compared to the more rundown areas, the discrepancy wasn't as vivid as Mistral.

Ruby's recalled her father telling her all about how Vale was a diverse place where human, faunus, white collar, blue collar, rich, and poor could find a place to settle and make a life of comfort. According to her dad, Vale could be quite lively, but, after spending a few years in Mistral, also rather boring. He apparently liked it that way, ' _Can hit the market and make it back home without running into crooked types or some artsy-fartsy street performers!'_ He'd joke.

However, even if it was simple and boring, it was all Ruby knew. She'd read about these incredible worlds in her books, she'd seen photos and video of the different nations, but this was the city she knew in person… as an acquaintance, if even that. This would be the farthest–and longest time away–she'd be from home. Her heart began to hammer, she was going someplace where she would have to be on guard all day and all night...

A tiny water bottle knocked against the side of her goggles, and Ruby snapped to attention with a start. She whirled towards Yang, then let out a relieved sigh. "You've got a look on your face like dad gets." the taller girl smirked, "Homesick already?" Yang asked teasingly, while Ruby sipped from the offered water bottle.

"No!..." Ruby insisted in a whiny tone, then hid her mouth behind the bottle's narrow neck, "... M-maybe a li'l…?" She tightened her grip, the cheap plastic nearly crumbling under her fingers, and looked out the window again. "Vale's a lot b-bigger up here… s'alotta city to protect."

"Well, that's why there's so many cops, and all the hunters too. Didn't think we could do it by ourselves, didja?" Yang offered, turning to look out the window with her sister. She spent more time studying Ruby's ghostly reflection in the glass than the majestic sprawl below.

"No!" Ruby pouted, her sister snickering by her side. "J-just… it's super far f-from home, a-and…" She reached back to rub the back of her neck, "A-and fulla people I w-won't know."

"Exactly!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her arms out in unabashed excitement. "We're going to be in dorms, surrounded by people our age!" Yang's smile got toothier. "Shared restrooms and women's locker rooms, so many opportunities to check all new meat out! Ooooh- _hoo,_ I bet there are so many private places to sneak away to!" Yang began to drool, up until a quick smack to her elbow dragged her out of her fantasies. Ruby gave her sister a flat look, expertly crafted to be effective despite her more limited expression when wearing her goggles, and turned back to face Vale with a shake of her head. "But yeah," Yang shrugged, arms crossed, "it'll be a brand new experience for the both of us. Dorms, people from all over the world, there'll be like, no privacy, but hey, there'll be plenty of new friends."

Ruby suddenly stiffened, "N-no privacy…?" She touched her goggles, which suddenly felt very heavy on her head. "Sh-shared locker rooms?" She asked, clutching her cloak clasps as nervousness shot through her.

"Yeah, it's a dorm, Ruby. We aren't flying out to Beacon every day, and locker rooms are the norm in schools." Yang set her hands on her hips, thinking. "You can always slip into a bathroom stall to take off your goggles, and you should be able to set up your own thing in your dorm room. Pretty sure we can just get away with saying you have some nasty eye-condition. Nobody'll question that, hell, it's basically true…"

"N-new people… n-no-no p-pr-priva-vacy…" Ruby's head began to spin. People. She turned to look around at the numerous people she didn't know, also milling about the airship's viewing lounge. So many faces she didn't know, so many who met her goggle-covered eyes with curiosity, making her look away shyly. She was trembling now. "A-aa-ah…"

"Ruby, you…" Yang settled her hands on her sister's shoulders, trying to make her increasing shivering stop with a worried frown, "you knew there'd be other people, right?"

"Y-y-ye-yeah…" Ruby whimpered, her voice barely able to escape from her shaking. "J-just- it j-just k-ki-kinda h-hit me alluva s-sudd-den…" Ruby's nostrils flared, and she nestled up against Yang in fright. It'd be like this every day, with no house to escape to. She'd have to be _social…_

"Aww, c'mon baby girl, it's not _that_ bad. Ya know I'll help introduce you to people, just remember the pretty ones are mine." Yang insisted with a wink, her sister's enormous frown nearly drawing a laugh. "These folks are all going to Beacon to become hunters! If there's no one else awesome in the school, we're doomed as a kingdom! Besides, you'll need to make friends if you're gonna be on a team."

Ruby felt a rock form in her stomach. Right. A _team._ A team of _strangers._ She'd have a picture-perfect idea in her head of her team, made with her and her three favorite heroines from stories, but that wasn't reality. She was going to be with people she didn't even know. "C-can't I just b-be-be with y-you o-on y-your t-te-team?!" Ruby asked in sudden distress, turning Yang's calming smile nervous.

"Well, I mean… that's not super healthy, right? You gotta know more people than me. You need confidence!" Yang smacked Ruby's back, making the smaller girl yelp. "Confidence to _meet people._ You got the style-" Yang ruffled Ruby's skirt, "- you've got the talent, now you just need to be able to walk up to somebody and say-"

"Hey gorgeous," a brunette boy with a dashing smile and gorgeous eyes suddenly cut in, looking strictly at Yang, "name's Verdan, how 'bout we start the semester off with a li'l bang and I take you down to—"

"Dude!" Yang interrupted, her eyes flashing red, her hair streaked with gold, and the boy's smile fell at the threat. "Giving my sister life advice here! Also, got _way_ too much going on down there for my liking, so no thanks!" The boy scurried away, and Yang jerked a thumb at the retreating boy while giving the somewhat stunned Ruby a little grin. "See? Confidence."

"... Y-you _rejected_ h-him." Ruby muttered, and Yang shrugged.

"So? Never woulda known if he hadn't tried, but bad timing and all that! You gotta have the ability to puff up your chest, walk up to somebody with the knowledge you might fail, but the hope that you'll succeed! It's how you make friends, lovers, _and_ enemies!" Ruby squeaked in terror, and Yang grinned. "Don't let that scare ya, enemies keep you on your toes! So c'mon, let's practice!"

"I-I-I- th-this s-ss-seems l-like a-" Ruby stuttered and danced in place, locked in place by Yang's hand around her upper arm.

Yang scanned the crowds, examining her fellow students closely. A majority of them were focused on their own little groups, hardly ready for a pair of intruders to come insert themselves, but there was one boy in particular who sat alone.

Ruby shook, silently pleading with Yang to not do this as she was guided away from the window, the thick soles of her boots making an obnoxious squeal as they completely failed to stop Yang from shoving their owner ahead like a bulldozer. They pushed through the crowd to approach the young man, who seemed nervous himself, with widespread legs and a hunched posture, as if he had a lot on his mind. His head jerked a bit when red-soled black boot toes slide into his field of vision and he eventually looked up to the two girls when Yang tapped her boot to make it clear they weren't just passing by.

"Hi there, I'm Yang Xiao Long!" She bumped her thumb against her breastbone, and pushed Ruby in front of her. "This is my sister, Ruby."

Ruby felt her stomach do a flip out of sheer terror, and she glanced back at Yang in betrayed shock. Yang pushed at her chin to focus her back on the boy in front of them, whose eyes had widened as his cheeks went pale. "Uuuh…"

"Just introduce yourself Ruby. C'mon, he seems friendly. Just say hi!" Yang encouraged softly.

Ruby looked to the boy. He looked so nervous, even afraid... Just like her. He was a handsome boy though, broad-shouldered, blonde hair, blue eyed, and strong arms. He wore basic white chest armor over a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, sorta looking like somebody from out in the country, where armor and costuming wasn't all that popular. He didn't look like any of the impossibly handsome men on TV, of course, but his more down-to-earth nature only made him seem more approachable, and she felt the knot of anxiety loosen ever so slightly, causing her to hold out a meek hand. She could sympathize with his obvious discomfort, and apparent freshness to everything going on around him. "H-hi, I'm Ruby R-Rose." She added a weak but hopeful little smile to the gesture.

The boy took a look at her, then her hand, and for a moment he seemed to ease, and something warm and grateful began to spread across his face… then his complexion turn sickly green, he tensed up painfully, and his arms curled around his middle. Ruby blinked behind her goggles, her mind going blank, as he folded almost in half to vomit all over her shoes.

* * *

Yang had one arm around Ruby's shoulders, her posture stiff and alert while trying to guide her through the crowd that went down the exit ramp as soon as it was lowered. Ruby's hood was pulled over her head and she was staring straight down, whimpering pathetically.

"I'm sorry." Yang whispered as she lead the way, her body language subconsciously informing most of the other Hunters-in-training to cut her a wide berth. She blamed herself for Ruby's… 'situation', but would gladly vent her stress on anyone dumb enough to stand between Ruby and a washroom.

Once on the landing pad, the students began to fan out, gathering in groups throughout the docking courtyard before heading towards the towering, open doors welcoming the incoming students to their new lives for the next four years. Yang scanned the area around them with a small frown.

"Look, I'm sure as soon as we get inside we can get your shoes all washed up." Yang assured her sister, but Ruby tugged her hood tighter around her head.

" _I'm not going into B-Beacon with v-vo-vomit on my shoes!"_ Ruby's harsh whisper was accompanied by a frown that made her cheeks droop dramatically, and she hesitantly took a few steps forward. "It's my first day here, I c-can't- I _won't_ let my f-first impression be my g-gross shoes squishing all over the floor! I j-j-ju-just- c-can't I get some towels or something? P-Please tell me you have t-towels!"

"Y-yeah, sure, they're in my bags..." Yang quickly searched the area, but failed to see anyone unloading luggage from the airship. She let out a small noise of annoyance. "Maybe we can talk to somebody inside and get our luggage early. Or maybe Beacon can spare some towels too! The place has to have laundry and-"

" _Yang I really don't want to go in like this."_ Ruby hissed, her face downcast as her fists trembled. She metaphorically reeked of embarrassment, and people were staring at her in confusion turning into curiosity as she trembled in place next to her sister.

Yang muttered something under her breath and glanced around again. "I'll head in and get a towel for you." She finally said. She subtly pointed to a bench off to the side, where the docking area melted into the main courtyard. "Wait for me over there, okay? Just… try to relax and stay calm." Ruby lifted her head and looked up at the bench, then back at Yang almost fearfully, but then back down at her shoes…

"O-okay, but h-hurry?" Ruby pulled her cloak tighter around herself, trying to become invisible to the surrounding students. "I d-don't w-w-wa-ant to be a-alone!"

Yang took hold of her sister's shoulders, and made sure her younger sister was looking up at her before she spoke. "You're not alone. All these people want to be hunters like you. There's a small army of future-friends swirling around you, just waiting to lend a hand. If you need anything, ask someone, okay? They might surprise you, in the good way, like you want to do for them. I'll be back in a few, promise."

Ruby shifted her stance, unsure, but nodded at her older sister. Yang rubbed her head hurridly before she sped off towards Beacon, throwing one last glance towards Ruby before shifting into a full sprint, bellowing at people to get out of her way. Yang was considered slow by the standards of her old peers at Signal; her heavier frame and lack of movement-enhancing abilities limited her ability to cross distances to something closer to the human norm. That was hard to remember when those long legs of hers seemed to eat up distance with greedy gulps as her boots thundered across the lawn.

Ruby stood alone amidst the crowd of passing students, watching her sister disappear into the grand double doors of the main building. Ruby anxiously looked around, seeing the dozens upon dozens of her new classmates. Yang was right, they were trying to be hunters like her; by default, she had at least one thing in common with everyone here, so why was her heart still hammering?

Ruby cursed her fear of crowds. She was rarely surrounded by her family, let alone strangers, and when she went out alone she usually walked along walls or right next to buildings to avoid being hedged in. Here, in the open air, surrounded by a milling throng of humanity, she found that something like claustrophobia was setting in and leaving her stomach full of… not butterflies, butterflies were pretty and implied love. Ruby's stomach was filling with things like slugs, spiders, and sentient burnt cookies that hated taste buds and enamel…

She slid away from the thoroughfare, shaking nervously as she walked past the light posts lining the road to slump into the bench Yang had pointed out next to one of the columns supporting the massive ring of arches surrounding the courtyard. She was so glad her red cloak hid most of her poorly controlled trembling, even though she was aware she smelled, and every now and then somebody would look her way and her heart rate would spike, and she'd tense up for an insult, or a hostile glare, and then it didn't come, she'd spiral back into fantasies of how bad the comments would get once someone finally started making them.

She suddenly felt a hand land on her shoulder and her mind tried to erupt in a dozen directions at once. She whirled around with a loud gasp, pulling away from the touch, her hand moving to the small of her back, though she wasn't allowed to carry Crescent Rose until initiation. She stared at the surprised blonde boy as her fingers grasped at nothing, and she realized that he was the very same guy who had thrown up on her. A chaotic swirl of disgust, anger, and pity well up within her and judging by his wince, she was showing it on her face.

"Whoa whoa, hold up!" The boy held his hands up, looking just as worried as her as she cautiously eyed him up from behind her tinted lenses. "I just came to apologize." He held a hand out. "I, ah… sorta didn't make it to this part last time." His cheeks lit up bright red as he awaited her response in awkward, shuffling silence. Ruby stared as she sucked in her lips fearfully, considering his words. He looked significantly less green than last time, and certainly not quite as pained.

However, there was this unshakable anxiety in her, and she barely managed to sum up the courage to reach out and limply take his hand. She wished she shared the instantaneous groan of relief that slipped out of him at the stiffly formal contact.

"Look, I- ugh, that was _super_ uncool of me. I mean, as far as introductions go, you really can't get much lamer." The boy was gentle as he shook her hand, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I've never been on an airship, I didn't know I could get airsick! There has to be some sort of medicine for that, but, like, I didn't know, and now your shoes are all gross, and _man_ you smell-"

Ruby made an audible whine of embarrassment, making the boy stutter to a stop. He cleared his throat with a forced cough, forcing the conversation in a new direction.

"L-l-look, I'm going to make it up to you! For real, I don't have anything to clean it off, but I saw a place just around the side of the building. Follow me, okay?" He pulled his hand back, beckoning her with it. Ruby watched the boy, unsure of what to do or say… Yang wasn't there to offer counsel, and Ruby had no clue when she'd return...

She glanced to the building, took a moment of thought, and pouted. She bobbed her head at the boy. She was tired of the smell, and the way her shoes squished with each step on the polished stone. Silently praying this would end better than her last encounter with him, she followed him.

* * *

"I-I'm not sure this is al-allowed." Ruby whispered, staring down at the little man-made pond resting just outside the building. It was full of plate-sized, blooming lily pads that floated purposelessly atop the rippling water, and quite a few koi swam under the shade of the floating plants. It was a peaceful little thing, and beneath a dark window against the side of the academy. Ruby envied whoever got the view from that room.

"I guess we could find a bathroom or ask a teach—"

"Th-this is fine!" Ruby said promptly, but even then, _the poor pond._ The grossness she'd be washing off, not to mention if somebody was watching, or found out… She could get in trouble. What if this got her expelled?! Her bottom lip quivered, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the boy knelt down next to her.

She felt childish as he delicately pulled the red strings of her tall boots, trying to avoid the aftermath of his airsickness as he loosened them. Ruby felt like a toddler as she lifted her foot and let him pull her shoes off, showing her bright red socks. She vowed to tell Yang and watch her crush him if he dared to try and look up her skirt, not that he'd be able to see anything under all the ruffles and her modesty shorts, but that wasn't really the point. To his credit, he never moved his gaze above her knees.

He knelt by the pond and dipped her shoes into the water, allowing the yuck to float away to Ruby's humiliation, and then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He scrubbed off what he could, but it would take a much more thorough boot-shine with actual soap to totally clean it. Ruby slowly lowered herself to sit next to him, legs crossed as she watched.

She felt guilty as they dirtied something so beautiful and relaxing, but she didn't want to bring a similar shame to Beacon's interior. This was something she had envisioned for a long time: Beacon, the shining academy of Vale, the school of some of the greatest heroes in and out of war Ruby had read about.

She had a pervasive vision of the school in her mind, so shiny and clean; she pictured echoing footsteps as she wandered the grand halls, she imagined only the most intense, grueling obstacle courses to test her mettle, and combat classes that would push even Yang to the limit. She'd wanted to catch up on Yang's textbooks, wanting to proudly raise her hand and impress the teachers with her knowledge… but...

Her textbooks were difficult. Vale's history couldn't be summed up in a few sentences; it was a long, drawn-out affair involving mountainous trade acts, port cities, violent kings, and malicious wildlife. Grimm weren't just claws, teeth, and blind spots, they had genuine anatomy: various bone-plates and their shapings could mean the difference between a yearling Beowolf and a more experienced killer of the same pack. Vale, Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlus each had different hunter regulations to be memorized to avoid conflict with local authorities and hunter guilds.

Nothing was simple, there was an extensive history behind every aspect of huntership, and Ruby had barely scratched the surface of Dust mixing, and even the basics appeared to be unanimously lethal in her hands...

The boy handed one boot back to her, soaked but reasonably clean, no longer smelling like like a septic tank. She offered him a quiet, if sad smile of thanks, and set the boot aside upside down, letting it dry. She noticed he kept glancing up at her face, like she was trying to measure her up, and he specifically eyed her goggles in thought, but he didn't comment on them. That didn't stop him from trying to strike up a conversation, however.

"I'm really sorry, Ruby." He sighed, washing her second boot.

"It's o-okay." She answered in a small voice. "A-at least y-y-you re-remem-membered my n-name."

"It's _really_ not okay." He corrected, looking down at the water. "Y'know, I came here to try and be a hero, to try and, I dunno, impress girls; first thing I do is throw up on a girl's shoes." He grumbled in self-disappointment.

"You couldn't help it. B-Being sick is the worst." Ruby's voice was barely a whisper, but she was looking at him closely. His unfortunate lack of constitution aside, he seemed nice, not like _some_ of the boys Yang teamed up with. As he wiped the last of the grime off her second boot, he passed it to her to be stood next to its twin. He eyed his handkerchief with distaste then soaked and wrung it out repeatedly, earning an unseen ghost of a smile from Ruby at his mumbled distaste.

"But Hunters aren't supposed to get sick by things like air travel…" He grumbled, continuing his nearly futile quest to clean the cloth without hot water and soap. "I hope they have laundry machines here."

"I- uh… I m-mean, w-we have like, um, ex-explosives, and w-we'll g-get sweaty, I-I think they'd h-have l-laundry machines." Ruby said with a tiny shrug of her shoulders. That got a little smirk out of the blonde boy, and he finally sat back, plopping the wet handkerchief onto the ground to dry. "A-and my uncle hates flying, and he's an aw-awesome hunter."

"Huh… guess there's the side'a history the books don't tell you." He stared up at the sky, leaning back in a casual stretch. "I always heard that hunters were these flawless, incredible people, capable of just, like, _anything,_ and never having weird little problems like _air sickness…_ or allergies." He flared his nostrils.

Ruby nodded, smiling a tiny bit. She'd read much the same, but she came from a family of hunters, and they were all different shades of 'goofball'. "Y-you know, my older sister, the blonde girl who shoved m-me at you?"

"She's your older sister? 'cuz _wow."_ His eyebrows rose silently as he quickly compared Ruby to his brief memory of the much… _taller_ blonde girl.

"Uh huh." Ruby cupped her hands in front of her modest chest, smiling mischievously. "She used to p-pad her bra before p-puberty kicked in."

He barked out a laugh as he thought back to his oldest sister as a fresh teen, standing in front of the mirror, scowling as she stuffed her bra with crumpled tissues and desperate hopes. They both smiled, he at the sky, Ruby at her feet, and she peeled off her socks and set them next to her boots. She stretched her toes and curled up, pulling her knees to her chin. "Don't think she'd appreciate that one in her biography." He finally said once he was done snickering internally.

"Nah. A-as far as sh-she's c-concerned, she's h-had amaz-zing b-boobs since she was born. Her friends u-used to tease her a b-bunch. They still _d-do_ but now s-she's p-proud of it, so…" Ruby rolled one shoulder in a lazy shrug. He nodded in understanding.

"Eh, yeah, my sisters did the same to each other; except Lydia, _nobody_ made fun of her."

"Scary?"

" _Scary."_ He shuddered. They both laughed, and Ruby allowed herself to smile more. He really wasn't all that bad, once you wiped away all the vomit. They were quiet for a few seconds, but the boy suddenly soaked his hand and dried it by vigorously rubbing it on the denim covering his thigh. He presented it to Ruby with a lopsided smile. "Jaune Arc, by the way. _Yes_ that is my real name, admire all you like." His smile grew, and Ruby giggled as she took it. This handshake was warmer, shorter, and far less awkward than the first.

"C-cute name." She smiled back at him, prompting him to puff up his chest in joy. "Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" She stared at her toes, wiggling them playfully. Jaune laid flat out onto his back, beaming as he gazed up at the clear sky.

"No problem, Ruby." He answered with an easy warmth Ruby rarely heard outside of her family.

Ruby hummed quietly in contentment. She watched her drying shoes, every now and then looking over to Jaune laid out by her side. She tried to recall the last time she'd done something like this, and she realized she truly hadn't. Sure, she and her father went fishing every now and then, allowing for a moment like this, but this was different. This was with somebody she didn't know. This was with a _boy,_ actually.

She blushed, but it was well hidden between her goggles and her hood. He also hadn't asked about those, and she couldn't have been more grateful about that. Maybe Yang had been right about reaching out to others more, this was nice; a different voice, a different outlook, somebody filled with new and different ideas and stories…

She glanced over, pulled from her thoughts by his waving hand.

"So, the blonde girl, you said she's your _older_ sister?"

"Y-yeah, her name's Yang."

"Okay, how _much_ older?" Jaune asked, and Ruby held up two fingers. "Cool, cool. She, uh, give you any advice on coming here? Like combat tips, or classes you should study for?" He was trying to play it off cooly, but she detected a tremor in his voice.

"Oh, no, th-this is her first year here too." Ruby looked to him. Like most people, his eyes didn't really focus on her face. With her eyes hidden, _his_ eyes wandered, looking at her mouth, cheeks, and forehead, before settling on her goggles in the vague hope their gazes were meeting.

" _Her_ first year too? Isn't she two years older than you?" He sounded confused as she sat up and wiggled around on his butt to fully face her. Ruby nodded. "So, she's nineteen coming in late?" Ruby pouted and shook her head. "... You're fifteen coming in early?" Ruby nodded. "Huh." Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "Congratulations! I think. That's impressive! I think."

"I-I d-dunno either." Ruby giggled a tiny bit, resting a hand on her knee. "I was kind of... l-lucky about getting in." Jaune nodded at that. They were both vaguely aware of a slight rumbling and squeak coming from down the path behind them.

"Either way, that's a big deal. Congrats, Ruby." He nodded his head at her, earning a quick, sweet smile, right before a luggage cart attacked her. Ruby made the strangest shriek of indignant shock as she was knocked over, and Jaune's head swung around, as if to ensure no one thought he were responsible rather than to identify the culprit.

"Oh no!" They both heard. Both focused on an older, well-dressed gentlemen, but Ruby received a faceful of briefcase before she could make out anything past age and gender.

With another frightened shriek Ruby, was knocked on the head and partially buried in luxury baggage, the man's trolley tipping over as he desperately tried to pull it back onto its wheels. The girl yelped as she was finally pushed into the water, and Jaune scrambled to grab her arm while shoving the luggage off of her.

Ruby felt the weight of the luggage on her back, one arm being pulled at to keep her from sinking, and stared down at the bottom of the artificial pond while wondering if this was an acceptable level of embarrassment to excuse herself to drown.

She was finally pulled above water with a cough and a spit. She was up to her chest in the pond, and all around her were her attackers. The luggage was sinking quickly, bubbles leaking out as if they were feebly calling for help, and the older gentleman was frantically splashing around and grabbing them two at a time. Jaune was tossing any he could grab onto the grass in addition to pulling Ruby out of the pond. He may have been a country boy, but Ruby could admit he had some decent strength if he could toss her soaked body clear of the water with just one arm.

Ruby flopped onto her knees on the grass, coughing the last of the liquid out of her lungs. She was soaked through to the bone, and a feeling of revulsion ran through her as she remembered what they had just added to that pond not ten minutes ago. She only briefly had a moment to stare down at her clothes in silent despair.

Yang was going to _freak._ These were freshly bought, it was Ruby's big debut, and they were already wet! Her image! Her outfit! It was all _ruined!_ Before she had a chance to truly sink into despair, a towel pressed to her face. "Young lady," the older man was kneeling in front of her, stricken with worry and embarrassment as he dried her cheeks and hair, "I cannot apologize enough for this! I wasn't paying any attention to where my wheels were going, this is- oh and these clothes, how can I possibly—"

"Archibald!" Came a sharp, feminine bark. All eyes turned towards a girl who was, with no sense of irony, absolutely princess-like. She was almost entirely white, her hair, her clothes, her boots, she was even paler than Ruby, with only a slight pinkness keeping her from looking like a ghost. Ruby found her breath caught in her throat as a girl from one of her fantasy novels stood before her. Those icy blue eyes, her long, thin limbs, the expensive clothes, the pride and grace in her every motion, it made Ruby forget she was drenched...

She was gorgeous. Heart-stoppingly beautiful, with a youthful girlishness in her dress, height, and face that Ruby had only imagined was possible with a team of makeup artists or the pen stroke of some fanciful author, and she was tempted to say as much out loud. However, the very _non_ -friendly grimace on her face forced Ruby to reconsider doing anything other than maybe fleeing from the scene with a shouted plea for mercy.

"L-lady Schnee, I apologize for this sorry display, I wasn't paying attention and-" The man, Archibald apparently, stumbled over his words and only stopped when the girl a fraction of his height made a sharp, clearly practiced motion with her finger that immediately caused his jaw to click shut. Jaune blinked at the display, a briefcase dangling from his fist and dripping water onto his lap.

The girl walked forward with a powerful, authoritative strut before digging one skinny finger into the gentleman's chest, making him sweat profusely. "How many got in the water?" She demanded in an angered growl.

"A-all eight, ma'am." He gulped loudly, and the girl smacked her own face with one palm, muttering an oath of some sort to herself as the man visible shuddered. "We're gathering them now, they will be dry before you reach your room, this I promise you!"

"I don't care about the cases, Archie, what about what's inside?!" She grabbed the case from an awestruck Jaune, who barely made a move to stop her from spinning it around and clicking it open in a dramatic motion worthy of television. The girl's eyes narrowed as she eyed the contents, her nose crinkling as she frowned so hard it nearly turned into a pout. "You're lucky the vials are sealed. This is the third incident _today_ , Archie!"

"A-hundred apologies miss Schnee, I-I have butter fingers today—" The man wrung his hands, his soaked white gloves squelching. She snorted, a shockingly subdued and elegant version of the noise, and shut the case with a damning slam.

"Well you either need to _focus_ or get _out!_ I can _not_ tolerate another mistake!" Her eyes narrowed into icy slits. The man paled so dramatically that Jaune and Ruby were suddenly worried for his safety. "I'm already running late since you misplaced my oils, I want this problem fixed _without_ me hovering over your shoulder!"

"Pl-please, I'm trying, don't tell your father he—" The girl straightened her spine, somehow looming over her aid despite barely reaching the middle of his chest with her forehead.

"He isn't hearing a _word_ about this. If anyone's punishing you it's _me!"_ The girl silently counted the cases laying on the ground and spat out a hiss. "One is missing!"

Archibald frantically moved his eyes over all the cases around them as Jaune stared at the girl, head slightly tilted. Ruby sat numbly, unsure of how to react before she glanced into the pond. A gleam caught her eye, shining off one of the briefcase polished silver latches. It was easily retrievable, but well out of reach from the shore, so... she pouted; she _was_ already soaked, but she didn't know how waterlogged leather could get before it went bad or whatever. She ultimately sighed, and at least tossed her cloak onto the grass with a pathetic, squelching slap.

Three heads jerked towards her as she slipped back into the pond with a noisy splash. She grabbed ahold of the case, grunting as she lifted it up against the resistance of the water around and now in it, and turned to 'Miss Schnee' to hand it over; however, she paused when she heard a faint sound. She cocked her ear towards the case, and detected a hissing that was steadily rising, a low rumble adding to the noise. She recognized the sound…

 _A dust reaction._

Frantically she opened her mouth as Schnee grabbed the case. Ruby clutched it, spreading her feet for balance to keep the other girl from pulling it out of her hands. " _Wait!"_ Ruby blurted, and Schnee grit her teeth angrily.

"Give it here you little brat! That is Schnee Dust Company property-" She began, but Ruby shook her head vehemently, having no time for a monologue.

"N-no, you c-ca- _can't_ \- i-it-it-it's—!" Ruby stuttered uncontrollably in a panic, trying to pull it away from the girl. Schnee lurched forward at Ruby's pull, then latched on with both hands and pulled _back._

"Listen here, you thief, if you don't let go _right now_ , you are in for a _world_ of suffering!"

Ruby ignored Schnee's threat, focusing on the sound of the hissing growing higher in pitch. She felt a tug on the case and pulled harder, snapping her attention back to Schnee's furious glare and forcing the other girl to inch closer to the water. A kiss of snow white light embraced the other girl's arms as the angry Schnee reinforced herself with aura. If the surge of power reached the already-acting Dust inside… "D-d-do- _don't!"_

Ruby pulled the briefcase back, and the toes of Schnee's boots hung over the water's edge. "I-I'm s-serious!" Ruby pressed a foot against the pond wall. "Y-you'll hurt yourself!"

Schnee stared down at her delicate, manicured fingers forming twin fists around the briefcase handle, then her hands turned an angry red as she clenched _harder._ " _Let GO!"_ Schnee snarled, teeth clenched, glaring right into Ruby's eyes as Ruby began to shake.

"I-I-I'm-'m _sorry!"_ Ruby heaved as hard as she could. Crescent Rose probably weighed nearly as much as the girl before her… once Ruby committed her full strength to the task, it wasn't even a contest. Schnee screamed as she tumbled head first into the water with a graceless flailing of her limbs, the briefcase smashing into Ruby's chest. Ruby clung to the case in terror as Schnee rose, her eyes wide and perfect teeth bared with utter fury, her hair and clothes hanging limply, or sticking to her wetly, as she held up her shaking fists. She stomped her foot, causing another splash that flipped a lily pad over.

"You wretched little _bitch!_ What in the world is _wrong with you?!_ My clothes! My luggage! _My hair!_ What could- how _dare you!_ Are you out of your so-called mind _?! What inbred hillbilly acts this way!?"_ Schnee was screeching into Ruby's pale, terrified face. Shivering in fright, fumbling for words, Ruby heard the hiss turn into a warning wail.

Schnee's rage briefly diminished as the case in Ruby's arms began to violently shake. Schnee's face drooped into an expression of growing comprehension, and Ruby hurled the case back into the water. The pond bubbled loudly, and Ruby and Schnee barely managed to call up their auras and begin turning to flee before the case detonated.

Water rained all over the little garden pond and the sidewalk bordering it while fire danced across the sky like flower petals, and a new, fang-shaped boulder steadily grew out of the water at an odd angle. When his hearing came back and he'd blinked the worst of the spots from his vision, Jaune lowered his arms to stare at Ruby, laying on her back in the water with an unhappy groan. Archibald was already hauling Schnee out of the water and gently checking her, only to get swatted away with a furious scream.

Jaune ran over to Ruby and pulled her ashore, quickly examining her for injury. She shook her head like a confused dog, splashing him with water as she grunted and seemed to focus on him. "Jaune?" Ruby mumbled in quiet shock.

"Yeah, I'm here Ruby! Holy crap you two _blew up!"_ Jaune lifted her, making her whimper, so he dropped her before he finished rising to his full height, making her squeak with more indignation. " _Sorry!"_ Jaune wrung his hands in a panic.

Ruby looked around at the ruined little pond; several koi flopping about–and no doubt dying–on the grass, and the stone border was shattered across the rim of the pond. She swallowed thickly as she watched the small white-haired woman continue venting all over her aid. "Jaune?" Ruby finally muttered in a shaky, raspy tone.

"What- what is it, Ruby?" Jaune carefully ran his fingertips through her soaked hair, encouraging her to look up at him. He frowned a touch at the way her lips trembled.

"I-I d-don't think I'm c-c-cut out for B-Beacon." She admitted in defeat. Jaune glanced around at the mess that had been created, and was about to answer when he heard the sharp click of heels on concrete. He turned his head towards the noise, and flinched.

A lower, sharper woman's voice startled the rest of them to attention in short order. "I am inclined to agree, Miss Rose." Ruby and Jaune stared up at Glynda Goodwitch, who was glowering down at the four them. In the chaos of their struggle, and the ensuing explosion, no one had seen the woman approaching, leaving Ruby to cower away from her open disapproval, while the young Schnee hastily tried to make herself presentable with her fingers and some aura-enhanced body heat to speed up the drying of her clothes. "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, the three of you are to follow me to the nurse's office _immediately._ Then we will find you fresh clothing, get your outfits cleaned, and _discuss today's events."_ She spoke with the authority only a teacher could carry. Without another word, she spun on her heel to storm away, all but daring them to defy her.

"Oh, great…" Weiss and Ruby groaned at the same time as they hauled themselves to their feet. The two girls turned to look at one another, sharing a silent moment of shared dread and mutual understanding… and Weiss lurched at Ruby with a low growl before being restrained by Archibald, while Ruby yelped and hid behind Jaune, who did not look comfortable being the new target of Weiss' glare. As two awkwardly moving pairs, the four of them began to follow Glynda, unwilling to risk losing her and dealing with the teacher's fury if she had to come back should they get lost.

This was not going well and deep down inside, Ruby wondered if this was all a stupid idea after all.

* * *

Ruby was used to her family avoiding her eyes to maintain a pleasant conversation, but she herself had never experienced the horror they elicited from others; when she looked into a mirror, other than finding them extremely ugly, Ruby was immune to the detrimental effects of her own gaze.

However, she'd begun to sympathize with her family a bit more as she did everything in her power to not look Weiss Schnee in the eye. Both young ladies were wearing a pair of old, gray pajamas that the school medical staff provided its patients, the school crests long-faded from time and regular washing. Yet while Ruby felt small, a tad silly, and even younger than usual in her borrowed pajamas, Weiss managed to maintain an air of frigid rage that was weaponized through a glare of such intensity that Ruby didn't know whether to freeze in place or flee. That Weiss looked dressed for a midday nap did nothing to detract from the palpable air of overt menace she exuded.

So instead of watching Weiss and encouraging the other girl to try and light Ruby on fire with her eyes, her gaze wandered the room–longer than it was wide, with around twelve beds surrounded by monitoring devices and privacy curtains–and took in the various medical posters advertising safety advice and admonishing young hunters not to do drugs or to inject Dust on a dare. On the far wall, windows with wound blinders were above each bed, allowing natural light to pour into the building. It was a pleasant room, and Ruby could imagine almost enjoying a stay in here if she needed tending to, but that was, hopefully, without the silent storm of arctic fury currently brewing next to her. Every once in a while she made it a point to check that she was still scooted as far away from the other girl as the rail-lined medical bed allowed, just to be safe.

Someone–and Ruby was too polite to point any fingers without evidence, even though all her books had trained her to blame the no-doubt evil social sciences teacher–had thought it a good idea to ignore all the other beds available and put Ruby and Weiss right next to each other. Ruby assumed that, whoever this person was, they were the sort of person who worked at a school just so they could make younger people suffer for their sick amusement. She bet that they also punted kittens on weekends or something like that.

The door to the nurse's office opened, and Ruby was more than happy for the distraction, and almost feverishly pleased that Weiss stopped grumbling under her breath to focus in that direction as well. Professor Goodwitch walked in with an authoritative strut, followed by Jaune shuffling along like a kicked dog, and behind him was Nurse Nightingale, a short woman with a face full of wrinkles, a petite figure, with curly, bubblegum-pink hair. The older woman tried to meet Ruby's eyes through the tinted lens and flashed a pleasant smile. Ruby squirmed and shyly quirked her lips back, immediately deciding she liked her.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Alchemilla." Goodwitch told the other woman warmly, stopping at the foot of Ruby and Weiss's beds. Weiss subtly lifted her chin with a brooding, ashamed pout, but the Professor's stare was firmly on Ruby alone. "I didn't expect an incident _before_ orientation." Her tone was decidedly less warm, making Ruby squeak unhappily while the old nurse cracked a far more wry smile.

"Perfectly fine, Glynda, I'm always happy to help. I know how chaotic excited kids can get." She chuckled and wandered over to a small desk to review the results of Ruby and Weiss' examination, and sign her approval of their release once she was satisfied everything was in order. Professor Goodwitch turned to Jaune, pointing to the door, and he shot a mildly relieved look at the two girls before he meekly complied, ducking out of sight with his hands buried deep inside his pockets. "As for you two," Goodwitch's disapproval rolled over the girls like an incoming fog as she focused in on the two remaining teenagers, "aside from detonating a pond, killing the fish Haven gifted us, and ruining your own clothing, you've managed to make complete fools of yourselves and of _us_ for accepting your admissions. Explain yourselves. _Now."_

" _Her."_ Weiss snarled, pointing at a cringing Ruby. Weiss' arm trembled a bit and her lips compressed into a hair-width slit as she took a moment to seethe before speaking again. "If she hadn't made such a fuss about giving me my suitcase or-or if she'd told me what was _wrong_ , this never would have happened!" She turned to glare at Ruby, who hung her head and resisted the urge to curl into a miserable little ball.

"I-I j-j-just f-freaked out when I heard the d-dust start going off. I didn't w-want you to b-blow u-up!" Ruby's defense was delivered more like an upset whine than a heartfelt objection.

"And I almost did anyways because of your _sad excuse for threat management!_ What if Archibald or that- that scraggly blonde you were with had been hurt in the blast!?" Weiss' lip curled in enraged disgust. Glynda let out a nearly silent sigh as Ruby sputtered, floundered and looked horrified at the idea of others being hurt by her mistake.

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch had her riding crop brandished in both hands, squeezing tightly enough to make the compact leather creak ominously. Both girls wisely gave her their full attention , and she all but glared down at them both in stern anger. "If I may remind you, Miss Schnee, Ruby was indeed _trying_ to help–if in the most foolhardy way humanly possible." Her steely gaze darted between the two, daring them to argue. They wisely decided against it. "Lack of communication, poor equipment management, unauthorized usage of school property, and extremely immature responses from the _both_ of you... may I remind you ladies that you are _huntresses."_ The crop's head smacked the steel railing on Weiss' right, leaving a visible dent in the textured metal and making both girls flinch. "You have sworn to train as defenders, champions of mankind, and before making it to the main hall to be welcomed on your first day, you find yourselves _here,_ being examined by a medical professional for possible internal damage and elemental exposure over an asinine round of Dust-fueled _hot potato_." Her teeth clicked shut after the sharp rebuke, and both teens winced, subtly twitching under Glynda's barely checked outrage. Finally, Ruby swallowed thickly and found her voice.

"Wh-what a-about the b-butler guy who c-crashed into me?" Ruby asked in a quiet little tone bordering on a whisper.

" _He_ has been reprimanded by his employer: _me."_ Weiss glared at Ruby again, though she could stand to learn a few things from the deputy headmistress. "I am responsible for his mistakes." She added in a tone that brooked no argument. The professor crossed her arms under her chest, and subtly raised one eyebrow as she peered down at the Schnee heiress.

"Then you are willing to take responsibility for the inconvenience and potential injury he caused Miss Rose?" Goodwitch asked accusingly, and Weiss chewed her lower lip a moment before she nodded slowly, and replied in an unhappy growl.

"Yes. Yes, I am responsible for her getting soaked, and any damage she, her clothing, or her equipment may have suffered in the crash, or while helping recover my belongings." Weiss glared down at her knees, her cheeks glowing a hot red as Ruby sniffled in relief. "Oh quit _blubbering."_ Weiss snapped, making Ruby jump with a tiny squeak. "He shouldn't have crashed into you, okay, but that's no reason for you to give up on speaking _Valean_ when you're holding a _bomb_!"

"S-sorry, I d-di-didn't m-mean to b-blow y-you… um, _us_ up..." Ruby whimpered, getting nothing more than a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Weiss.

"And that is not entirely your _fault,_ Miss Rose," Glynda interjected, "the packaging of the dust must have been substandard if some rough handling could set it off." Ruby perked up a bit and Weiss visibly deflated. Professor Goodwitch, however, was more than happy to spear Ruby with an icy look, and drain the spark of joy right out of her. "You did, however, fail to properly articulate the danger to others around you, preventing them from assisting you or protecting themselves. If not for the water absorbing some of the blast and your auras reacting to protect you, both of you would doubtlessly be in here much, much longer. If you two had been in the field, handling an _actual_ high-yield explosive, or found yourselves ambushed by Grimm, and had attempted to resolve the issue with the same level of communication, you would both most assuredly be _dead."_

Ruby curled up her legs, holding her knees and trying to hold back tears as Weiss muttered bitterly beside her, wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill. Glynda allowed them a moment to dwell on her analysis before pressing on.

"I will expect drastic improvements in the near future from you both." She finished. Her eyes flickered between them both and, deciding her point had been made, she let the worst of her ire leak out of her voice. "Still, no one was hurt, not even yourselves, and as classes have not yet begun, it's been decided that no official punishment need be applied. I will personally see to it that you two do _not_ get such leniency if anything like this happens again. Now, Miss Schnee, please leave the room and wait outside the door, I will be escorting you all to the Headmaster's office so that he can _repeat_ his introduction for you two and Mister Arc. However, I need to speak to Miss Rose alone before we depart."

Weiss nodded crisply and slid off the bed and into the pair of slippers she had been provided; her suddenly slumping shoulders and forlorn sigh implied that she missed her custom-made boots. She took the time to throw Ruby one final dirty look, and stormed out with all the dignity she could muster in the grey, shapeless clothing she was stuck with, her gait a touch awkward without the heels she was accustomed to moving in. Nurse Nightingale had heard the order and met Glynda's eyes, nodding in understanding as she gathered up her papers and snuck away to her office to give the teacher and student their privacy. Ruby looked up to Glynda slowly, and Glynda focused intently on her.

"P-Prof-fessor?" Ruby felt her skin crawling as the professor sighed at her in response after a brief pause.

"I know that, more than anything, you wanted to come here and learn how to protect people." A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, "Professor Ozpin was generous enough to give you that opportunity, and you were bold enough to accept, but may I offer you some advice?"

"Y-yes m-ma'am." Ruby replied hoarsely and resisted the impulse to stare down at her own feet; she didn't want Goodwitch to become any angrier at her than she already was by implying she wasn't paying attention.

"Hunters need to be aware of their surroundings, of the who and what surrounding them, at all times. It is our job, our mission, to put the needs of others first. Not just when confronting the Grimm or engaging thieves, at every moment, in every situation. It is a terrible burden of endless vigilance and constant self-doubt that not everyone can learn to live with. I understand your lack of education and relative youth puts you out of touch with other students and the responsibilities they've begun to learn they must bare, but this tomfoolery will not stand. If you keep making more mistakes—"

"I-I won't!" Ruby insisted, trying to relax her tense body as Goodwitch studied her closely, frowning slightly at the interruption. "A-at least, not o-ones like this! I'll co-communic-cate b-better, and b-be m-m-more a-a-aw-aware, and c-catch up wi-with c-classes, and-"

"Miss Rose, do you know how many people here have been victimized by the Grimm?" Goodwitch cut in with a stern look. Ruby froze, her lips trembling slightly as her mind scrambled for something to say before ordering her jaw shut. Glynda subtly lifted her chin, satisfied with Ruby's reaction before continuing. "When I was eight years old, an Ursa Major destroyed my home and mutilated my father's arm before it was killed, leaving us homeless and without money for months." She began to pace, her heels clicking with nearly mechanical rhythm, and Ruby watched on with dismay as the older woman spoke in a clinical tone with the same far away look in her eyes that her father and Uncle Qrow sometimes got when they spoke of the past. "We spent that time sustaining ourselves on scraps. I quite vividly remember the pungency of a dumpster my mother and I were forced to scrounge moldy bread from–a smell that has lingered with me to this day. I spent my days in school assuring myself that through good grades, relentless practice, and tireless vigilance, I could pull myself from the depths of poverty, provide for my family that had so desperately tried to give me a decent life, and put myself into a position where I could ensure no one else would _ever_ have to suffer as I had." Professor Goodwitch halted her motion, and gently pushed her glasses up her nose to refocus her gaze on Ruby, the grit in her voice disappearing. "I hold no resentment towards you for that." Her tone was reassuring, but did not allow for Ruby to respond. "My family's misfortunes were not your doing, obviously, it happened before you were even born. Numerous students are here, however, for some measure of vengeance towards the Creatures of Grimm, and being children, they often lack the wisdom and perspective to disregard coincidence. How do you think the student body would react to your abilities?" Glynda raised a thin, golden eyebrow, waiting a moment as the color rapidly drained from Ruby's already pale face. She nodded subtly. "You, more than anybody else, are being tested here. Your restraint, your prudence, your humility, in addition to combat strength. You have been invited here under the assumption that you are both trained and mature enough to entrust with the lives of the innocent and defenseless." Ruby bit her lower lip as Glynda's expression sharpened. "Do not–I repeat: _do not_ let incidents like today become commonplace. You were flirting with expulsion the moment you stepped into this school. You must earn our faith, Miss Rose, before you can ask us to expend it on your behalf."

Glynda let out a breath, too softly to be a sigh, before she turned heel and began to walk towards the door, beckoning Ruby to follow with her riding crop. Ruby watched after her, her face pinched with dread, and a quiet realization came to her. "P-Professor Goodw-witch?" The woman stopped walking, turning her head just enough as to point her left ear towards Ruby. "Y-you… you d-don't want me h-here at all, d-do you?" She asked in a tight voice, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed anxiously, letting them wave numbly as she awaited an answer.

The blonde woman was still and quiet. Ruby couldn't see her face, and couldn't figure out how she was taking the accusation. Goodwitch gently pinched the bridge of her nose, and turned to face Ruby with as calm an expression as she could manage. "You are breaking numerous conventions in being here. Ignoring your Semblance entirely, your lack of formal education, your limited socialization-"

"B-but it _is_ my p-p-powers, right? I-it's w-why I wasn't al-allowed in S-Signal. I-it's…" Ruby was squeezing the hem of her pajama shirt tightly. "It's w-why I-I don't g-get to go anywhere, o-or d-do anyth-thing…" She trailed off, her voice shaking.

"Miss Rose— Ruby..." Glynda corrected herself, and walked back over to the girl, leaning down to get eye-level with her. Her golden eyebrows knit together as she took a moment to articulate herself. "I was against your entrance since the very beginning. In my opinion, the risks associated with your semblance outweigh any potential rewards that may come from training you. However, Headmaster Ozpin made a choice, and I trust him. He believes in your capabilities and capacity for goodness over the innate stigma of evil everyone, including myself, will associate with what you can do." She reached out to lift Ruby's chin, and seemed to try to stare through the goggles. Her voice became softer and almost… pleading, in a way Ruby had never really heard before. "Don't squander this opportunity, Ruby. I am not an idealistic sort, but I _want_ to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Grimm can be used for the betterment of mankind through you. It's my job to punish your mistakes even while I try to show you how to succeed… I want your dream to come true too, do you understand that?"

Glynda stood and let out a quiet, tired sigh as Ruby looked up at her in minor awe. She straightened her skirt, adjusted her glasses, and focused her teacher's gaze on Ruby, the look at the woman behind the role of educator officially over. Ruby stiffened to something like attention, and nodded at the woman firmly in answer to her question, who just barely inclined her head in return.

"You will be meeting with your professors after you three are officially welcomed to the school. Convince them of your potential as you did the Headmaster, and your tenure here will run much smoother for the both of us." Professor Goodwitch's eyes lingered on Ruby a few seconds longer, her face an unreadable mask as she searched Ruby's limited expression and abundant body language. The moment passed, and she turned away, walking towards the door at the brisk pace of a professional with somewhere to be. Ruby slid off the bed and into her own Beacon-branded pair of slippers, rushing to follow and, for the time being, stay in her professor's good graces.

* * *

"So, _I'm_ Jaune, Jaune Arc." The boy, who had otherwise remained silent the entire elevator ride up, seemed to finally find the courage to introduce himself. Ruby glanced up at him, and she swore the attentions of everybody in the elevator settled on his head like some sort of mysterious, ethereal hat.

"Charmed." Weiss answered in a tone implying that she was anything but. Her foot tapped the floor of the rising transport as she firmly squeezed her hips. For a fleeting moment, silence reigned, and the ladies wondered if he had taken the hint and would stop talking.

"Cool!" Jaune bleated in nervous encouragement. "So, uh, I like long walks down old country roads, hot dinners after a hard day of work, the smell of the rain after a storm…" Jaune counted off on his fingers, missing the way Weiss' perfectly sculpted eyebrow twitched in growing annoyance, while even Ruby slowly lifted her chin to watch him in fascination, comparing her own habit of nervous rambling to Jaune's embarrassing display. Was that how _she_ looked when she let her mouth run wild? No wonder Yang tended to cut her off... "Also hot dogs!" It was by this point, everyone present knew he had resorted to babbling, including himself if the sudden sheen of cold sweat was any clue. "Hot dogs are great!"

"They're _disgusting."_ Weiss rebuked flatly, her tone as inviting as a windswept tundra. She refused to look at the boy, her shoulders hunched sharply in annoyance as Jaune's momentum halted with all of the grace of a train wreck. Jaune swallowed nervously, wondering what it said about his tastes that he found her _more_ attractive when she was pissed...

"Well, I mean, sure, they're nothing compared to a good steak, and they're kinda not-at-all-healthy, but-" He was motioning with his hands, about to launch into his personal theory on the uplifting benefits of condiments when Weiss' eye spasmed, and Ruby, forced to bare witness to the conversation from the rear, silently pressed her back against the the elevator wall just to be safe.

"Are you _going anywhere_ with this, or are you assuming I'm going to write your biography for you?!" Weiss finally snapped, glaring directly at Jaune now. He paled in surprise, and rubbed the back of his neck with a sickly, nervous smile of apology. Ruby stared at the floor, listening to every ding of the elevator in the hopes _one_ of them would let them out of this tiny, confined, _very-much-awkward_ space. Professor Goodwitch, meanwhile, stared straight ahead, lost in thought, ignoring the teenage squabbling with the skill of a true professional.

"W-well, see, I know it's early in the semester but we get some free days every week, right?! So I was thinking- umm, picture this…" Jaune waved his hand like he was trying to direct her attention towards his plans for a shared future, but Weiss's cold stare was firmly locked onto his face, possibly in an attempt to freeze his head, the cold sweat turning into a more active dispensary of liquid tension. "A nice table and two chairs by the coast, you and me, dining on lobster-"

" _Shellfish allergy."_ Weiss shut him down harshly, whirling away with a more defiant stance. Jaune babbled and grappled with words for a few moments, before giving up with a sigh. He flinched as a tiny hand pet the small of his back, and he gave Ruby a small, forced smile she returned easily.

The elevator slowed, stopped, and the doors opened as the final 'ding' of the floor counter echoed into silence. The three students stared into the spacious office after blinking away the blinding light it was bathed in. Being so high up on Beacon's central tower, the sunlight poured in, highlighting the entire room in pronounced glow that took a moment to adjust to. Ruby glanced up at the clocktower gears that churned steadily above, and found that, despite the repetitive ticking, its volume and pitch were such that she could easily ignore it, or allow it to lull her into a hypnotic daydream.

She snapped to attention when Professor Goodwitch beckoned her with a quick word, and she followed the group inside. The headmaster had a grand, classical sense of taste, with columns supporting a second story adorned with bookshelves of equal height and width, while the main floor of the office had the headmaster's massive, ornate desk and winged chair.

Professor Ozpin, sitting at his desk, stroked his bald chin thoughtfully as he stared at a holographic chessboard, floating a few inches below his eye line. The entire board looked like a very messy game had taken place, as the differing pieces intermingled on opposing sides, and Ruby could only assume they had started in the normal, orderly, segregated fashion she was used to. As the three students stepped in, Professor Goodwitch walked straight to the headmaster's desk to stand at attention, clearing her throat loudly for the headmaster's attention. He did not look over right away.

His finger delicately tapped the rounded head of a black pawn, causing it to light up yellow, but then he touched his remaining black knight. He seemed to reconsider, and touched the nearby black rook. As he thought, Ruby took in his situation: she wasn't much of a chess player, but she recognized the pieces; he had taken four of the white pieces and was missing three of his pieces. While he had one piece more than his opponent, the headmaster had taken almost exclusively pawns, while he was missing several of his backline.

Everybody was silent, even Weiss had stopped tapping her foot to avoid breaking Ozpin's concentration as he moved his rook to capture an opposing pawn. Ruby felt apprehensive as the rook was almost immediately captured by a white bishop, but Ozpin merely cracked a knowing smile, and took the bishop with his queen.

He flicked his finger and pressed a button that appeared, causing the holographic game to turn red and fade out. His game successfully paused, Ozpin turned to face the three teenagers with a friendly smile and crossed legs. "Hello, students!" He greeted them chipperly, even as his sharp eyes told them he knew precisely what they had done. "Despite your schedules clearly stating for you to attend the welcoming speech, it seems each of you somehow earned a trip to the nurse's wing instead! That's quite the drastic change in plans." His tone was warm, _amused_ even, as he eyed them.

Ruby was barely able to look up at his eyes–not that he could tell–and was shuffling her feet. To her side, Jaune managed a forced smile, and wiped some hair out of his eyes. On his other side, standing as far away as she could without looking as if she was trying to avoid the scolding, Weiss was looking at the headmaster, trying to remain firm, but her eyes were too soft, and the edges of her lips quivered in preparation for the expected reprimanding.

"Don't look so glum," The headmaster ordered cheekily, drawing mystified frowns from the three students. "Professor Goodwitch has been kind enough to fill me in on your troublemaking _and_ administer disappointment for me, so I'm going to move straight to the congratulations: Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, welcome to Beacon Academy. Each of you have made it here through your own unique merits, but don't mistake your entrance here as the end-goal of your lives. It is, quite frankly, delusional to assume that this safe, controlled world we built within Vale will be able to fully prepare you for the world of hunting. Our goal here at Beacon Academy is to give you the skills to survive, but it is your job as students to strive to _succeed."_ He looked into each of their eyes, evaluating their timid, unsure responses before he gave Professor Goodwitch a nod. The deputy headmistress gave a small sigh at Ozpin's expedience, and gave the three a stern look.

"Mr. Arc, Miss Schnee, help will be waiting on the first floor to escort you to the banquet hall for the night. You may socialize, explore the public areas of the school, or catch up on your rest. You will not be given your weaponry until tomorrow morning when the first test begins." Professor Goodwitch told them, gesturing towards the elevator. "You are dismissed."

"Wait," Jaune looked between Professor Goodwitch and the headmaster, "that's it? That's the speech?" He asked. Ruby shuffled a bit, silently relieved she wasn't the only confused one. She had expected grandiose lectures on the nature of hunterhood; she wanted to be wowed by a carefully crafted presentation, and encouraged by the promise of greatness...

Ozpin gave a small, throaty chuckle before answering. "Brevity is a gift only given to few, Mr. Arc. Please, enjoy your stay and education at Beacon, and try not to make it to this office too often." Professor Ozpin smiled at him, though there was a flicker of warning in his strained lips that reinforced the recommendation's last point.

Weiss and Jaune both stared at the headmaster, then turn to look at Ruby. She could almost hear the wheels spinning in their minds as they tried to guess why she wasn't being dismissed alongside them. Weiss shot Ruby one final, sharp look before turning, trying to strut while her slippers clopped against the floor noisily. Jaune looked down at Ruby, then to Professor Ozpin with a suspicious frown. "Is Ruby going to be okay?" He asked, eyes locking onto Ozpin's. There was no hostility to his gaze, but Ozpin did note that it was the first time their eyes had met for longer than two seconds.

"Perfectly fine, Mr. Arc, but due to unique circumstances regarding her admittance we need to hold her for a few minutes longer. Thank you for your concern, however, a Huntsman should always be ready to watch out for the wellbeing of his allies." Ozpin inclined his head, hiding a small grin behind his hands.

Jaune hesitated, but Ruby laid her fingers on his forearm and motioned for him to go with a tilt of her head. He walked passed to join Weiss in the elevator after a quick nod, and giving a small, silent goodbye to Ruby. Weiss refused to let her eyes wander over either of her contemporaries, her narrowed eyes focusing straight ahead at nothing until the doors closed.

Ruby shifted nervously as the headmaster and Professor Goodwitch talked briefly, then Professor Goodwitch summoned a pair of chairs from the second story with a small wave of her crop to place around the desk, each at opposing ends. Ruby marveled at the casual usage of Aura–probably a Semblance–and quietly envied the old woman's effortless mastery of her power. Goodwitch sat in one chair, and a tap to the desk, followed by a flick of her fingers, summoned a holoscreen for her to review the day's updates.

Ozpin, in the meantime, gestured to the other chair with a smile towards Ruby. "Please sit, miss Rose." He offered, tapping the floating button by his chess game to restore its color and opacity. Immediately, the white king shifted into an open space away from Ozpin's black queen's line of sight. The headmaster chuckled, staring at the board in silent thought as Ruby quietly slid into the offered seat.

After a few moments of watching the headmaster consider his move, Ruby began to squirm in discomfort. The headmaster was focused on his game, Goodwitch was busy with something on the desk's computer, so that left Ruby watching. And waiting. For _something._ After a few more seconds, Ruby finally, quietly peeped: "Wh-who are y-you p-playing with?" Ozpin clicked his tongue in thought.

"A friend of mine in Mistral. With any luck, you may get to meet him someday." Ozpin pinched his chin, and reached out to touched one of his pieces, but he hesitated. He worked his jaw as he considered the near dozen moves he could make, then inspiration seemed to strike. He looked to Ruby. "What do you think, Ruby?" He gestured to the chess board. Ruby immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, u-uh... I'm n-not all that g-good at ch-ch-chess..." She had only played with her dad a few times out of boredom and found the game to be counterproductive as far as entertainment went, and equally frustrating due to her short-sighted decision-making. Despite this, she leaned over the board to examine its contents. The white king was well protected, and Ruby couldn't see any obvious one-move trick that would end the game in the headmaster's favor.

"In the long run, it doesn't matter how good you are at a game." He reassured, while Ruby idly highlighted pieces until she touched a rook. Nothing seemed obvious to her, she had to do _something..._ "You have all the opportunities in the world to get better at a game. Thankfully, chess is a mere brain teaser, we can't expect practical chess application on the battlefield." The headmaster said as she used the rook to knock out a pawn defending the white king. Instantly, a white knight Ruby hadn't accounted for took her rook, and she recoiled in horror.

"I m-messed up." She pouted, and Ozpin let out a soft, comforting chuckle.

"Come now Ruby, it's only a game." The headmaster seemed unworried about the loss of such an important piece, and dismissed Ruby's childish worries with a pleasant smile. "We can play it anytime we like, however we please. Even if we sweep the pieces off the board now, we can simply restart. What _is_ important is that you made a decision."

Ruby's face silently pinched up, and she didn't want to meet the headmaster's eye as she realized where this was going. "L-like w-when I r-re-realized th-that briefc-case was g-g-going to e-explode..." She mumbled, drawing an agreeing nod from Ozpin as he leaned forward, bridged his fingers under his chin, and spoke calmly and clearly.

"Correct. I understand that it can be difficult to raise your voice in a tense situation, especially for someone as out of practice at it as yourself, but when emotions run high, _someone_ must serve as the voice of reason." Ozpin grimaced the tiniest bit, as if he was very used to being that voice. "You can't hesitate to act, you must consider the best course of action in the shortest time possible and be willing to learn from your inevitable mistakes. You have a rare opportunity, and I'd like nothing more than for you to succeed, but you _have_ to be willing to reflect on your decisions and determine how you can do _better."_

Ruby quietly nodded, a small frown on her face as she considered the advice, as well as his opponent's next move. "... Th-they took your queen." She mumbled, and Ozpin immediately glanced at the board, his face sagging in overdramatic disappointment at the loss of one of his more important units.

"Well then." Ozpin pouted. The elevator dinged, and three heads turned to look as three new people walked in. Ruby wasn't sure how she'd done it, but she'd ended up behind Ozpin, watching in quiet worry as the two vastly differing men and one woman walked in with an air of familiarity. The headmaster paused the chessboard again, and straightened in his chair to greet the new arrivals with a broad smile. "Professor Port, Dr. Oobleck, Professor Peach, it's good to see you looking so lively this early in the school year."

" _Ab_ solutely, headmaster!" An average-height, silver haired man with a particularly bushy moustache, and a rounded belly said with a dramatic enthusiasm. "Thank you for having us, today is _truly_ a day of excitement, curiosity, _revelry!"_ His hands moved as he spoke, emphasizing his words with sweeping motions and a sense of extraordinary importance. Ruby, tense as she was, felt a sort of grandfatherly goodness from him, as well as what her books would have called 'the air of old guard,' one of the few remaining of his generation.

By Professor Port's side was a tall, green-haired stick-of-a-man chugging a cup of coffee. "Indeed," he piped up with a snap in his voice, "many _many_ things to cover before classes start in two days. Coffee machine in the third floor faculty room is broken _yet again,_ and my order of ' _Vale Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday'_ has yet to come in." The tall doctor spoke rapidly, gesticulating almost randomly compared to his silver-haired companion. He didn't have the appearance of a hunter in any way, he was too lanky, too relaxed, he seemed more like a scholar than a fighter, but Aura was not choosy once unleashed...

That left the one lady of the group. "I'm good." The shortest of them spoke, a brown-skinned woman with a head full of dreadlocks. Unlike her formally dressed fellow-professors, this woman wore a grease stained tank top and long gray slacks with a utility belt with a few standard tools. Her heavy duty brown boots were the best fitting thing on her, other than, as Ruby noted, a reddish-brown mechanical right arm that started at the shoulder. "Though I'll need a little help installing the new forge ya ordered for me." She also didn't seem much like a hunter, and Ruby could only guess how she lost her arm; Dust or Grimm, both were equally capable of removing a limb if mishandled.

"Of course, we'll be sure to have everything in order for the start of classes." Professor Ozpin moved towards the three, Professor Goodwitch closing her holoscreen to join them, leaving Ruby to stand alone. The five created a brief social circle in which they chatted and laughed. Ruby watched quietly from behind the tall back of Ozpin's seat, feeling a mixture of amusement and envy as the five professors prattled on to each other. Even the headmaster joined in on some friendly ribbing and was the target of a joke or two, but Professor Goodwitch was like a black hole of amusement, no jokes came her way, and she did not spare a joke in turn. Even still, they seemed so equal, and friendly. Despite being professionals, each no doubt an excellent hunter on their own, they were socializing as old friends, having shouldered burden and triumph together, and a closer inspection of the blonde deputy headmistress told Ruby that the humorless woman was more relaxed than she'd ever seen her.

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up a little. It was calming and fun to watch them socialize; they were friends, their own little family, with lives outside of hunting and teaching. She liked that, it reminded her of home, and reminded her that the lonesome legends of old truly did miss out on something special. Every hunter fought with a reason, for some cause, or somebody, or some _thing,_ but those that fought alone and still became legends were some of the most highly revered, but mysterious of individuals.

Ruby feared the idea of having to go down that route… Her attention slipped as she thought of a life fighting the Grimm in the woods, away from her beloved family, but she tuned in as a mysterious chill ran down her spine; she frowned, where had _that_ come from? She glanced up at the group of professors, and froze as she caught sight of the taller professor watching her. His glasses seemed as opaque as her goggles, but he lowered them down the bridge of his nose to show his brown eyes. The more portly professor elbowed him good-naturedly, but the man didn't lower his gaze; it was only when he didn't answer a question did the rest of them turn to see what he was looking at, and those warm and fuzzy feelings the group conveyed quickly turned into tight apprehension.

She squeezed her hands together nervously, her heart pounding in her ears as she found herself in the spotlight, the three professors sizing her up distantly. She had the compulsion to rock in place, a nervous habit she'd had since she was a child, but she knew it would have been poor showing to regress on her first meeting with her teachers. It would also probably be bad form to slide out of sight behind the chair entirely, but the longer the silent stares dragged on, the more tempted she was to start moving left...

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch drew all the attention to herself while moving to Ruby's side. "As I explained in the memo this morning, you will be meeting the special-case student the headmaster has been preparing us for the past month. This is Ruby Rose-Xiao Long."

"J-J-Just R-Ruby Rose is f-fine…" She swallowed thickly and tried to stand up straighter, remembering her earlier plan to avoid getting on Glynda's bad side with a lack of apparent effort. She didn't seem any angrier, so Ruby counted it as a small win for the moment.

The three new professors did not speak as they continued to silently evaluate her. The atmosphere of easy camaraderie was completely gone as curiosity, and measured looks took over. Professor Goodwitch gestured to each of the three teachers, repeating their names, though Ruby had been listening long enough to know who was who.

"Intriguing!" Ruby nearly lept out of her skin, the green-haired man–whom the other professors referred to as Oobleck–had moved so quickly she hadn't noticed until his nose nearly brushed hers, his breath washing over her chin as he spoke. She smelled coffee and… something like burn Dust? He was holding his chin, his glasses hiding his eyes in a way that made Ruby squirm and understand why her goggles made newcomers uneasy at first. "Thompson model." He spoke again, not quite a question given the certainty in his tone.

"Huh?!" Ruby squeaked as Oobleck, without permission, rest his fingertips on the straps of her goggles. She momentarily feared he was going to remove them, and her hands reached up to touch his wrists, but then he brushed her hair aside and turned her head so he could stare at the strap, and Ruby was too nervous to stop him.

"I was correct! Exploration wear, for the sands of Vacuo. Perfect, absolutely _perfect_ model; I've never met another eyewear developer with such fine quality and taste in all my years." Oobleck radiated genuine pride as he turned Ruby's head the other way. "Ah, the Sumusarian line too. Expensive, _most_ expensive, but I've seen a pair get stepped on by a Goliath and the only thing that needed to be replaced was one lens. Truly an excellent set of headgear! For a young huntress, these will last you well into your career!"

Oobleck stepped back, and Ruby stood in quiet stillness, unsure whether to feel complimented or violated as the older man seemed satisfied with his findings. Professor Port and Peach seemed less sure in their approach, however, while the headmaster cleared his throat. "Focusing on the matter at hand…" He walked over to Ruby and extended a friendly hand. Ruby took it, hesitant to follow, but not having much choice as Professor Ozpin walked her closer to the professors.

Ruby looked up at both Professor Port and Professor Peach with a small, bewildered frown. Professor Port had his arms crossed as he looked her over, while Professor Peach stuck out her remaining hand. Ruby flinched, but took it out of polite convention, getting a firm, strong shake. "Hey li'l lady, welcome to Beacon!" Her voice was warm, her eyes full of healthy curiosity as they shook. "Headmaster's made a bit of a hubbub bringing you here." Her smile was thin and pinched, but wide, as if she was fighting her apprehension with forced excitement.

Ruby tried to match it. "Th-thank you. S-sorry if I c-c-caused any p-problems, I really d-didn't mean t-to." She balled her hands together once they were free, wishing she had her skirt on so her hands could squeeze the frilled fabric, settling for setting them to wrestle one another nervously as Professor Peach chuckled.

"Ah, don't worry about it too much, we've had a few special cases come through here before, though certainly none quite as, mm…" Professor Peach rolled her jaw as she hunted for the right word.

"... Wrong?" Ruby offered. The professor's eyes widened, and she waved her hands while trying to laugh away the girl's sudden apprehension.

"No, no honey, not _wrong,_ I was thinking more along the lines of, uh, y'know…" Peach seemed at a loss for words, and Ruby wilted the slightest bit. A large, stubby hand extended towards her, and Ruby looked to Port, then his hand curiously.

She took it, and rather than shake, he firmly squeezed her smaller hand while his dark brown eyes searched her face. "Welcome, Miss Rose. I'm the professor in charge of Grimm Studies here at Beacon, and, experienced as I am, I have never heard of anybody quite like you."

Ruby nodded meekly, keeping her hand relaxed, not wanting to possibly offend the man as Professor Peach offered an awkward smile. "Professor in charge of Dust Chemistry and Mixing, also have a hand in the forge if something were to happen to your weapon." She explained. Oobleck immediately seemed to appear to Ruby's side, taking her free hand and shaking it with both of his vigorously.

"Doctor of History, Oobleck!" He let go of her hand just as quickly, and Ruby balled both her hands back together as they watched over her.

A hand rested on her shoulder and Ruby flinched violently, the shadows under her feet thickening and swirling a moment before she willed them still. She clenched her jaw and cursed her nerves as Professor Ozpin lifted his hand in response and let it hang by his side, making Ruby frown guiltily. "These people, along with Professor Goodwitch and your Physical Fitness coach, will be your teachers here at Beacon Academy, Ruby." He gave her a pleasant smile, and Ruby nodded, calm and slow as she tried to relax. "They each teach very important skills, and are each very qualified for their positions. I want you to pay attention in their classes, your catch-up studies will directly feed into their lessons and propel you to graduation faster than you would expect."

"Indeed." Dr. Oobleck raised a finger thoughtfully. "The keystones of being a hunter aren't just skill, strength, and speed, but intelligence and understanding _._ What we teach here won't just prepare you to fight, but to anticipate, adapt and protect!"

Professor Port nodded, his furrowed brow lightening as he clasped his hands casually behind his back. "But the key to victory isn't just knowing Remnant's history, one has to know their foe! You shall not leave without being able to tell me _all_ of an Ursa's weak points!"

"Knowin' about people may not help you in battle, but will help you understand why your job is so important." Peach chimed in. "Speakin' as the Dust professor, even your education is all about mixing the best ingredients we got available: why you fight, watcha fight with..." She gestured to Goodwitch.

"And," Professor Goodwitch spoke up, "of course, _how_ to fight. Be in against the Grimm or the humans that seek to threaten our peaceful existence. The world is full of dangers, human and inhuman, and as a student of Beacon, you will be made prepared."

"Speaking of both human and inhuman," Professor Port refocused on Ruby with a very slow, contemplative voice, his hands locking behind his back in an attempt to steel his nerves, "may we see your eyes, young lady?" His tone was respectful and polite, though Ruby still felt it carried the slightest edge of a command.

The other adults quieted down to await Ruby's response, but while Ruby had been enjoying their collective speech with a growing smile, the request turned her blood ice cold, and she immediately back-pedaled away from the group. Her attempt was cut short when a hand pressed against the small of her back, and she glanced to Professor Ozpin, who quietly bowed his head.

"Don't be afraid, Ruby. These are your professors, each one will have a hand in training your mind, your weapon usage, _and_ your power." He spoke in a very calming voice, not forcing her back into the circle. Ruby was still, her skin itched, and she refused to meet anyone's eye. Ozpin, sensing her worry, clapped his hands to draw attention from her. "Everyone, Ruby here is a bit shy in regards to her eyes; let's give her some space and a chance to trust us before we try and pressure her into anything."

At the recommendation, the five professors looked amongst themselves for some form of idea or suggestion, then, as one, focused on Dr. Oobleck. He tightened his lips, creating a rather dramatic pout. "If I _must."_ He huffed. Ruby watched the tall man unscrew his thermos and fill the plastic lid with a goodly amount of coffee. Her mouth immediately felt dry, and she realized she hadn't had a drink since leaving the airship, and the smell of the coffee was mouthwatering...

"One lump or two?" Professor Oobleck asked, opening a little belt pouch.

"Oh, u-um, I-I guess t-two's okay." Ruby assured him. Judging by angle of her head and point of her nose, she was staring strictly at the coffee. "U-um… though… I-I usually t-take four." Ruby whispered with a blush, watching shyly as he popped four cubes of sugar out of his belt pouch and dropped them into the hot coffee to dissolve before passing the drink to Ruby.

The warm cup immediately relaxed her hands; it felt natural and comforting, relieving that ugly, clammy feeling that had built up in her paranoia. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a long drink, shuddering in delight as she savored the flavors. "Oh _wow,_ th-this is really _really_ g-good!" She stared into the cup in surprise, as if the brown liquid would offer some explanation behind its mysteriously quenching flavor.

This prompted a somewhat proud smile from Professor Oobleck. "Specially bred coffee beans grown in a perfect artificial climate in an Atlas coffee shop I visited some fifteen years ago." He sipped the coffee straight from the thermos and sighed in comfort. "Small then, but steady progress allowed them to expand their business and sell their coffee overseas at _wallet-gouging prices!"_ He suddenly exploded, then looked into the thermos. "The price we pay for perfection..." His next sip seemed much more somber.

Ruby squeaked as Professor Port moved to her side, and gently nudged her with his elbow. "Young lady, do you like _fairy tales?"_ He asked with a dramatic raise of his left eyebrow.

"Oh, _here_ we go." Professor Peach mumbled as the older professor almost shimmied in excitement.

"Y-yeah…" Ruby answered, despite the other professor's various warning looks. "F-fairy tales and h-hu-hunter legends a-are why I w-want to become a huntress." Ruby answered honestly, feeling childish at admitting her inspiration came from storybooks, but the man cheerfully wrapped his arm around her back and held her close, his other hand extended in front of him to cast Ruby into a world of pure imagination.

"Picture, then, yours truly, standing at the forefront of a hunting party searching for one of Mistral's most fierce Grimm predators!" Professor Port turned, moving Ruby with him to stare out the window. "It was me, my companions Yugo, Agate, and Solomon, searching for the dreaded Razorswine, the largest, angriest boarbatusk Mistral had ever known…"

Ruby stared at his hand, then out the window, utterly transfixed as her easily intrigued sense of wonder stole her away from her purpose in the headmaster's office. The other four teachers behind them collectively groaned in silence at Ruby's interjection. "Wow, really? W-what happened?"

' _Chairs.'_ Ozpin mouthed to his companions, and they spread out to find seats.

Ruby wasn't terribly sure when the cheese and crackers had showed up, or who had found them, nor when she'd found herself in a seat. She sipped the last of her coffee and nibbled a cracker, watching Port stalk against the window, his head turning sharply like a cornered animal. "The beast had smelled my blood, and being a creature of Grimm, I knew I had to think quickly, or meet my untimely demise! My companions, lost in the caves of Kailos, would be of no help, so when the dreaded pig showed its face, I used my _ultimate weapon!"_

"Your semblance?!" Ruby asked, on the literal edge of her seat, her heels bouncing and causing her slippers to flail beneath her.

"No!" Professor Port whirled to face her, his eyes wide like a maddened beast, but the intricately combed whiskers he wore made him a whole lot less intimidating. "I used my _sheer presence_ to frighten it into submission with my signature warface!" His lips peeled back as he let loose a grizzly roar, leaving Ruby giggling in her seat. "The beast _fled_ in confused horror, unable to comprehend such a magnificent foe as myself!"

Ruby grinned quietly as the rounded professor conducted himself once more, his cheekbones risen with delight at having such an attentive young audience. "Of course, there is much more to this story, but I'm saving the grand climax for the students who pass my midterm!"

"Aww..." Ruby pouted. She turned as Professor Oobleck approached her, handing him the thermos lid to wash out. Professor Port stood by her side, a hand on her shoulder in a friendly fashion. "So, y-you really used t-to be on a team f-fighting the old, l-legendary Grimm?" Her eyes came as close to sparkling as they got behind their tinted covers as she took in a legitimate figure of heroism and legend.

"Well, once upon a time. Alas, though it may not look it, I have grown slower, and cannot pursue the beasts of great like I once did. Tis such a bittersweet pleasure to work at Beacon, to train my students how to find and fight these mighty monsters, but knowing I will rarely be able to add to the legend of Peter Port." He stared down at the floor, though even Ruby could tell the difference between genuine sadness and Professor Port being melodramatic.

"B-but, don't a lot a f-fairy tails talk about the legends being mentored u-under some great, wise h-hermit? S-Simba of Vacuo tutored under the honorable Rafiki, Seras of Mantle u-under the dreaded V-Vladimir, th-they always mention the teachers who s-slayed great beasts before them." Ruby gently nudged the older man with her shoulder, flashing him a tiny grin.

Professor Port visibly perked up, and gave Ruby a comforted look. "That's quite true, young lady. In that case, when you give interviews in the future, remember to give due credit your teachers!" He pat her back, and Ruby bobbed her head in agreement.

"Allllllllll _right_ then." Professor Peach spoke up behind them. Port and Ruby both turned to look at the other four Professors. Goodwitch and Ozpin each sat at the headmaster's desk, while Peach nudged Oobleck to get off his scroll. "Miss Rose, how ya feelin'?"

"Um…" Ruby made a bit of a face, obviously still uncomfortable as she reached up to touch the strap of her goggles. "I-I think I'm a l-li'l better. Are… a-are you guys ready to, u-um, see?" She asked, a part of her brain screaming to _stop,_ but she ignored it. They were good people, good _hunters,_ they gave her food and drink and entertained her, even when there were more obviously pressing matters.

"Absolutely!" Oobleck stood up quickly. Professors Peach, Ozpin, and Goodwitch each stood to move back with the group. Ruby felt surrounded again, but she felt significantly less intimidated as she stood up.

"Let's start small, Ruby. Please, show us your eyes." Professor Ozpin smiled at her, and gestured for her to present herself. Ruby nodded quietly and gripped her goggles, hesitating as she willed her fingers not to tremble. "You may remove them completely if it would make you more comfortable." He offered. She let out a slow breath and set her jaw, her lips compressing in the beginnings of a serious frown.

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each watched, Oobleck leaning forward in anticipation. After a final sigh of resignation, Ruby slid her goggles over her forehead and off her face, holding them in front of her chest in quasi-self defense. When she opened her eyes, her three professors were in varying states of shock and horrified awe.

Professor Port had reared back, one hand over his heart, his entire face completely slack and his eyes wide open now. His free hand hung limply at his side, though his fingers twitched at his hip as if searching for a gun.

Professor Oobleck had turned to face the wall, chancing several looks, but always turning back after he gave the most visible shudder of them all. He straightened his tie and cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders before very firmly forcing himself to watch Ruby from the corner of his eyes.

Professor Peach had her metallic hand over her mouth, the other hand squeezing a wrench on her utility belt in a white-knuckled death grip as she took deep, stressed breaths. Her dark skin seemed much more pale, and sweat was visible on her remaining upper arm.

Ozpin and Goodwitch both did their best to not look directly at her while still watching her face, but both gave an inevitable cringe whenever their eyes wandered above her little, button nose. Ruby stood still, arms tight to her sides while she clutched the goggles closer to her chest. She felt very small, very exposed, and she did what she could to not focus on anybody, but curiosity and nervousness made her search their faces for reactions and any possible hints of a threat.

Her big red eyes carefully went from adult to adult, and her heart began to beat faster as they stiffly began to move. The three professors tried to stand still, arms in relaxed positions, but with little success as they stared at the floor, ceiling, or around Ruby rather than at her.

Each of the professors had experienced their own brushes with death in their days. Some on the battlefield, some in the workshop, some in exploration; few hunters had cushy enough positions to never feel death's breath on the back of their neck, but Ruby's eyes did something different, something _sinister._

"Ahem." Professor Port spoke up. "Well, your findings were true enough, headmaster. She is quite difficult to look in the eye." He stared at Ruby's feet, silently testing himself again and again. Ruby felt awful; Professor Port seemed like a magnificent hunter, he had probably faced some really awful Grimm in his lifetime, yet here he was, trying to keep himself from cowering before her. Some people would have taken pride in the gruesome influence her eyes had, but Ruby did not, she could only feel ashamed to bring her teachers to such a cowed state.

"Indeed. Indeed indeed. Difficult indeed. Very difficult." Professor Oobleck muttered, his eyes moving up to meet hers. Something strange passed across his expression, like he was having a fight with himself over what to do… he quivered, his jaw firming harshly enough to make Ruby make her suppress a whimper, and his sweating hands clenched into fists as he briefly peeled his lips back, showing his grounded teeth.

Professor Oobleck took a deep, steadying breath. His head lowered, eyes firmly on Ruby in a stare that was nothing short of intimidating, and he walked towards her. She began to back away nervously, with clear hesitation in each step. He reached behind his back, and Ruby began to shrink, her expression begging for his mercy as he handled something small, then struck without warning. Ruby recoiled in fright as his arm extended, but his fingers stopped a few inches short of her face. In his hand was a small make-up compact, lid popped open to reveal the dark-toned blush and a little hand mirror. Ruby stared at herself, then up to Oobleck in confusion, unintentionally threatening him with her gaze.

"Ah-hah!" Oobleck turned, holding the compact up for the other professors to see in a mixture of confusion and, in Goodwitch's case, outrage at the stress he had clearly caused to a student. "She is _immune_ to her own fear effect! Somebody write that down. The gears of progress whir to life in this very moment, and it must be _recorded!"_

"Bart, did you for real steal my makeup?" Professor Peach all but snarled as she walked forward with an angry gait. "Give!" She held her hand out, and Oobleck complied without complaint.

"The very first step to semblance discovery is knowing whether or not you are affected by it as well! Imagine, if you will, young miss Rose fighting a dastardly opponent who decided to employ _mirrors!_ There is no more humiliating a defeat than one at your own hands!"

Professor Port approached Ruby, looking thoroughly emasculated as he tried his hardest to examine her eyes with mounting frustration. "The Grimm have a gaze far more forgiving. Please pardon my nervousness, Ruby, it's hard to adjust to." His tone was far more reserved than normal. Ruby squoze her goggles tighter, the leather and plastic creaking, as she mumbled some incoherent mush of understanding.

Professor Peach appeared by his side, and both watched her like she was a never-ending trainwreck. The spectacle and horror on their faces were genuine, but they weren't attempting anything violent. Ruby finally hung her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels as she tried to calm herself.

"Sorry. Th-they're a-al-always l-like th-this. My f-f-family s-said it t-too-took a w-while t-to adjust to them, a-and they s-still c-can't l-look me i-in the e-eye... If y-you'd like m-me to p-put my g-goggles on-"

"Preposterous!" Professor Oobleck called from Ozpin's desk, holding a pen and a pad of paper. "We are hunters, we will not be intimidated by one of our own students, _even if she has the very eyes of evil itself!_ Now do you wear contacts or glasses?" He asked, writing rapidly. Ruby blinked, not sure how she should feel about that… then she shook her head, realizing she'd been asked a question.

"N-no. W-we did a h-home t-test and it s-said I had p-perfect vision." She answered, earning an excited nod from Oobleck.

Professor Goodwitch took a few silent steps closer, making herself known by her presence alone. Oobleck paused, and Ruby, Peach, and Port all looked to her as she moved the chairs back to their places with an elegant sweep of her riding crop. "Professors, if you will stand aside, I believe it's time for a demonstration of her abilities."

Professor Ozpin walked to Ruby's side, pointedly keeping his gaze on his fellow teachers rather than Ruby herself. "As I've told you all, Ruby has a power both incredible and dangerous. Despite our busy schedules, I'd like for each of us to lend her the time she needs to bring it under her control, in addition to getting as much information regarding it as possible."

Port, Oobleck, and Peach each nodded, their body language changing as they stood to the side and watched Ruby's feet, clearly having been informed of the basics in advance. Ruby looked to Ozpin worriedly, but his gentle nod made her take a deep, calming breath. "W-well, okay. Um, I c-can summon Grimm." She watched their reactions, but other than a single nod from Port, her teachers remained curiously passive. Ruby took a deep breath, steeling herself. "O-o-okay. Okay... So, I-I c-can summon G-Grimm, and it's a-a little… iffy."

"Iffy?" Oobleck repeated in an unimpressed deadpan.

Ruby nodded in quiet sadness, "S-see, um, I-I can summon p-pieces of G-Grimm, l-like an arm o-or e-even a wing..." She extended a hand, and every eye was on the floor beneath her. A pitch black pool spread from her feet, creating a wide circle of darkness that Ozpin moved away from.

Contrary to a shadow, the pool stirred as if alive, ignoring the angle of light or absence of obstructions as it spread and began producing black bubbles, all while the edges expanded and regressed as if it was breathing. Every now and then a small wave seemed to form, almost creating a claw or a wing, sometimes a serpentine tail before falling flat. Oobleck dropped to his knees and laid on his stomach, cheek pressed to the stone floor while eyeing the darkness, noting that though it seemed flat, it had a barely notable height that was in constant fluctuation. He wrote from his place on the floor while Professor Port cautiously walked over.

Ruby stayed still and watched the portly man kneel, his hand over the black pool, though he seemed hesitant. From the darkness, a barely discernible shape emerged, with an appearance like a hand pushing up from underneath a blanket. However, the muddled shape began to sharpen, and with a tightened focus, the small Beowolf arm, capped with bone-white claws, thrashed feebly; it was like it was alive, and Port noted that it grabbed at her slipper and feebly squeezed, though Ruby either had enough control to keep it from mauling her barely protected toes, or enough control to keep it weak. "How is it, like this? Your connection to them, the feel of it, Ruby?" He asked, looking up at her for just a moment before he caught her eyes. He settled for examining the pool with a cold shiver.

"Um, well, n-nothing comes out u-unless I allow it…" At his curious glance, she tapped her fingertips together. "I c-can, um, f-feel them like th-this. Like, th-they know I-I've made a h-hole they can g-get out of. S-sometimes…" She swallowed. "S-sometimes, wh-when my control's n-not so g-great, I c-can feel them trying to push through. I-I haven't h-had an incident in a l-long time, though, not for three y-years!" Her jaw quivered as she focused on the ceiling and collected her thoughts. "Th-they really w-want out, b-but I make sure th-they're trapped."

"'Trapped…'" Professor Goodwitch repeated, her tone a mixture of disbelief and accusation. "What do you mean by 'trapped?'"

"W-well, see, i-it's like..." Ruby took a deep breath, and raised her foot. Port watched with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction as Ruby ruthlessly stomped the the arm back into the puddle, creating a brief _'crack'_ as the Grimm's claw broke, then a satisfying _'splort'_ as is turned into liquid. It did not, however, turn to a black dust and dissipate in the air, as every Grimm any of them had slaughtered had; instead, it simply seemed to melt back into the pool of black ooze it had spawned from. "I c-can feel them in there. S-sometimes I can f-feel a lot of Grimm, s-sometimes o-only a f-few. I c-can feel wh-what they a-are, a-and I c-can control which o-ones sh-show up, b-but the w-worse I f-feel, the h-harder they t-try to escape, a-and the m-more sh-show up." She stared down at the pool, focusing. Port watched as the shifting puddle of pitch black formed another wave, and what he recognized as a malformed, gooey creeps' foot poked out, its claws not formed and the leg itself recognizable purely by size and shape.

"Hmm." Professor Port knelt down lower. _"YOU THERE!"_ He suddenly bellowed, making Ruby leap in surprise as he continued, "Yes, _you!_ Damn Grimm, I know you can hear me!" The rolling puddle seemed agitated, squirming in a more lively fashion, even shrinking in some areas to add mass where Port was shouting at. _"I_ am Professor Port, _you_ have been my prey for years! You don't like that, do you?! Your slayer is right here, what will you do, Grimm?!" He roared at the puddle. The room was silent, and Ruby stared down at the professor as he watched the darkness like he was a madman. He glanced up at Ruby curiously. "Any change to how it feels?"

"Th-they hate you a-a lot..." Ruby murmured, making the professor smirk. "I-I think th-they knew you were t-talking to them? Th-they went q-quiet, a-and are trying t-to- w-wait _what are you doing?!"_ Ruby nearly screamed as Professor Port plunged his hand into the darkness.

His arm disappeared up to the elbow, and Oobleck, Peach, and Goodwitch instinctively ran forward to grab the back of his collar and his arm. His brow knit, and his upper lip curled as he resisted. He let out a gasp of surprise as his arm sunk deeper, well into the floor. The pool began to shrink as Ruby recalled it, though the Grimm mass still clung grudgingly to his arm. Her black aura flickered to life as she grabbed his arm, her strong grip tearing the clinging Grimmstuff off the portly professor. The retreating darkness snarled furiously, half-formed teeth clicking together inside a clay-like maw before it shrunk back into nothingness beneath Ruby's feet. The inky void returned to simple shadow as Professor Port examined his hand.

 _"Peter!"_ Professor Goodwitch was staring furiously at the man, her teeth grit. "Of all the _stupid_ things you could have done! We have materials to test this- this _madness_ and you could have lost a _hand!_ _What were you thinking?!"_

Ruby had her hands over her mouth as Professor Port wiggled his fingers; a pinprick of blood was dribbling down his thumb, and he looked to Oobleck. "Bart, note the consistency: like a living sludge. Smooth, constantly moving, immediately latched onto my hand and tried to keep hold. I felt the point of a fang in my thumb, meaning there is most certainly a malevolent, Grimm-like presence in there. Unformed, angry, but weak."

"Very good information, Peter." Oobleck smacked the back of the man's head, making him yelp and give the assaulter an offended look. _"Mighty_ stupid of you. Good information though." He began to write as Professor Peach beat on Port's back and ranted at his idiocy.

Ozpin gave a little frown and touched Ruby's shoulder, getting her attention. She looked worried, her eyes forming perfectly normal, clear tears of frustration that Ozpin delicately wiped away with the back of his fingers, suppressing the surge of distress from getting so close to touching those hateful orbs. "Very good Ruby, I think you've roused their curiosities. Their questionable decisions aside, I think we will yet make progress in figuring out what you can do and how to control it." His tone was pleasant and comforting, and Ruby's fright dissipated as he pet her head. "Thank you for the demonstration. Would you like me to walk you to the banquet hall?"

"Ahem." Professor Goodwitch approached, looking firm. "You still have work to do, headmaster. I will escort her."

Ozpin gave a soft chuckle at her insistence, but ultimately stepped away. "Very well. We'll schedule our next session sometime after you settle in, Ruby. Enjoy your rest, and remember: progress begins at step one."

Ruby considered his words as she was lead to the elevator, the headmaster and three professors gathering at the desk to talk. When the lift doors closed, she slid her goggles on with a soft, resigned little sigh. Ruby stood quietly, chancing a look at Professor Goodwitch. The woman had her eyes firmly forward, arms crossed over her chest tightly, her spine straight and legs together. Ruby thought to ask Professor Goodwitch if she was okay, but the teacher shot her a suspicious look.

Ruby clamped her mouth shut and stared forward again, her tummy full of agitated butterflies. She worried what could have happened to the old hunter if she didn't recall the Grimm fast enough, she worried what would have happened had he'd gotten mauled… she pulled her hood up over her head to try and drown out the humming and clicking of the elevator, and breathed deep.

She was at Beacon… she couldn't let herself slip.

* * *

" _I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT!"_ Was the last thing Ruby heard before she was knocked onto her ass by a flying towel. She was suddenly hoisted up by the armpits and shaken violently until the towel fell off her head, giving Ruby a good look at a _very_ angry Yang. "I went looking all over the place for you! Do you know how many people I shook down trying to get them to talk?! I had to bump into some sad old butler guy to figure out where the crap you went! Ooooh, I'm so _mad_ I could- I could-" Yang's rant ended in an inarticulate roar-howl that Ruby matched with a brief, panicked shriek before she was crushed into a hug, her face buried into the valley of Yang's cleavage as she sniffled. " _Idiot._ Stupid! Making me _worry."_

"S-sorry Yang." Ruby gasped, popping her face out of Yang Canyon for air. Yang didn't let Ruby go, and she frankly didn't want her to. She was enjoying the warm embrace and unrestrained affection, even as her ribs protested under Yang's raw strength. After a long while of silent cuddling, Ruby whimpered out, " _S-so_ much happened."

Yang finally let Ruby go and tsked worriedly while she brushed the hair out of her little sister's face, giving Ruby the chance to examine her surroundings. The banquet hall was a well decorated room with high windows and low-lighting, though contrary to the name, there didn't seem to be any food, or for that matter, tables. Everything seemed to have been cleared out to make room for the new students to lay out their sleeping bags and, judging by the gathering of students in varying states of casual dress, socialize. Ruby suddenly felt much less like a sore thumb in her plain gray pajamas.

"Yeah, the butler guy told me you and a _Schnee_ blew up." Yang lightly bopped Ruby's forehead as she frowned, earning a tiny pout from the shorter girl. "What in the world are you doing getting into arguments with a Schnee?!" Yang was familiar with their products and services, but from all the rumors, the comparisons to dictators, and the pictures from various magazines, she was fairly sure they didn't actually exist; no family that _perfect_ yet that _seemingly evil_ could be _real._

"W-we d-didn't argue!" Ruby groaned in a defeated tone, feeling pale just from thinking about it. She rubbed her forehead where Yang had thumped her and let out a huff. "I a-accidentally got her w-wet."

Yang stared at Ruby with a wide-eyed, but otherwise emotionless expression, slowly tilting her head and trying not to smile until Ruby realized her mistake and facepalmed. "Wow. Uh, way to go, killer. Save some for the-"

" _Shut up Yang."_ Ruby slumped, her cheeks a vibrant red. "Her l-luggage _attacked me,_ an-and I pulled her i-into a _pond_ by a-accident, so we b-both e-ended up _soaked,_ and then a b-briefcase _exploded,_ and P-Professor Goodwitch w-was _mad at me,_ and now my _clothes_ a-are who kn-knows where, and I-I h-have to wear _this,_ and I'm _really really_ _sorry_ I-I didn't m-mean to make y-you worry!" Ruby covered her eyes in shame, and Yang opened her mouth, closed it, considered for a moment…

"Um..." Was all she managed.

The silence between them was extraordinarily unhelpful in alleviating Ruby's mood, so she finally broke it with a mutter. "The p-professors are nice though." She rubbed the back of her head. Yang cocked her head to the side like a confused Zwei.

"I thought _I_ was going to have a story to tell with breaking into the room they kept all our luggage. Yours," Yang let out a small, relieved chuckle, "yours sounds _way_ more interesting. I saved you a spot next to me on the floor, let's just sit down and chill, okay?"

Ruby nodded, only to look past Yang and quickly freeze in place. Yang raised an eyebrow and turned around to follow Ruby's line of sight, quickly spotting an approaching girl. White hair, blue eyes, lithe and lovely, and currently glaring at her scroll. Ruby sighed when Yang let out an appreciative hum at the sight of the approaching Schnee heiress… Ruby understood the impulse, but Yang hadn't spent an hour with the celebrity trying to will you dead the entire time.

At the moment, though, in her ratty, gray pajamas and wearing a prideful scowl, she looked less like her PR presented her, and more like the focused mass of unpleasant anger Ruby had come to know _._ Wordlessly, Weiss brushed past Yang, who began to frown when Ruby scooted back, and stood before the silently shivering Ruby, waving a plastic lien card over her scroll's scanner. It beeped, and she sniffed to herself as the read the scroll's screen, then held the card out to Ruby with a glare. Ruby stared down at the card, squirmed in place, and carefully raised her head to regretfully meet those icy eyes. Weiss almost grunted, and Ruby felt Yang growl next to her.

"For your wet clothes." She stated, her expression stiff. Ruby thought Weiss looked like she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from her as realistically possible, even if some sense of duty had won out for the moment.

"Oh, uh…" Ruby took the card, and Weiss whirled around. She took two steps away, then stopped, looked down, seemingly in thought, then turned on her heels to give Ruby a dramatic, angry point and matching scowl. The two sister raised their left eyebrows in matching expressions of confusions, though Ruby's quickly knitted into distress when the shouting started again, while Yang's just inched higher in disbelief.

"Don't take this as some sort of apology!" She ordered, furiously shaking her pointer finger at the wilted girl. "I've paid what I owe, but that doesn't mean you're forgiven for your- your idiocy!" Weiss snapped, tearing her eyes off of Ruby to storm off without another word. Yang looked from Ruby to Weiss, then back again. Her eyes flashed red, making Ruby wince even as Yang stomped after the _much_ smaller girl.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby gasped, watching her sister muscle past clusters of chatting people like an Ursa muscling aside foliage.

Mid-stride, a hand on Weiss's shoulder whirled her around to stare into Yang's furious lilac eyes. "Hey _princess,_ you want some advice?" Yang snarled, staring down at Weiss as her grip tightened. " _Don't_ go picking on my little sister!"

" _Little_ sister?" Weiss sneered, looking around Yang at Ruby. Ruby stood, very still and very quiet, her body weighted with horror as Yang held up a fist to Weiss's face. "If you're stupid enough to think your shoddy manicure and dry skin constitute a _threat_ , I'd say you're more of an oversized twin. I can assure you that _nobody_ wants anything to do with her!"

Yang let out a disbelieving snort, standing up straighter, putting Weiss's chin near Yang's bust line, causing the white haired girl to stare straight down at the taller girl's cleavage with a scandalized expression. "Look, I may not know all the details, but she doesn't deserve your attitude. There are _Nevermore_ who don't deserve your _crap."_

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is clearly my mistake..." Weiss gave Yang one hell of a stink eye, causing Yang to growl. "I thought this was Beacon Academy, for hunters. I wasn't aware they had a daycare. Do you change her diapers and burp her as well? It must be tedious to tend to _two_ giant infants."

"Hey, you know how it is out in the sticks, we have to do everything in groups to make up for the lack of _exploited laborers_ and _price gouging."_

"Excuse me?! My company is a respected employer across all of Remnant, you are a blustering _ape_ trying to impress me with your _girth_ and THAT little pain in the- _that girl_ nearly got me _expelled_ after setting off _my property!_ So, you can play the wounded family member all you want, but if anyone is out of line here, it's _you!"_ Weiss's voice was raising. People were starting to quiet down to watch the pair more expectantly.

"Oh please, _Schnee,_ I've heard enough about your family. If I snapped at your little brother, none of you would take it sitting down!" Yang growled. Ruby whined, wringing the hem of her shirt in distress, silently begging them to stop.

"If, by any chance, you somehow had the misfortune to run into my little brother, we wouldn't even _need_ to step in if this is what you think counts for intimidation!"

"Please, princess, people like you don't know how to solve problems you can't buy or sue your way out of!"

"I'll have you know that the Schnees have a long, proud history as hunters, unlike some no name, roughneck, top-heavy _bimbo_ trying to start a fight in a school because their sister's _a walking disaster area!"_

Ruby was shaking in place, trying to work up the nerve to go push the two girls apart as her sister squared off with Weiss at maximum volume. This was too much; people were gathering, taking seats around the pair, shouting encouragement at them to start throwing punches. Ruby wanted to disappear and go home forever, she wanted to bury her face in a pillow and just cry for a while, let all this negativity out in one big, boogery sob.

More than anything, she was so terrified of her dream falling apart right here, right now.

"What in the world is going on?" A flat, disbelieving voice asked from Ruby's side. She turned her head in shock and just… paused, all the stress of the situation suddenly melting away as she stood in the presence of the avatar of her literary wet dreams.

The black-haired teen next to her turned to meet her gaze, her golden eyes gently shifting as if reading through her goggles. On her head was a cute, fashionable black bow, and she wore a rather short black robe with white trim. Her taste in clothes was excellent, but Ruby's head tilted as her eyes ran along her long, slender legs. She'd assumed awe-filled first-impressions were a once-in-your-life sorta deal, since there was never more than one per story, but this girl was quickly proving her wrong. She'd always assumed she'd meet the right boy someday, so she wondered why only the other girls were impressing her so far...

"Hm?" The black-haired girl's head tilted as Ruby's eyes traveled down, from thigh to toe, taking in the smooth, flawless skin and the supple muscle forming lovely curves along each leg. Slowly, her head lifted to meet the girl's eyes once more. A delicate black brow arched, and golden eyes sparkled with something approaching amusement. "I'm willing to ignore that if you tell me why they're being so loud." She offered in a dry tone, and Ruby immediately heated up. She balled her hands behind her back, looking down at the floor and not at the girl's legs, though to little success.

If Weiss was every noble princess in every book Ruby had read, this girl… this _beauty,_ whoever she was, was the dark action heroine–or the mysterious rival, or the bad girl that would turn good, but _always_ the love interest–that Ruby adored the most in all of her stories. She even had the 'unreadable expression' down pat...

"S-sorry. Um…" Ruby looked back up at the ongoing conflict; Yang and Weiss weren't throwing punches yet, but the shouting match had devolved into petty sniping and minor hair pulling, which was just asking for trouble where Yang was concerned. "I-I k-kinda... m-me a-and the g-g-gi-girl in t-the w-white-"

"Weiss Schnee." The dark girl said with an unnoticed bristle in her voice.

"- y-yeah, W-Weiss Schnee. W-we k-kinda had a-an in-incident 'c-cuz I-I w-was stupid a-and d-didn't say 'l-look out, y-your briefc-case will e-e-explode', a-and then it _did_ a-and now m-my older s-s-sister's really m-mad a-at her 'cuz she th-thought Weiss w-was p-picking on me w-when she w-was j-just being k-kinda, um…"

"Snooty?"

"Y-yeah... I-it was my f-fault, and n-now th-they're f-fighting, and- and-"

"You blew up Weiss Schnee, who got mad at you, so your sister's mad at her?" The girl summarized in a disbelieving tone. Ruby nodded slowly, shuffling her feet in utter shame, looking sorry beyond belief. "Wonderful. 'Above all things, a hunter is a force of inspiration and wisdom.'" She shook her head, turning away to find somewhere quieter. She stopped, and turned to look as Ruby's hand took hers. "Did you _need_ something?" She asked in a tone that demanded a very good reason for such a violation of personal space, her eyes sharpened into narrow, golden slits.

"S-sorry!" Ruby dropped the girl's hand, keeping her eyes above the waist. Then above the chest... The eyes, those are pretty AND safe. "B-but, um, y-you read Trendove?" Ruby motioned to the book in Blake's hand before she moved her own hands behind her back, watching the girl's yellow eyes. They travelled the width of Ruby's face, flitting about curiously, taking some time before they settled on her goggles.

"... Of course." She answered, running her fingers through her dark hair before flipping it over her shoulder, never turning to face Ruby; instead, she kept her body half-cocked, looking out of the corners of her eyes while inadvertently showing off every womanly curve she had. "His essays on the societal impact of hunters in Mantle were why I chose to join an academy."

"... I k-kinda thought he was full of it." Ruby admitted. The girl turned more fully, her shoulder pointed at Ruby as she gave her her full attention, one thin eyebrow raised in curiosity. Ruby swallowed thickly. "H-his belief that 's-society rests on the laurels of h-hunters both old and new' l-leaves out all the hard work everyb-body else p-puts in. Sure, w-without hunters there might be d-different cities, or maybe no c-cities, but anybody can pick up a s-sword and a gun and p-protect themselves. Not every h-hunter is a carpenter, so, i-in a way, we all k-kind of, um… need each other, r-right? I wouldn't want to s-sleep in the dirt every n-night 'cuz I d-don't know how to make a b-bed." Ruby's nose crinkled a bit at the idea.

The girl eyed Ruby slowly, carefully, a low, curious hum escaping her throat. "Blake Belladonna." She finally spoke. Ruby's face fell a moment in lack of comprehension, and the girl clarified with an almost-smile. "My name, it's Blake Belladonna."

"Oh, uh…" Ruby stuck out a hand. "Hi. Ruby Rose. My n-name." She nodded, and Blake shook her hand stiffly. "S-sorry, just, I d-don't really get to talk to p-people about the th-things I read." Ruby gave a small, happy smile, the scene behind her now totally forgotten.

"I see. Have you read Alfheim?" Blake asked, turning to face Ruby with her whole body, arms crossed over her bust. Ruby bobbed her head, almost bouncing on her heels, gleeful at being able to converse with someone without screaming, insults or explosions.

"I've r-read bits and pieces that were used in other books. He wr-rote 'A Fuzzy Perspective', right?" Ruby touched her chin with one finger, recalling… "Yang h-had to r-read it for some of her c-classes at Signal. I-it was about the struggle of F-Faunus in Remnant?" Her face scrunched in thought a moment, but that stopped when another tiny, almost-smile ghosted across Blake's face.

"Correct. From the first faunus enslaved by humans in Mistral, to the struggles of modern civil rights. What did you think?" Blake tilted her head, and Ruby swore part of her bow turned towards her.

"Well, I d-didn't read everything a-about it, but he didn't s-seem bad." Ruby paused, coughed, and back-pedalled to better explain. "H-He was really passionate about the faunus and e-equal rights, but everything I r-read focused on all the bad stuff that happened between them. Humans and faunus have been w-working t-together for a while now, right? I-I mean, the Faunus got Menagerie as a g-gift, so it wasn't one-hundred percent bad…"

Blake said nothing for a few moments, her lips quirked oddly in what could have been a smile or in agitation. Ruby wasn't sure if she had said anything wrong, but the girl then nodded. "Sure, not one-hundred percent bad. I'll loan you some of his works later, if you'd like."

"Y-yes!" Ruby blurted out, her cheeks reddening without knowing why. There was something darkly forbidden about borrowing books from a mysterious stranger… and the tiny, itty-bitty, almost non-existent rebellious part of Ruby _liked_ it! "I m-mean, if you don't mind." Ruby shrunk, tapping her fingers together as Blake officially gave her a single, tiny smile.

"It couldn't hurt. I'm going to go read." Blake pointed to a spot against the wall and turned away from Ruby, looking over her shoulder. She paused, looking beyond Ruby a moment, her eyes widening before she cleared her throat, her tone now a touch nervous. "Uh, no offense, but I'll need my peace and quiet so... Later."

"By-bye!" Ruby managed to squeak out as Blake walked–well it was more of a subdued strut–away. Ruby stood in place, not really focusing on anything. Did she really just have a conversation with somebody? About _books?_ She inwardly burned in nervous delight. Did that count as making a friend though? Blake was hard to read, so Ruby wasn't sure what to think...

… She was also amazingly pretty. Ruby felt a nervous blush fill her cheeks, and her gaze locked on Blake's retreating backside, a pleased rumble bubbling from her chest… She swallowed roughly, and a truly awful realization filled her: she was like Yang; she had gotten a… _desire_ from a girl. A girl she'd never met before and only barely spoken to, but it was unmistakable. Sweaty palms, shortness of breath, hot cheeks, butterflies in her stomach…

"Oh no…" Ruby whispered, wriggling in place, ignoring the way her loaned pajamas made her hips itch. "Y-Yang's never gunna let this go…" Ruby sighed thickly at the realization. She was working out on how to broach the topic with her older sister when a heavy hand landed on her head, making her yelp.

" _Ugh."_ Yang scratched Ruby's scalp, drawing annoyed little whimpers. "Some people are just unbelievable. That girl was- I mean- just absolutely the most stuck-up, pissy, mean-spirited little… _ugh."_ Yang gnashed her teeth furiously, not noticing how trembly and red-faced Ruby was.

"Uh… ah!" The fight! Ruby looked back where Weiss and Yang had been arguing, but Weiss was gone, and the crowd was dispersing amidst laughter. "Y-you… she's gone?" Ruby whispered, confused, and Yang shrugged.

"I kinda chucked her." Yang admitted with a roll of her purple eyes. Ruby's face, and jaw, fell as she stared at her big sister. "What?" Yang blinked, a frown forming across her face. " _What?!_ She only got, like, three seconds of airtime; she had her aura up, she's _fine!"_ Ruby let loose a horrified whimper. Ruby thought back to how Blake's eyes widened so suddenly... "Some blonde dude cushioned her fall!"

"Y-you _d-didn't…_ Yang!" Ruby peeped in a mixture of fright and frustration, and Yang held her hands up. "I-it's not e-even our f-first day and you g-got into a _f-fi-fight?!"_ Ruby hissed through her teeth, and Yang's eyes narrowed furiously at her little sister.

"She was trying to walk all over you! I can't let somebody–especially some rich, snooty _tart–_ talk down to my sister like that!" Yang insisted angrily, but before the flash of red could enter her eyes, Ruby's lips began to tremble, her head hanging in humiliation.

"I-" Ruby gulped down some air to ease the burn in her lungs, "I d-don't n-need you t-to f-fight my b-battles a-a-and g-get us i-in t-trouble!" By this point, her encounter with Blake was no longer enough to suppress the stress of the day, and as Ruby's anger grew, Yang began to fidget in a rare display of growing guilt. "Y-you need to a-apologize."

" _What?!_ After all the shit _she said?!"_ Yang demanded in raging disbelief, barely able to keep her anger in check for her sister. "That's not- you're _unbelievable!_ She was such a- I am not-" Seeing Ruby's firm cheeks and tight lips–a sign she was _glaring–_ Yang petered out, seeming to fail at grasping any justification that would satisfy her little sister's sense of… _justice._ "D-..." Yang's jaw clenched, and she ground her teeth in frustration in the face of Ruby's disapproval." _Damnit…"_ Yang turned away from little sister, giving off just enough heat to make Ruby frown.

"Y-Yang…" Ruby reached out, but Yang pulled away from her hand and clenched her fists. "W-we can apologize t-tomorrow, i-it'll be-"

"I'm going to bed." Yang interrupted in a loud, flat voice, walking away in an impotent, aimless anger. Ruby felt… lonely as her older sister, and best friend, left her to try and settle into a sleeping bag and come to terms with whatever internal conflict Ruby had triggered. She quietly scanned the crowd of students, and saw Weiss against the corner wall, looking despondent and furious, and Blake was by her lonesome on the opposite side of the room, nose deep in a book.

Ruby had the impulse to find Jaune, to see if he could come up with a solution, but she couldn't see him anywhere… Ruby felt her lips tremble, and she slowly shuffled her way over to a sleeping bag next to Yang. Ruby slid under the cover, and turned towards Yang, trying to catch her eye, to maybe talk a little more, but Yang was turned away from her, completely silent.

She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, and quietly prayed that the next day would be better.


	5. Initiation Begins

Even through a tumultuous night of sour feelings churning around in her stomach, Ruby was still asleep when the dining hall door opened and the blast of an airhorn caused her to lurch out of her sleeping bag with her hands up to karate chop whoever was attacking them. Her stance softened when she saw it was only Professor Goodwitch. Her temples aching from sleeping on her goggle strap all night, she could only blearily stare around at the dozens of other students who had also been surprised awake; some held up knives defensively while screaming about an ambush, some were on their feet in a fighting posture, sleepily demanding the others stand behind them, and one girl had somehow managed to sneak a full-sized mace in her sleeping bag. She was currently sending people diving for cover as she blindly whipped about in a panic, screaming inarticulate orders and threats until somebody pulled her ankle out from under her to stop her violent flailing with a brief yelp and a flailing collapse back onto her pillow.

A second shriek from the airhorn ceased the chaos as everyone's attention finally focused on the blonde professor standing at the doors. Professor Goodwitch, whose stern expression was as endlessly disappointed as ever, thundered, "Students! It is the morning of your initiation, gather your senses and rouse your discipline, _and remember that smuggling weapons into the school will not be tolerated!"_ The various switchblades and butterfly knives were blushingly hidden away, while the mace-wielder, either in a state of panic, terror, drowsiness, or relying on slipshod instinct, flung her weapon through a window in the false hope it might save her. Ruby could _see_ Goodwitch's frustration as the sound of shattering glass and the impact of steel on concrete echoed through the room. "You will all follow me in a calm, orderly fashion to the locker rooms where your outfits and weapons are–and, should you pass, from here on out will be–stored. Your student profiles have been updated with information on your locker number and its entry code, _memorize_ these numbers. Gather yourselves quickly, there's no time to dilly-dally!" With that, Professor Goodwitch turned on her heel and began to march down the hallway, slowing to allow the first wave of students to follow.

Ruby watched the numerous teens around her get to their feet to gather personal effects, straighten their clothes, and either clump into groups with their friends or head straight for the doors. Shaking slightly, the young student looked to where her older sister had slept by her side.

Yang wasn't looking Ruby's way, more focused on taming a tangled mass of bedhead that normally plagued her morning routine, but her expression wasn't friendly or calm, it was more tired and distant. _Not_ a good sign… back home, Yang usually blew into Ruby's room with a smile and a booming voice, and often a kick to accompany it if Ruby was difficult about getting out of bed.

With a loud swallow, Ruby got to her feet, guilt still gnawing at her stomach, as she shuffled over to Yang to kneel behind her. When her fingers touched those blonde locks Yang briefly went stiff, then relaxed as Ruby began to untangle her glorious blonde mane. "Sleep alright?" Yang asked glumly.

"F-fine… did… did you?" Ruby asked gently, running her fingers through a seemingly endless waterfall of silky soft, golden strands. Yang prided herself in her hair, and Ruby couldn't really blame her for pouring so much effort into its maintenance given how glorious it always felt…

"S'alright…" Yang responded in a low huff, hands in her lap, the both of them using their lowered position to get a spot of isolation amidst the herd of well-toned legs that strode towards the door. "... Look, Rubes, I dunno if I'll apologize to the b- to that girl, but I'm sorry I embarrassed you…" Yang sighed thickly, and went soft with relaxation when a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"I-I was just worried…" Ruby buried her face into her sister's hair, taking a moment to inhale the lingering scent of shampoo along with Yang's familiar, comforting bouquet. Anybody else would have been left with a broken nose for the attempt, but Ruby was rewarded with gentle fingers scratching her scalp, dragging a brief coo out of her. "I-it's our f-first day… l-let's make a good impression. W-we can talk a-about this later."

The tension between them deflated a little, and Yang showed her renewed vigor by throwing an arm around Ruby's neck, then dragging her into a peeved headlock. "You little rat!" Yang giggled as her little sister squirmed and struggled, and Yang's voice softened with her grip. "I only want what's best for you, so don't let some rich girl push you around, okay?"

"I-I won't! A-air please!" Ruby squeaked. With a laugh, Yang let her go, and the two joined the tail end of the crowd of migrating initiates. Ruby was so glad that Yang was not the sort to hold a grudge, it would have made the rest of the day painfully awkward if they couldn't make up, but they weren't out of the woods yet. She just had to think of a way to keep lightening the mood, or Yang would fall back into melancholy again.

"So…" Yang began by her side as they walked down the long, tall hallways of Beacon Academy, the morning light filtering through the open windows brightly enough to leave the still-tired students rubbing their eyes in irritation, "Have any good dreams?" Yang asked. Yang didn't remember her dreams often, but Ruby did, and Ruby lived a very vivid life in her subconscious…

"N-not really…" Ruby admitted with a little sigh. Her mind churned a moment, finally latching onto something that would help further improve Yang's mood, and needed to be said anyway. She cleared her throat as her fingers twined shyly behind her back. "Th-though… I, uh… I did kinda meet a girl last night who made m-me realize I l-like other girls." Ruby shrugged her shoulders, even as she felt her normally impulsive sister's mind completely freeze in lack of comprehension, even as she moved forward with the crowd. Okay… seeing Yang's face made it worth throwing _that_ grenade into the room.

"... _What?!"_ Yang said in a low shriek, her eyes sparkling as they fixated on her sister in awe and fascination. Ruby considered the mission a great success as her blush deepened and she steepled her fingers, remembering the dark-haired beauty from the night before with an open and honest embarrassment. Before Yang could demand the details–from every thought in Ruby's head to every inch of sloping curve the girl in question had–Goodwitch's voice rang out.

"Get to your lockers immediately! You have two and a half hours before your initiation begins! The longer you wait, the less time you'll have to prepare and dine! Quickly now! _Move!"_ Goodwitch's voice made the crowd's energy turn to panic as they quickly grabbed their scrolls to check numbers and places.

Yang shot Ruby one last look of curious yearning, then stuck her bottom lip out. "We are _so_ talking about this over breakfast." She stated plainly, leaving Ruby blushing hotter.

"O-okay…" Ruby said with a sigh of resignation, but then a tiny grin as Yang quickly snuggled her side before shooting off to find her locker. Ruby moved with the crowd to try and find hers.

"Initiation will be taking place in the Emerald Forest." Professor Goodwitch began a slow march down the middle of the first years' locker room roughly thirty minutes later, her green eyes moving sharply from left to right as she addressed the entrants. "This exercise will determine who will be your partner for the next four years at Beacon. It will be comprehensive, demanding all your fighting and survival knowledge accumulated thus far. You will be entering the target area eight at a time in five-minute intervals. Your start-time should be in your email, accessible through your Beacon student profile via your scrolls; Professor Ozpin will provide final instructions at the start of the test. In the meantime, you will have two hours to prepare. I expect no rough-housing, no bets to be placed, and furthermore, _no electronics are to be taken into the Emerald Forest."_ Professor Goodwitch turned, her eyes examining every student, each of whom stood at perfect attention as they waited. "While it is true that hunters will often make use of the best technology possible, it is the hunter's job to make the best of _any_ situation. So today there will be no scrolls, no tracking devices, no scouting equipment, or any form of electronic assistance." She looked over the gathering of students, then inclined her head. "You may open your lockers and begin your preparations now. Good luck to you all."

Each of the students turned around to punch in the codes given to them for their assigned lockers. The entire room echoed with the sound of locks retracting and the squeals of metal doors opening as Goodwitch exited, and excited talking began to stir from every part of the room as soon as the clicking of her heels had vanished down the hall.

Ruby carefully read the passcode on her scroll and tapped each button with attentive precision. The locker popped open to show her renewed huntress outfit on a plain wire hanger, and Ruby made a tiny, relieved noise; she could finally change out of the ugly pajamas she'd been given. She admired her dress for a few seconds, especially the spotless boots, and found her clothing bag resting on the shelf just above it. Now she just had to get her unmentionables and make it to a changing room before they got too crowded, but her eyes were drawn past her dress and she put her planning on hold.

She lifted her dress, the hook of the hanger dangling off one finger to let the clothing spill down her back, to take a better look at her pride and joy; her free hand touched the folded, red metal compact sniper scythe fondly, her eyes glimmering behind tinted lenses as she felt the smooth hide and angular edges. She was finally going to get to use Crescent Rose for real, for _real_ -y real. Not in some practice ring, or in a fabricated battlezone simulation, nor against another hunter in a rigidly controlled spar… Nor would it be against one of her slip-ups. She breathed a sigh of relief, giving an almost naughty smile as she draped her costume over the bench, and took ahold of Crescent Rose to cradle it in her arms. She examined the rifle carefully, looking for any imperfections that weren't there before, and listened in case she heard any rattling within, but the luggage handlers had done their job properly. Ruby couldn't help but beam to herself, all this training would _finally_ pay off.

"You should be careful." A gentle voice told her, jerking her out of her thoughts. Ruby quickly looked up at the tall boy next to her, and a hot blush filled her face. He was shirtless, pale abs and strong arms easily visible, but he slid on an emerald colored tailcoat that fit him like a glove, keeping his physique on display while downplaying the handsome lining of muscle he bore. He looked good, as if he was about to have a fancy dinner rather than go on a Grimm-slaughtering spree. His facial-structure pinned him as Mistralian, and he certainly had the calm, unflappable attitude that was stereotypical of their warriors.

He pulled most of his black hair back, letting the front remain wild, but tied the rest into a ponytail that hung low on the back of his scalp. He had some of the prettiest pink eyes Ruby had ever seen, and judging by the lack of lines across his face, he didn't emote often. His gaze dipped towards Crescent Rose's rifle-barrel, which was pointed right at him. "Oh!" Ruby adjusted her grip on her masterpiece so that it pointed down, and gave the boy an embarrassed blush. "I-I'm s-sorry, I'm _s-so_ sorry, I- I j-just- I just..." She trailed off, the shame thick in her voice.

"It's alright." He assured her, his tone just barely warm enough to convince her he meant it. He reached into his locker and pulled out a pair of green pistols with long, similarly-colored collapsible, underslung blades that he held up before they suddenly disappeared down his sleeves with an untraceable motion of his hands. He paused to consider the amazed Ruby for a few seconds, and she flinched under his neutral gaze, aborting her attempt to study his sleeves. Her shame was all but palpable, and she missed the flicker of worry that crossed his face. Ruby's shameful stewing was interrupted by the presence of an introductory hand, and the boy spoke in a calming tone. "Lie Ren."

Ruby looked to his hand, then back up to him very carefully. His expression was neither positive nor negative, he seemed almost robotic. Ruby idly wondered if this is how new people felt when they tried to read her expression despite her goggles. "R-... Ruby Rose." She was very gentle as she took his hand, and the two shook once, then let go mutually. "S-sorry, I'm-I'm a bit o-of a mess..." Ruby sighed deeply, returning Crescent Rose to her locker.

"What's wrong?" Lie Ren went through the bag in his locker and slid two green ammo clips for his pistols into his pockets. Though he did not look at her, Ruby had the feeling he was paying attention to everything she did.

"Just…" Ruby sighed loudly, listening to the conversations and laughter around her with a nervousness in her gut. "Just m-managing to s-s-sc-screw up my f-f-first d-day really b-bad. I m-mean, I kn-know you d-don't care…" She looked to him. He looked back, but there was no annoyance, he even gestured for her to continue. "Well, I-I mean, i-if you d-don't mind..." He shook his head, even offering her the tiniest of smiles. "I m-made some p-people angry by a-acc-cident. I b-blew a g-girl up th-thanks to a d-dust reaction, I-I might h-have s-said the wr-wrong thing t-to my s-sister, one of the p-professors d-doesn't seem to l-like me… I d-don't know, I-I've m-made a lot of e-enemies, g-got my sister t-to t-talk to me a-again, and _maybe_ t-two friends? O-One nice guy, and a-a girl who l-likes books."

"I see." He nodded and paused, his eyes narrowing a moment, as if he were carefully considering something. Ruby tilted her head she she watched, though it only lasted a moment before his shoulders set ever-so slightly and he gave Ruby a glance she couldn't really read. Ren suddenly leaned back from his locker and looked past Ruby, making a megaphone with one hand to bellow in a voice both louder and more commanding than Ruby would have imagined. " _Nora!"_ He called, and Ruby suspected he yelled that name fairly often. She turned to look down the row of lockers and barely managed to see a pink blur blitz right past her, narrowly missing her nose.

Ruby whipped her head back towards Ren to see a red-headed girl bouncing around him with an expression of absolute delight. "What is it Ren? What is it _what-is-it whatisit?!"_ She was wrapped around him as he shut his locker, and he somehow managed to ignore her grip as he pointed to Ruby with one hand, his other turning the girl's head to follow.

"Nora, this is Ruby. She is having trouble making friends." Ren took a step away from Ruby as soon as Nora untangled herself from him. Ruby managed to make a single, distressed yelp before she was suddenly being hugged by the hyper girl.

"Eee, the poor thing! Oh, don't you worry sweetie, Nora's here to be your friend!" Nora's shining eyes made Ruby heat up. She was a walking smile, with rosy cherubic cheeks, who almost vibrated in joy as she stood in place. Her white top and pink skirt only added to how utterly _sunny_ the young lady was, managing to making Yang seem cool and down-to-earth. Bluish-green eyes quickly took in Ruby's physique, from the top of her head to the medical slippers she clopped around in. "You're cute! I like the goggles but, uh, between you and me?" She leaned in while glancing around for eavesdroppers, "They don't fit the pajama look."

"Oh, u-uh, I-I h-h-have a-an e-eye-c-c-condition-"

"Oh _no!_ Well don't worry about your eyes, as long as you can appreciate the prettier things in life!" Nora bat her eyelids at Ruby with a hungry, heated smile. Ruby turned bright red, making Nora's smile turn into a nearly predatory grin.

"W-wha'...? A-Are y-you," Ruby gulped loudly, barely able to comprehend that Nora was making this face at her and not her sister, "a-are you _f-f-fl-flirting_ with m-me?"

"Pfft, who, me?" Nora shrugged, the expression disappearing so she could feign innocence. "Naaah, I'm not the one who needs a girlfriend!" Nora gave Ruby an obnoxiously blunt wink, making Ruby's blush reach her neck and shoulders.

" _Regular_ friend, Nora." Ren corrected.

"Nuh uh, I know this feeling in my heart! _Somebody_ needs _loo~oove!"_ Nora sang, pulling Ruby into a warm hug. Ruby didn't know it was possible to feel even hotter than she already did.

" _I don't need love!"_ Ruby protested, but Nora hugged her head, nestling it into her bust while patting her back and shushing her. Ruby's felt sweat getting trapped underneath her goggles, and Nora leaned down to whisper into Ruby's ear.

"Are you sure, _girlfriend?"_ She purred, trailing her fingers down Ruby's spine, and biting down a laugh at the way the smaller girl went ramrod straight.

" _W-We're not g-girlfriends!"_ Ruby's shriek was muffled by Nora's chest, and she squirmed and wiggled her way free, nearly falling onto her butt as Nora grinned brightly. "Wh- I-I m-mean- n-no offense y-you s-seem _perfectly_ n-nice b-but I am _s-so_ n-not on th-the m-market h-heck I'm n-not even _in_ th-the m-market or r-really g-g-going _through_ the m-market b-but l-like m-maybe a li'l w-w-window-sh-shopping h-here and th-there b-but-" Ruby stopped when Ren rested a hand on her head and gave her a calm smile.

"She's just teasing you, Ruby." He assured her, then nodded to Nora as he walked towards the exit. Ruby stared after him, her cheeks still a rosy hue, then stood rigid as Nora slid against her side, her lips nearly touching her ear.

"Of course…" Nora cooed, brushing against Ruby slowly before following Ren. She shot Ruby one more gleeful look, firing a pair of finger guns and a confident click of her tongue at her. "Just lemme know if you need some ' _warming up'_ before the test~!" Nora shook her heart-shaped rump playfully before hustling to catch up with her friend.

Ruby stood in place, watching after them with a big batch of weird, icky, warm, unnameable feelings. She shook her head, rubbed at her cheeks to regain her focus, and grabbed her dress. With a stiff gait, and a troubling blush, Ruby made her way to the dressing rooms.

* * *

The cafeteria was lively, to say the least. Ruby had a tray covered with waffles, fruit, and chocolate milk in her hands as she stepped out of the line of ravenous first-year students. The tables were filling up quickly, and Ruby regretted taking so long to actually get into her uniform; she hadn't realized just how obnoxious lacing up a corset by yourself _was._

She felt another pang of loneliness… whenever she'd wanted to put on her new hunter outfit–which had been nearly every day since they'd bought it–she would hold her new clothes up to Yang with a smile that stretched from cheek to cheek, wordless with excitement as her older sister would giggle, and get to work tying Ruby up before she could race to a mirror to ' _ooh'_ and ' _aah'_ over herself. She had an identity, something that hadn't meant much to Ruby until she saw herself in the mirror.

She internally gushed over her new look every time she spied herself in a mirror; from the big black boots with the red laces, to the red cloak that swept behind her, Ruby felt a squeal bubble up within her every single time the wind swept her clothes just the right way. She looked… _cool._ She looked _badass._ She looked _girly._ She even had a big belt of pouches so it was _practical!_ Even better, it was _all hers._ Ruby secretively scoped out crowds of students ever since they'd arrived at the airdock in Vale, hoping beyond hope that she was one-of-a-kind, and standing in the cafeteria, Ruby didn't see anybody who quite matched her style.

That excited her more; her whole life she'd wanted to be a huntress, to stand in the crowd of helpers and heroes, but to also stand out among them! Not just because of her weapon, or her… powers… but her look, too! She suddenly wanted an action figure of herself, to see herself in her prime, in her best look, something to sit on her shelf with the rest of her Hunters and Heroes action figure line-up…

But… it wouldn't have been complete if there wasn't an all-too-familiar blonde mane hamming it up behind her. Things didn't feel complete without Yang by her side, and Ruby was fairly sure she'd done her corset up wrong, but she couldn't find her sister in the undulating sprawl of students...

Yang had disappeared in the locker rooms, and Ruby was half sure she'd found some girl to flirt with in a corner somewhere. It was so typical of her older sister, but it also left Ruby feeling horribly claustrophobic, surrounded by strangers… She wanted to find Yang, and hope that they were still 'cool', and maybe make sure her clothes were appropriately fitting. Presently, Ruby scanned the crowds of people for that brilliant blonde hair as her feet picked a slow path towards some tables that weren't overflowing with students. She caught a flash of yellow between the crowd parting ahead of her and Ruby ran over, stopping short when a different shade of blonde caught her eye.

"- shellfish was a mistake, but a good surf and turf restaurant has to have a nice steak too, right?" Jaune asked a dreadfully familiar white haired girl. Weiss was giving him a look that was silently begging him to leave or die, whichever got rid of him faster. Ruby felt a moment of relief go through her as she saw the girl's white dress and white heels hadn't been destroyed.

Ruby silently admired her style, and wondered how she'd look in the same jacket done in black, but dreaded the thought of approaching her to ask where she'd gotten it. A thought ran through her head, a possible way to make up for her mistakes. She walked up behind Jaune and, delicately, cleared her throat to make herself known.

"Sorry, _still_ not interested." Weiss all but growled, rolling her eyes and letting them slide past Jaune's defeated expression. "Now, I'm trying to have a conversation with my new-" her eyes locked onto Ruby's goggles, and Ruby froze as Weiss' tone fell icily, "- friend. What do _you_ want?" The way Weiss had said ' _you'_ made Ruby feel like a piece of used gum on the sidewalk...

Ruby felt rooted in place by that accusing look, and she wanted nothing more than to tuck her tail between her legs and flee home. She broke the harsh staredown by glancing a different direction, her purpose forgotten and breakfast nearly slipping from her fingers as she trembled. Jaune blinked at Weiss' change in focus and turned to look at Ruby, offering her a defeated smile. "Hey Ruby. You wishing we were still asleep, too?"

"H-hi Jaune." Ruby whimpered, keeping her eyes on Weiss. For a moment, crawling back onto her sleeping bag did seem like a great idea. She very poorly soothed her heart with trumped up hopes of heroism and promises of rewarded effort as she shakily approached the table and reached into her belt pouch. She held the lien card out to Weiss with shaking fingers. "Um, I-I w-wanted to return th-this."

Weiss's expression didn't grow any softer. If anything, she looked _more_ offended, as if a storm were brewing inside those icy eyes. "Why?" Her tone nearly echoed with barely concealed anger.

Ruby frowned, dipping her chin towards her chest like a scolded child. "Th-the cleaning h-here was f-free, r-right? That m-means you never o-owed me any m-money." She insisted, keeping her hand outstretched.

Weiss took the card unceremoniously, examining it with her scroll, then put on an insulted scowl. "It's rather _uncouth_ to return a paid debt." Her eyes moved up and down Ruby's frame, taking in the details of her clothing she had not had time to absorb the previous day. She remained unimpressed. "Judging by the scraps you and your _big_ sister wear, you could use whatever welfare falls into your lap, not that I'm inclined to return it now that you've decided my help was 'unowed.'"

Ruby felt her jaw tighten at the mention of Yang, a bundle of shame and affection welling up. On second though, the coat wasn't THAT cute. "We _don't_ n-need it. I w-wanted to _thank_ you for t-trying to help, but you can k-keep your _charity_." Ruby spoke very slowly, her syllables carrying an extra bite as she fought her own growing contempt.

"Err, look." Jaune held a hand out, resting it on Ruby's stiff shoulder. Ruby didn't look at Jaune, her eyes focused solely on Weiss, who was likewise focused completely on her. "It's no big deal, it was nobody's fault. You both got your clothes back, Weiss got her money back, everything's settled now, there's nothing to fight over."

" _Nothing?"_ Weiss asked, lips peeled back in a small snarl that showed off perfect white teeth, her eyes so narrow that they were little more than arctic-blue slits. "After that little spat with your _big_ sister last night, I could hear people _laughing_ at us. At _me_." Weiss slammed her fists onto the table, turning red from humiliation. "Your precious bimbo made us both look like fools in front of the entire school. What, is she your attack dog? I am _Weiss Schnee,_ I _define_ class and finery!" With clenched fists and teeth, Weiss shook in place as she simmered about the potential damage to her image. "Not that I can _imagine_ what a thoughtless hussy like _her_ would understand how vital a real reputation can be, I can only imagine how little that skank would charge on the street corner for-"

" _Shut up."_ Ruby demanded. Jaune flinched away from her as Weiss winced, swallowing whatever she was about to say. Ruby's tone had dropped considerably, and it took every ounce of her control to carefully put her tray on the table and put a finger directly between Weiss's eyes, all while ignoring the roiling beasts in the back of her mind, and the inky darkness swirling in the shadows at her feet. "She w-was trying to protect me, and maybe sh-she went overboard, but I think I'm starting to get w-why she didn't like you!" Ruby didn't hear her own voice, the fury and admonishment in each word, but she saw Weiss's slackened face and defensive hands. Ruby leaned closer, her teeth clicking occasionally as she spoke in clipped fragments. "Do _not._ Talk about her. _That way._ I'm…" Ruby took a shuddering breath and straightened. She gulped loudly, and her voice shrunk as she reeled back her anger, feeling a small pit of regret forming in its place, "I'm s-sorry i-if she h-hurt you, or e-em-embarrassed y-you or… w-whatever it is you f-feel cranky about, b-but you h-haven't been the n-nicest person. Sh-she'd s-say you d-deserved it… and I-I th-think maybe sh-she's right." It was the worst Ruby could bring herself to say about Weiss, and was the harshest criticism she'd ever laid on anyone. She suddenly felt flushed with embarrassment at her outburst. She picked up her tray and hung her head, shaken and exhausted from the confrontation. "I'ma g-go s-sit somew-where else..." She mumbled softly, earning a concerned frown from Jaune.

Weiss didn't respond, but a completely different voice spoke up. "Actually, maybe you should stay?"

Ruby glanced up sharply at the voice. She looked to Jaune, as if accusing him of tricking her, but he took a step back to reveal the girl that was hidden behind him. Glorious, autumn hued hair in a high ponytail, with a golden tiara that Ruby faintly recognized. Her shoulders were exposed, and she showed a generous amount of her cleavage thanks to a tight, extraordinarily supportive leather corset, but most striking were her incredibly friendly green eyes, and a very gentle smile as she poked at her fruit bowl with a fork. Ruby tensed up as her embarrassment rose to new heights. "O-oh m-my goodness, I-I-I'm sorry I-I d-didn't r-realize y-you were h-here! I-I-I'm s-sorry you h-had to h-hear a-a-all th-that, I-I j-just- I was s-so c-c-caught up a-and I-I d-didn't know-"

The girl chuckled musically, silencing Ruby and putting her at ease at the same time; Ruby decided she liked the girl immediately. "I am not offended. However, it seems you and Weiss are having..." she gave an awkward smile, " _difficulties_ moving past the… incident." She smothered a smile when Ruby fidgeted in place and Weiss huffed. "Please, won't you join us? Perhaps you two can work through this with the help of some friendly company?" She offered gently.

Ruby looked to Weiss, who stared back. Ruby felt a mixture of optimistic hope and realistic disgust towards the cold girl. Jaune slapped a hand onto her shoulder while beaming, knocking Ruby out of her moody stare. "Yeah, that's a good idea! Let's all sit down and try to be friends." He kept an encouraging tone, and flashed the new girl a warm smile, making her brighten.

After an awkward moment of silent internal debate, Weiss sniffed and turn her attention back to her own meal, appearing disinterested in moving. Ruby took that as being the closest thing she was going to get to an invitation from her and sat across from Weiss, neither of them looking at the other. Tension filled the air around their section of table, causing other students to completely avoid them as the two girls alternated between glare-staring at one another and pretending their counterpart no longer existed. Jaune sat across from the new girl, sharing the bench with Ruby, while the redhead watched Ruby and Weiss with slowly rising concern. Jaune shot the girl a helpless look and she quirked her eyebrow, silently agreeing that this wasn't going anywhere. "So..." She began, trailing off a moment as she searched for something to say. Ruby, at least, shifted her attention to her at the sound of her voice. "my name is Pyrrha Nikos." Jaune did not look impressed by her ice breaker.

Pieces clicked into alignment inside her head in that instant, and Ruby quickly swallowed a strawberry so she could speak without spraying anyone down. "Oh! The one with the t-tiara! F-from the tournaments!" She stared at the girl's headband with a tinge of visible awe in her expression. Weiss let out a loud sigh and pressed her forehead against her fists.

"I suppose it is quite notable." Pyrrha touched the golden tiara. "Most people seem to recognize me for my chest armor, however." There was a slight, bitter edge to her words that only Weiss reacted to with a slight tightening of her jaw. Jaune risked a glance at Pyrrha and snorted.

"Yeah, I guess I can see why." He popped a strip of bacon into his mouth, eyes focused on Pyrrha's, though he did shoot a few glances down. It was not subtle at all, and Ruby suspected that, unlike Yang, it wasn't intentionally flagrant; however, Pyrrha smiled, making Ruby tilt her head in question. "So, people recognize you?" He asked, making her smile thin.

"Yes, sadly." Both Ruby and Weiss perked at her choice of words, "It would have been much easier to come here if people did not." She gave Jaune a look. Ruby watched her green eyes roam Jaune's face and arms, and she silently wondered if all teenagers were like this. Thinking back on Nora and Yang, as well as her own flabbergasted examination of Blake the night before, Ruby was inclined to think 'yes'...

"So, uh, I don't really have a TV where I'm from, usually my family listened to the radio. Did you star in a movie, or…?" Jaune asked, wiggling a fork at Pyrrha curiously, clueless as could be. She gave Jaune a look of surprise, but Weiss seemed to have finally had enough of politely listening to others have a normal conversation, so she slapped the table loudly enough to make them all jump.

"You _dolt!"_ Weiss glared at Jaune across the table. "This is _Pyrrha Nikos,_ four time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament!" Jaune stared at Weiss, blinking slowly. Weiss twitched. "Graduated top of her class in Sanctum Academy?" Jaune scratched his temple, as if it might jog his memory. "She was the mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes, for Atlas' sake!"

Jaune's jaw suddenly fell, and he stared directly at Pyrrha in a bit of awe. "You were Pumpkin Pete?!" Weiss slammed her forehead into the table. "That's amazing! I used to eat you all the time! Err, your cereal!" Jaune waved his hands, trying to disperse the statement when Ruby and Pyrrha's eyebrows rocketed upwards. "I meant I ate the cereal!"

"I knew what you meant, Jaune!" Pyrrha was laughing behind her hand, which caused Ruby to start giggling. "And I was just the mascot! I hope I don't _look_ like a Pumpkin Pete." Jaune just gave Pyrrha an embarrassed smile as the redhead stroked her taut, smooth belly, and Ruby had upgraded to a hiccuping laugh.

"It's just so cool." Jaune said in genuine impressment, and Pyrrha seemed pleased with the rather mundane praise. "So, uh, four time champ of Mistral? That's really good, right?"

"The Mistral Regional Tournament, and I do not mean to brag, but it was apparently a new record." Pyrrha said calmly, shrugging one shoulder as she kept her eyes on her breakfast. Jaune worked his jaw for a moment and glanced at Ruby, who nodded that she'd heard the same before. Jaune turned back to Pyrrha, who continued to play with her food.

"So that must mean you're super good, right?" Jaune chewed at the end of one slice of bacon in an overly casual fashion. Ruby noted that Pyrrha's eyes didn't lift from her meal as she answered.

"I suppose, yes." Her voice was calm and quiet, reminding Ruby of Ren but… sadder.

"How in the _world_ can you not know?" Weiss asked as her brow crinkled, diverting all attention to her. "Most people are lucky to get a streak of _two._ Mistral's hunter-v-hunter tournament scene is one of the most _demanding_ spectator sports in all of Remnant. Even the junior division is absolutely cutthroat, and hunters of all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds join from across the world. There are countless betting pools, speculators, advisors, and entire bureaucracies, careers, and fortunes made based around the Mistral Regional Tournament, and _that's_ not even counting the actual competitors!" Weiss motioned at Pyrrha dramatically. "She didn't win the junior division four times in a row, she won the _tournament,_ against gladiators with decades more experience!"

Weiss stared Jaune down while Pyrrha quietly nodded. "Yeah?" Jaune asked, looking slightly overwhelmed by all the information. He examined Pyrrha, who was avoiding his gaze, her previous good cheer burning away like a thin morning fog. He squared his shoulders a bit, then lifted an arm and flexed. Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby all stared at him, though he focused his audacious smirk on Pyrrha. "Well, _you_ are looking at the record setter for most turnips picked in one day on my folk's' farm!" He swelled his chest with pride, as if it could somehow compare with Pyrrha's achievement.

Pyrrha's eyebrows rose in surprise as Jaune pat his bicep affectionately. She looked to Ruby, who shrugged, then back to Jaune with a little grin tugging at her lips. "Really now?" She drawled in amusement, making Ruby snicker.

"Yup, two hundred and seventy-two! That's right, I helped the family around the ol' farm when I'm not out, uh, defending the homestead… o-or training! It's more than twice as many as my dad." Jaune winked audaciously, and Pyrrha was unable to stop herself from letting out an amused giggle. Weiss felt her left eye twitch as Ruby and Pyrrha failed to smother their mirth.

"You-" Weiss stared at Jaune with wide-eyed disbelief, "You aren't comparing turnip picking to winning _the_ biggest tournament Remnant, _are you?"_ Weiss demanded of Jaune furiously, who shrugged in response.

"Hey, I'm not saying she didn't deserve it, but you get sore after about the hundredth turnip! We've both done some purr-retty incredible things I'd say." Jaune bobbed his head proudly, crossing his arms across his armored chest. Weiss stared at him, wordlessly from shock. "Yep, I think team Jaune could use a girl like you." Jaune gave Pyrrha the cheesiest smile he had. She returned a warm, pleased smile, and Ruby covered her mouth to suppress a happy squeak at Jaune's successful efforts to cheer their new friend up. Jaune gave Weiss a confident smile. "So Pyrrha and I are on board, how about you, Weiss? You don't just get her, but me too. I'm _great_ at foot massages."

The color of Weiss's face drained, and though she did her best to hide it, she gagged loudly and shuddered at his leering. "Ahem." Weiss stood, lifting her tray of half-eaten toast and bananas while focusing solely on Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, it was a pleasure to meet you, we should try and partner up during the test." It was the most positive contribution to the conversation Weiss had offered since Ruby had sat down. It was almost pleasant, if not for the withering look she flashed at Ruby and Jaune.

Pyrrha politely bowed her head at Weiss, though Ruby was fairly certain her tone was less warm than when speaking to herself or Jaune. "I plan to let the chips land where they may, Weiss. Are you leaving already?"

Weiss looked to Jaune, then to Ruby. Her gaze lingered, and Ruby felt cornered as Weiss spoke icily. "Yes. When we have better informed company, we can have a more constructive conversation. Goodbye." Weiss walked away. Ruby watched her leave with an overwhelming sense of relief, but Jaune reached out feebly.

"Hey, we'll see you later right?!" He called, but if she had heard him she pretended otherwise, and pointedly kept an aggressive stride away from them. He sighed loudly, picking at his breakfast as he dreamily watched her strut.

Weiss turned left at the end of the row of tables, and immediately whipped around to go right instead as a familiar figure sashayed her way down the aborted path. Heads turned and conversations slowed as Yang, in her revealing hunter's outfit, walked with a gorgeous confidence and a little sway in her hips that ensured neither man nor woman could resist staring.

A confusing twinge of worry and relief passed through Ruby's tummy as her older sister stopped at their table, setting a tray with a bowl full of grits and a small pile of bacon right by Pyrrha. The redhead was staring up at Yang with an expression of disbelief and curiosity as Yang slid into the open seat. "Hi." Yang shot Pyrrha a favorable, flirtatious smile, and the latter couldn't help but work up a nervous grin and a small blush.

"Hello. My name is Pyrrha Nikos." She said almost robotically as Yang's eyes sensually slid up and down Pyrrha's sitting form in a decidedly non-chaste way. Her gaze lingered below Pyrrha's chin noticeably longer than Jaune's had, and Pyrrha's ears began to turn red.

"I thought so," Yang purred, making goosebumps sprout all over Pyrrha's arms, "I heard rumors about you coming to Beacon." Yang put on a very fake pout. "I was hoping to take the top spot this year and be even _more_ popular and awe-inspiring, but I guess that's gunna be impossible." Yang scooted, narrowing the gap between herself and an increasingly tense Pyrrha. She flashed the redhead a winning grin. "Still, I guess it's not _all_ bad. Got room on your friends list for me?" Yang almost purred as she ran a finger in a slow circle on the table between them.

Pyrrha seemed somewhere between befuddled and flattered as Yang grinned at her. Ruby puffed up her cheeks and slung an orange slice at Yang's cheek, making the older girl's smile turn plastic. "Yang, she t-told you her name. Quit _flirting_ a-and tell her y-yours!"

Yang smacked her hands on the table and gave Ruby the stink eye. "Ruby! What did I tell you about first impressions?!" Yang huffed at her younger sister, deflecting an apple slice with a casual backhand.

"I was here first, s-so stop trying to g-get into her pants while we're talking!" Ruby accused, and Yang gasped loudly. Jaune made a choking noise and had to wash down his scrambled eggs with a few chugs of orange juice.

" _Ruby!_ Where do you get these ideas?" Yang snapped, her sultry facade ruined. Pyrrha tried to hide a nervous smile as she inched away from Yang, and Jaune examined the two girls with the most fascinated look on his face. "I'm just trying to make friends with a world-class gladiator and huntress!"

"She's also Pumpkin Pete!" Jaune managed through a mouthful of corn flakes. Ruby and Pyrrha both gave him a slightly betrayed look, but it was worth it to see Yang perk up and to drag this all out a bit longer!

Yang turned back towards Pyrrha, and her face lit up in recognition. "Holy crap you are! I used to eat you _all the time."_ Yang wiggled her eyebrows, though unlike Jaune, Ruby was sure this was on purpose.

"Yang, I appreciate the attempt, but I am heterosexual." Pyrrha squirmed in silent discomfort. She _did_ seem genuinely flattered as Yang dropped her spoon, eyes wide.

"W-well of course you are!" She forced out a rusty excuse for a chuckle. "I'm just- it's a joke! Right Ruby?" Yang looked to Ruby with a big, goofy grin. Ruby raised her eyebrows wordlessly. Yang reached over and tugged Ruby's collar, leaning across the table, giving Jaune a breathtaking view, her voice a low hiss of a whisper. " _Please_ laugh?"

"Jaune already m-made that joke though! W-where else can you go with it?" Ruby whispered back with a frown. Yang grit her teeth, looking sideways at the staring Pyrrha. "Oh!" Ruby suddenly perked up. "Y-you used to eat it with milk all the time. Maybe s-something about making her _w-wet?"_ It was the first time in days that Ruby got to feel genuinely smug, she could see why Yang liked it so much.

Yang stared silently at Ruby, aghast, as Pyrrha's face turned bright red, hands over her mouth as Jaune looked into his glass of orange juice and began to sweat, hoping to avoid eye-contact with the rest of the girls on the off-chance they could see the dozen and a half dirty things that ran through his mind. " _RUBY!"_ Yang gasped. She let Ruby's collar go in shock, causing the younger girl to plop back into her chair with a tiny squeak. After a few, long seconds of silence, Yang put her hand on Ruby's head and rubbed affectionately. She cracked a small smirk. "Maybe I _am_ rubbing off on you. Dad'll be pissed."

The two sisters began to giggle, and that giggle grew into a charming pair of laughs. Ruby laid her head against the table as she quivered and guffawed, while Yang held her belly and threw back her head for a loud, warm cackle. Pyrrha just stared, not sure what was happening before Ruby lifted her head and caught her breath. "Yang?" She said, suddenly serious. Yang stifled her giggling to focus. "Y-you really need to stop w-while you're ahead…"

Yang's smile stayed for a few seconds, then, in the blink of an eye, it turned into a dark, amused smile that stopped Ruby's mind in an instant; oh boy… she was in a helluva lot of trouble… "Then we're probably in the wrong company to ask about your sudden bout of lesbianism?" Yang smiled with all her teeth, and Ruby felt all the color, as well as feeling, drain from every inch of her body before it was replaced with white-hot embarrassment. "'Cuz, y'know, it means you got no chance with Pyrrha ei-"

A shrill scream erupted from Ruby's mouth, and she flew over the table to clamp both hands over Yang's mouth. Ruby could feel her sister _shaking_ with laughter… " _N-NOT IN F-FRONT OF MY N-NEW FRIENDS! I-I'M NOT INTERESTED I-IN PYRRHA!"_ She shot a quick, red-faced look towards the extraordinarily surprised redhead, who didn't seem to know whether to smile or flee. "Y-you are v-very lovely b-but we only j-just met s-so-"

Yang pulled Ruby's arms open, letting her letting sister go off balance and pitch forward to slam face-first into her pillow-soft chest. Ruby struggled and kicked for both balance and air as Yang gave her little sister a wolfish smile. "What, and you knew the chick that sparked your interest your whole life? You coulda introduced us if that was the case, if you're holding out on the hotties-" Yang's next word was cut short as Ruby bucked, headbutting the bottom of Yang's chin. The dazed blonde saw stars for a moment, then pitched backwards off of her seat to hit the floor with a ' _thud',_ while Ruby hung over the table, emitting heavy pants.

"Is she okay?!" Jaune stood abruptly, staring at Yang's prone form in shock and worry. Pyrrha glanced between the three of them in utter horror, but Ruby simply deflated with a loud sigh.

"Sh-she's fine… right Yang?" Ruby asked in a mostly relaxed tone. On cue, Yang thrust a fist into the air, giving the table a thumbs up. "J-just fine…"

Yang sat up, stroking her chin, rolling it a few times, and apparently found some fault since her golden aura sprang up without a word, letting her jaw heal as she climbed into her seat and tossed Ruby back into hers with a quick shove. "I've taken more than a few pops to the chin. I'd say only _most_ of them were deserved…" Yang sat, and as if nothing happened, dug into her meal as their table companions' color began to return, and panic turned to confusion.

"More th-than a li'l deserved…" Ruby snorted, taking a syrupy bite of her waffles.

"Now, back to the topic at hand," Yang stated plainly, fixating her gaze on Ruby with lilac intensity, "tell me about your insane girl lust."

" _YANG!"_ Ruby shot up straight, giving the most offended pout she had on reserve as Yang simply smiled. "Y-you're such- u-unbelieva- I-" Ruby fumbled for words for a few seconds, then her expression and shoulders fell flat, and she uttered one word: " _Bitch."_

Yang actually snorted out loud, barely able to keep herself from spitting out a mouthful of grits. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes, and she was turning a weird shade of red as she had to suck the grits now lodged in her sinuses out, and once she came to, she laughed; hearty, happy, shocked and amused, Yang laughed into her palm as Ruby kicked her shin. "R-Ruby!" Yang squeaked, " _Language!"_ She admonished without much gravitas.

Ruby continued to just look grouchy and glare at her sister from behind her goggles, and something… odd happened. A tiny, almost squeak-like laugh caught their attention, since it hadn't come from either of them. The girls straightened up, looking to their table companions. Jaune had his arms around his chest, and was shivering as he fought with all his power to keep a growing smile from turning into a laugh. A second squeak made the two look right at Pyrrha, who was biting into her knuckle and softly banging the table with her other hand to keep herself from giggling out loud. The Xiao Long girls both blinked as, as one, Jaune and Pyrrha both failed to contain their amusement, and shook with laughter as the sisters simply grinned, if only in embarrassment.

It drew odd looks from all over the cafeteria, but nobody made a stink about it, so the girls let their companions get it all out. By the time Ruby finished her waffles and milk, Jaune and Pyrrha were both wheezing for air. When the two were quieted down and nursing aching ribs, Ruby softly piped up, "Her n-name was Blake." She spoke the name with a bit of reverence that made Yang's clinking silverware stop.

"Kind of a boy's name, ain't it? There are some really chick-like dudes running around out there, you sure it wasn't a boy?" Yang asked, her smile sloppy with mirth as Ruby huffed.

"I-I've never s-seen a boy with D's…" Ruby mumbled.

"Hah! Fine, _continue~."_ Yang ordered, watching Ruby curiously.

"She was k-kinda dark… I-I mean her hair was, h-her skin was pale, a-and r-really smooth, and her f-face was sharp. Eyes like gold, hair l-like a black curtain, and l-legs that ran on and on _and on…"_ Ruby sighed deeply at the memory, planting her cheek into one hand as she stared dreamily off into space. Yang blinked twice before coming up with a response.

"Wow, I sorta thought you were kidding. She sounds like good stuff." Yang winked, her smile showing a more genuine pleasure at her sister's self-discovery, and Ruby nodded slowly.

"You make it sound quite romantic, Ruby." Pyrrha stated shyly, her ears reddened the flowery description.

"Oh, yeah, Ruby reads a _ton."_ Yang said with a little smile, looking more proud of the fact than anything. "She's edited a few reports for me; ' _stop repeating yourself'_ she'd say…"

"It makes you l-look dumb, and you a-are _not_ dumb." Ruby huffed, drawing a little wink from her older sister.

"Man, I wish my sisters were that nice to me." Jaune grumbled between bites of his breakfast, and Pyrrha perked up.

"Oh! You two are sisters, I had assumed you were friends! I mean no offense, but you look nothing alike." Pyrrha examined them both curiously, noting they both at least had full, rounded cheeks.

"We had different mothers, but Ruby's mom is _my_ mom too." Yang stated rather calmly. Before they could ask for clarification, Yang glanced up at Jaune, as if he'd suddenly materialized there. "Oh hey, forgot to ask: who the hell're you?" Yang asked, standing to extend a hand.

Proudly, Jaune did the same, and they clasped hands and shooked heartily. "Name's Jaune, Jaune Arc!" Just like he had done to Weiss earlier, and just as Yang had done to Pyrrha, his eyes dipped down to take in Yang's blood-pumping figure, earning an amused quirk of the blonde girl's eyebrow. "And can I just say, miss Yang, that you are an absolutely lovely-"

"Lesbian." Yang supplied with a quick point.

"-lady that is _not_ my type!" Jaune added with a quick, decisive bob of his head, like he'd planned it all along. That, however, only drew a bigger smirk from Yang.

"What, blonde hair and big tits aren't your thing?" She asked, with an indulgent little hop that animated her chest in a most fascinating way. Jaune let out a hacking cough, taking his hand back to cover his mouth while he stared at the ceiling.

"I-it's not that! Y-your boobs are great! Amazing even!" Jaune corrected in a quick panic, all while Pyrrha and Ruby silently shared a sympathetic look. Yang's smirk turned vicious.

"I dunno man, you just said that _I'm_ not your type." Yang's cheeky grin flustered Jaune further as he muttered and babbled foolishly.

"N-not what I meant! I-I like boobs, b-but like I'm not _your_ type, so I just don't wanna make things weird-"

"Too late, dude, you basically just admitted you hate boobs." Yang wiggled her eyebrows, clearly knowing what she was doing as Jaune's blush grew brighter.

"I do _not!_ Boobs are great!" Jaune threw his arms out, and a little giggle came from the surrounding girls. "What?! She started it! So what?! I'm a guy who likes boobs! Most guys like boobs! My older sister told me most girls like boobs too!" He flapped his arms like a stubborn bird, and Ruby pursed her lips in thought.

"I-I've been kinda overexposed a-all my life." The little sister admitted, earning a helpless shrug from Yang.

"I think they're okay." Pyrrha admitted with a teensy blush, side-eyeing Yang's rack curiously, but for no more than a few seconds. "Though I found myself growing tired of my agency's demands for more and more exposing clothing; if I wasn't already so well known for this look, I would have chosen something more practical."

"It's gotta o-offer s-some good m-mobility though." Ruby offered up, earning a quiet nod.

"Certainly, I have no issues _moving,_ I just find _their_ constant presence on camera to be…" Pyrrha's smile drooped, and she sighed, "unsatisfactory to what I would like to show the world."

Yang hummed in idle thought. Ruby had watched her sister agonize over her look, and the deciding factor had come down to the amount of skin she showed. Yang was a big fan of pioneer clothing, and between a bomber jacket and a sweeping trench coat, the bomber jacket won out. Yang was not the sort to find dignity in chastity, her good looks drew attention no matter what she wore, and she enjoyed being the center of the spotlight, so showing her cleavage and her toned belly was not so much a priority, but a necessity for the sort of persona she wanted to project.

Ruby didn't know Pyrrha, none of them did, so while Yang collected her thoughts, Jaune simply spoke his mind. "I like it." He said bluntly, drawing a curious eye from the green-eyed beauty. "Not just 'cuz it's showy, but… like, the first thing I thought when _I_ saw it is, 'she's good-looking, strong, _and_ confident.'" Jaune stood up a little to tug the black material under his chest armor out, "I mean, I'm in just a hoodie and jeans under this stuff, it's nothing special. But, you look really unique, and I think that's cool."

"Y-yeah." Ruby piped up, making Pyrrha shrink a little as her embarrassment grew, "And if y-you don't like it, you c-can always change it, r-right? I think it looks great, it reminds m-me of the depictions of Kurei f-from the Hinran."

"The…" Pyrrha looked over at Ruby shyly, "The Mistralian goddess of beauty?"

" _And_ combat and protection." Yang added on with a supportive grin.

"Every picture of her is a-always showing a lot of skin, b-but she was a warrior too. Always c-confident, always in control, none of her stories h-had her captive, or on her knees. It r-reminded me of her." Ruby gave Pyrrha such a genuine smile that the gladiator immediately pinkened, and a shy, pleased smile crossed her face.

"Yeah, see?" Jaune stated with a soft look in his eyes, "You're strong, but you're _also_ beautiful."

The flustered look Pyrrha gave him had Yang drumming Ruby's wrist, making Ruby roll her eyes; as if she wasn't seeing it in _person._ Pyrrha swallowed thickly, squeezing her knees tightly as she nodded at Jaune, and bashfully played with her ponytail. "We…" She whispered quietly, and Yang had moved on to _shaking_ Ruby's wrist, drawing an agitated glare. "We should go to our lockers and get ready!" Pyrrha abruptly stood, her face practically steaming with a blush, her eyes focused on nothing in particular to avoid everyone's looks. "It's almost time!" Pyrrha quivered.

Yang's head lulled back, and Ruby could practically _feel_ her thinking: ' _Prudes...'_ Jaune, however, stood up. "Yeah, you're probably right." He checked his scroll, licked his lips, and nodded. "Alright, initiation! Let's go! Confidence!" He smacked his chest once, the worn steel of his chestplate letting out a muted ring, and stiffly walked towards the door.

Pyrrha stumbled her way after him, and Ruby and Yang both slowly stood, checking the clock. They still had a good forty minutes left… "Ruby," Yang sighed, looking deeply amused, "how the hell did you meet these people?"

She got a small shrug in return, and Ruby wondered much the same.

* * *

It wasn't as if Blake was deliberately trying to spy, of course–she had much better things to do with her time before their test–but with hearing as sharp as hers, it would have taken a lot more concentration to _not_ eavesdrop.

Many of the surrounding students–the vast majority of them human–were carefree and overly eager to prove themselves in today's initiation, but Blake was determined to be careful. Even a moment of overconfidence could have lead to a tragic mistake in the field; it was a tale as old as time, where hubris lowered defenses and clouded the senses, leaving their bearers open to a sudden, fatal strike… or an unfortunate exposure. She ran her fingers through her hair briefly, the motion hiding that she was checking that her bow was still in place and snug.

Blake strove to be conscious of her mindset at all times. Far too many stories she'd read or heard around a campfire had a powerful, likable figure gloating in a potentially dangerous situation, only for a dagger to dig into their back… she would not befall the same fate as so many big brother figures and mentors, and she would not allow herself to be corralled and potentially exposed by the others here.

However, caution could only temper curiosity, and while she could have headed out to scope the testing grounds immediately, she found that she couldn't suppress the urge to study her new favorite new enigma while she could: Ruby Rose, the painfully obvious little pervert who had spent far too long eyeing up Blake's figure, stood out from the other students with such a delightfully unique, deliciously foreboding outfit that Blake could only feel her intrigue increase. Blake leaned against a pillar, skillfully watching between the numerous bodies between herself and the girl she was spying on, letting her mind briefly swirl with half-formed theories on why such a seemingly meek young lady would choose such a bold costume. Ruby would have fit perfectly on the cover of some gloomy dark teen novel, with some awfully poignant name and something like, ' _can she overcome her dark power?'_ as the tagline with that outfit. The only thing that was out of place were the goggles, which did an incredible job of looking completely out of place when contrasted with the rest of Ruby's fashion sense.

By Ruby's side was another treat for the eyes; an utter bombshell of a blonde girl strutted about in an outfit that Blake deduced was hand-picked to steal every eye in every conceivable room. It did quite a good job at that, as numerous teens passed by with their heads pivoting on their shoulders to stare at the curvaceous, smiling young _woman._ If not for Ruby's earlier comment about a sister arguing with the Schnee, Blake would be furiously theorizing about what a brightly-adorned amazon was doing spending time with a wallflower girl in gothic lolita garb...

"Do you have everything?" The older sister asked as she rolled four spare shotgun bandoliers into tight cylinders before putting them in her ammo pouches. Blake's jaw twitched as the crowd parted just long enough for her to see the blonde's hips shimmy to test the security of her loose belt. It didn't fall down, so the blonde left it alone… Blake knew that prejudice was a hypocritical vice for her to indulge in, but she couldn't stop herself from pinning the blonde as the sort of huntress who would try to coast by on her good looks and end up shrieking for help once the battle became a little too stressful. There were far too many news articles and disgruntled trainers complaining about wannabe-hunters wanting to hit the big time without having to actually hit the Grimm, and Blake had every intention of avoiding the blonde... she just _reeked_ of ego and narcissism. A pity, as someone like Ruby could have probably used a stronger role model.

"Um, _clothes."_ Ruby tugged her skirt testingly, "goggles," she tapped the rubber strap around her temple, " _Crescent Rose!"_ She squeaked in precious delight, bouncing on her heels to feel her weapon jostle on her back, "A-and, um, and _ammo."_ She opened her belt pouches, and Blake caught sight of a long, silver cylinder with a sharp point. A sniper, eh? Blake had had Ruby pinned as a sword-user from the get-go. "Oh, and my _rations!"_ Blake straightened up as Ruby dug her hand into a pouch to pull out a palm-sized, chocolate chip cookie. Blake exhaled in quiet amusement, her lips threatening a smile as Ruby openly giggled in delight.

The older sister let out a loud sigh, her head rolling with her eyes no doubt, "Cookies aren't _real food,_ Ruby, that won't keep you going during the test!"

"Sh-shut your d-dirty mouth, _heathen."_ Ruby snapped, drawing another twitching grin from Blake as the girl curled her arms to her chest, cradling the treat as if worried it would hear and become distraught. She was so… _out of place._ She was definitely younger than the normal hunter academy stock, not just in age, but attitude. That could have been a terrible liability if she brought such immaturity onto the battlefield, but she was also… _nice._ She was a nervous ball of energy taking a shot at the big leagues before the rest of her age group, so she was either behind in her training and had some deep connections, or was _vastly_ ahead on it and might be packing a few dangerous secrets under that fetching cape. Either way, she could have had a shitty attitude, wanting to show everyone up, but between her stutter and her meekness, she seemed anything _but._ The way she acted was curiously unexpected, and it made Blake squirm inside to learn more.

However, the next person that appeared _really_ grabbed her attention: Pyrrha Nikos, the premier gladiator of the MRT, its reigning champion four years running, undefeated by even her most experienced opponents… and playfully taunting Ruby with a chocolate granola bar. Blake blinked… conflict with a Schnee, related to an amazon sister, and friends with the reigning champion...? Ruby certainly knew a fascinating array of people.

"We will be under immense pressure to succeed, Ruby, we should take every precaution, including securing reliable nutrition!" Pyrrha said, ignoring the numerous, nervous eyes watching her. She and Yang were both drawing a crowd of curious onlookers, while Ruby's cheeks puffed up in annoyance. The redhead favored her small companion with a smile worthy of a movie poster. "It's _cho~co~late~!"_ Pyrrha sang, and Ruby swiped the bar out of Pyrrha's hand with a grumble, making Pyrrha beam while the blonde cackled in delight.

" _Fiiiine…"_

They were already acting familiar with each other, the blonde big sister even shared a laugh with Nikos while Ruby grumbled and growled to herself. Blake resisted the curious twitch in her ear; the girl she'd met last night was clearly not as normal as she'd assumed. Nervous, yes; bold, yes; more interesting than initially presumed, _definitely…_ one did not just feud with Weiss Schnee and pal around with Pyrrha Nikos without being somebody of phenomenal standing…

… Blake's golden eyes briefly widened, and a feeling of exposure washed over her as she carefully slid between other students to head for the exit. She needed a distraction from the… _possibility_ that she had attracted the attentions of some high-rolling Valean _princess…_ one with a stutter, an anxious disposition, and with an unfamiliar name.

Princess Rose of the Royal Rose family? Mayhaps she was just from an influential trade family, like the Schnees, but considering Blake's prior life of… _investigating_ passing trucks for food and goods, she definitely would have known a trade family by the name of 'Rose.' A political family then? Was there a governor Rose? A president Rose? Blake had listened to enough radio to familiarize herself with the various powerful figures that ran Vale. It wasn't as if Rose was a rare name either, it was a religious name from the Holy Trilogy, there were plenty of families that took 'Rose' as a show of faith. It was equally possible that it was a placeholder name; she wasn't old enough to get a name change, or she had no intention of doing so, but Ruby Rose rolled off the tongue too conveniently…

Blake's mind was running rampant as she tried to figure her out: _who_ was Ruby Rose? _Why_ was she here? _How_ did she know these girls? Blake had no answers, but she _had_ found herself on the dirt path indicated by her email's directions to the initiation meeting spot.

Blah blah blah, don't stray off the path, be wary of Grimm, no electronics… … Blake quietly slid her scroll into a hidden compartment in her black vest, making a note to toss it if there was to be an initial examination.

"- losing it means we might lose each other." She heard softly, in the distance, through the near impenetrable line of trees soldiering each side of the pathway. The voice was male, calm, consoling, and Blake quickly glanced over her shoulder. Nobody was behind her… so her ribbon twitched, turning towards where she'd heard the voice.

"I know _I know!_ I'm sorry, I thought I'd put it- _hrrrrgh!"_ Blake tilted her head at the much more aggressive, feminine voice. With a twitch of her chin, she slipped into the forest. It was none of her business, but she had to know who and _why_ such an odd conversation was being had in the woods.

It wasn't in her best interest to be nosey, but instinct and curiosity were a _bitch…_ She slid up a tree with hardly a break in momentum, carefully treading across thick, low-hanging branches with such precision that she hardly disturbed a leaf.

"Nora…" The male voice sounded tired as he said the name, with a little too much familiarity in his tone to be normal. Blake quietly spied down on a young, Mistralian boy and his orange-haired companion. "Ridiculous girl." The boy spoke, a hint of fondness in his voice.

" _What?!"_ Nora demanded, glaring up at the boy's face. Blake wondered how she did that without getting distracted by that _bright_ pink stripe in his hair… "Look, I know I screwed up, Ren, we'll just have to-" His finger touched her lips, silencing her immediately. Up above, the intrusive catgirl's head tilting at the overly familiar action. The redhead squeaked as the boy's fingers dipped into the heart shaped cleavage window she bore, her face turning red as they slid in deep…

… Either a boy who didn't know his boundaries, or they were a couple…

His fingers slid out, holding a pair of tiny, round black objects that Blake immediately identified as tactical communicators… oooh, she happened across a pair of _cheaters~._ She kept her breathing soft as the girl just looked embarrassed. "Well- I mean…! Nobody would find 'em _there!"_ Nora insisted as Ren sighed.

"Please try and remember it while we're taking our test." The boy ordered. He tugged his lip out to place one communicator far back into his mouth, probably nestled between his molar and cheek wall, while the other ended up in Nora's hand, then instantly back in her cleavage. "You won't lose it this time?" He asked, his tone almost tinged with amusement.

"Now that I know where it _is…"_ Nora grinned, batting her eyelashes teasingly. Blake bit down on her knuckle as Ren held her face, and the two leaned in for a short, sweet, but completely, totally involved kiss.

It was shorter than in Blake's books, but there was a difference to _seeing_ the passion in person…

"I love you, so _please_ pass." Ren ordered in a soft, pleading voice that made Blake smirk at the implication he had to use that voice far too often.

" _You_ worry about _yourself,_ buster!" Nora ordered, flicking his nose to make him flinch in annoyance. She hopped up to steal one more quick kiss, the marched towards the road with a confident shake of her rump, "And by the way!" She turned on him with a wide grin, " _Boop!"_ She cocked her hip, flicking her skirt, and kept going.

Ren followed with a little sigh… whether it was tired or pleased, Blake couldn't tell, but her little spy mission was over, having procured some juicy, though useless, intel.

Returning to the path, Blake paused on the tree branches to watch Pyrrha Nikos walk by, smacking her cheeks, then muttering a chant to herself as she thrust her elbows back and flexed her strong arm muscles, getting herself mentally prepared for the upcoming challenge. Mysteriously, she was alone, having apparently left behind the two sisters, unless they'd decided to race ahead right as Blake slipped into the woods. Blake found that rather doubtful, and resumed her lonesome trek, sticking to the cover of the tree branches as she let her mind churn.

She had a lot of questions about the people she was running into; thinking back on her time in the Fang, Beacon was an interesting topic whenever it came up. Some of the old guard and the newbies often talked about it like it was this incredible palace of knowledge and talent, filled with future heroes and slayers that would upset the status quo when they graduated.

It was true that Beacon had the most sterling reputation out of all the academies. Shade was too new, Haven had a history of accepting bribes in place of talent, and applying to Atlas also meant applying to their military. Beacon was the oldest academy still in operation in Remnant, with a reputation as a difficult school to get into, with entry rates as low as thirty-eight percent, and as high as sixty-two. It was said that the headmaster himself presided over every student's interview, and hand-picked those he saw as 'worthy.' Blake didn't know if the last part was true or not, but he had been present during both Blake's entry test and interview, and the entire time she'd played the rather simplistic capture-the-flag trial she could feel his eyes on her.

She'd sat down with him not an hour after the trial, and based on a few words, actions, and looks she gave him, he slowly, deliberately, and calmly broke her down bit by bit, until she hesitantly admitted the truth: she was a runaway from the White Fang, who had committed crimes for the sake of racial equality, and had left out of protest over the rising levels of violence. She'd assumed she would have the police looking for her not soon after, but instead, he'd accepted her application, and handed her enough lien to keep her off the streets until their first day.

She quietly recounted that she hadn't seen any of the other entry trial students around, but it wasn't like she'd given them too much heed in the first place. Did the headmaster really see something special in her, or was it a farce? She _had_ walked away with seventeen flags and six errant Grimm kills, but she wondered how the headmaster's gears spun…

After all, a young lady like Ruby was a gamble, and even disregarding her contentious social life, Weiss Schnee was not school trained. Then again, the headmaster was an older man, perhaps he just _knew…?_

"Nervous?" A voice asked. Blake's scout instincts immediately identified a sturdy branch across the path she could have easily leapt to to escape the possible ambush, but she hesitated. The voice had come from below, and curiously, she watched Ruby and her older sister walking up the path together side-by-side.

"M-me? Nervous?" Ruby asked, chuckling too loudly, her posture stiff as a board as she trudged up the dirt path, tugging the clasps of her red cloak. " _Naaaah…"_ She tried to play it off poorly, refusing to look at her sister. The blonde girl simply smirked, nudging her little sister with her elbow as they strode beneath Blake, not glancing up. Lots of people didn't look up, which was immensely advantageous to Blake. "H-how a-about y-y-you? A-a-are y-you ner-nervous?" Ruby tried her hardest to look so strong, but her little stutter did her no favors…

Blake slid from branch to branch, chasing after them, silent as the wind through the treetops. "Of course I'm not nervous! I don't know the _definition_ of failure!" The blonde girl grinned cockily, exuding confidence with every step. With tits that big, Blake wouldn't have been surprised if that was a literal statement… "I _did_ pass in the upper ten of my class at Signal, after all."

… Okay, so there was more to the walking dairy factory than Blake thought, or Signal Academy was full of bigger hicks than she'd presumed. "R-right! S-so, um… uh…" Ruby hopped a few steps, trying her hardest to get all that nervous energy out. "Y-you w-wa-wanna t-team up?!" Ruby ask, looking up at her sister with the biggest, most forced smile on her face.

Blake didn't catch the look on the blonde's face, but the hesitation to answer, and the glance up at the tree boughs–which made Blake glad that she stuck to following them from a short distance behind–did not speak well for Ruby's hopes. "Err, don't take this the wrong way…"

" _Yang…"_ Ruby pleaded, and Blake felt an ear perk.

"It's not that I don't think you're a good hunter or anything, I promise." For all of Blake's assumptions, Yang sounded honest; Blake remained suspicious solely because it was impossible for her to not overthink things, but her inner lie detector didn't even blip. "But we don't even know how partner selection is going to work. I mean, what're we gonna do if they draw our names from a hat? Spritz the papers with perfume?"

"Th-that's a great i-idea!" Ruby gasped, and Yang shook her head, making the younger sister deflate.

"Besides the fact that the proctors would sniff it out _instantly,_ I didn't bring any perfume. Look," Yang dropped her hand onto Ruby's head, and even with a pout visible through the back of her head, Ruby leaned into the gentle rub, "just play it by ear, don't stress yourself out, and whoever you get as a partner, you'll be fine. You're likable, _and_ talented, so don't worry."

"... Wh-what if they hate b-books?" Ruby asked solemnly.

"Kill 'em and find a new one." Ruby and Yang both whirled around in surprise at the voice, and stared around in confusion. Up above, Blake hid a tiny smirk at their shock. _Hate books…_ ridiculous; Blake slid off the branch she'd been spying from and fell to her feet in front of the girls, flicking her black hair over her shoulder. Both girls stared at Blake in quiet awe, though Yang formed a pair of fists, and with a flicker of her aura, engaged her gauntlets with a determined expression. Blake counted the reasonably quick reaction as another point in the blonde's favor.

"B-Blake!" Ruby squeaked in surprise, causing her sister to hesitate and glance between them. "W-... were y-you listening t-to us?" Ruby asked curiously, and Blake shrugged her shoulders as she approached with a non-hostile gait.

"Only for a little bit. You passed underneath my tree." She responded, returning Yang's suspicious stare for a second before Yang finally relented, disengaging her weapons and standing straight. "I'm in the first launch group too." Blake crossed her arms under her chest, subconsciously lifting her bust to keep herself from looking paranoid, and offering the two girls something to look at to lower their own defenses.

Yang made a loud 'hmm', clearly not too impressed, but Ruby simply shuffled forward to meet Blake was a thin, curious smile. _Neither_ girl missed the way Ruby quickly glanced over _all_ of the dark-haired girl, and Blake suppressed a victorious smirk when Yang more subtly did the same; not once, but _three_ times. "C-cool! Then… th-then we could b-be partners!" Ruby said hopefully.

Blake couldn't find any opposition to that idea, but the way Yang pursed her lips and narrowed her brow… jealousy? Envy? Protectiveness? Perhaps Ruby's excitement was a bad icebreaker, though Blake was still judging the worth of Yang's character. "Maybe, but who knows how they'll do it."

"Yeah." Yang responded. Blake watched curiously as Yang's hips swung with every step forward, and wondered if she was trying too hard, or if that was how she _walked._ Everything she presented was flirtatious, and it left Blake feeling on the wrong foot. Yang presented her hand, and Blake watched it for a moment before accepting the shake. The blonde had a _strong_ grip, and a good shake to her… Blake's father would have been impressed, and Blake clamped down on that thought without a single twitch in her brow. "Name's Yang, I'm Ruby's older sister. She says you two bumped into each other last night."

"Yeah, about a minute or two before you threw Weiss Schnee." Blake said dryly, and Yang openly winced. "Nice toss by the way, I'd almost accuse it of being scripted, except I don't think the Schnees would ever allow themselves to be thrown around like that."

"Oh, yeah." Yang chuckled, taking her hand back to size Blake up with a little more focus, Ruby glancing between the two of them. "She kinda-sorta-definitely deserved it, y'know how it is."

"Mmm, maybe." Blake let the comment slide without a bitter remark; anything she said could later be used against her, she wasn't about to show her true colors. "Blake Belladonna, my name, that is."

"Blake Belladonna, huh?" Yang asked, planting her hands on her hips as a little smirk crossed her face, "Cute name, but it doesn't _ring a bell."_ Blake's expression didn't change, other than a very slow blink that gave everything Yang needed to grow a bigger smile.

 _Whap!_

Blake was glad Ruby had done it, 'cuz she wasn't sure if she could have gotten away with it. Yang rubbed the back of her head with an annoyed grunt, and Ruby stroked her stinging palm as she smiled up at Blake calmly. "I-ignore her. We sh-should get moving!" Ruby's smile was bright and hopeful, and Blake found herself quietly moved.

It felt nice that Ruby was so genuinely happy to see her, even if they had only just met. It was a silly feeling, but Ruby was either a genius at disguising her intentions, or was so pleasantly simple that there weren't ulterior motives to her. Yang didn't seem fully convinced, and Blake wasn't fully convinced of Yang, but Ruby relaxed them both with a little ' _hup!',_ a bounce, and a nervous stride back up the path, Yang following by her side as Blake hung in the back to watch.

For all her criticisms and suspicions of the blonde, Blake found herself mildly impressed; Yang easily disguised her suspicious glances over her shoulder by looking at Ruby to continue their small talk, being resistant to Ruby's attempts to coerce her into partnership, but when that failed, the conversation lulled, and Blake chimed in, "So, I don't mean to pry if it's private, but I couldn't help but notice you two hanging out with Pyrrha Nikos earlier, and Weiss Schnee before, is the Rose family a big family?"

"H-huh?" Ruby glanced over her shoulder in confusion, while Yang glanced up at the sky for a moment, then shook her head.

"Nope. Ruby and I had different moms, but Ruby's mom was an orphan at a Trinity church, she picked Rose for herself." That made sense, as Blake had deduced earlier… "Ruby just wants to carry on mom's legacy, don'tcha?" Yang grinned at her sister, earning a little blush.

"Dad thought i-it was a good idea…" Ruby smiled, clearly fond of it. She had given her weapon the same suffix as well, which could have been a sign of strong familial legacy, or raging egotism.

"Anyways, I'm actually a Xiao Long, _Yang_ Xiao Long that is. Dad's apparently the bastard child of a Mistralian noble that wanted nothing to do with him, so right now, we're just a brand-spankin'-new family in the middle of Patch Island." Yang answered, and Blake hummed in thought.

Patch Island had a poor reputation among the Faunus, and with good reason. It was the center of a lot of anti-Faunus activism, being populated primarily by the families of early colonists and fishermen. Old habits died hard, being isolated from the more forward-thinking mainland, but what few jobs Blake had run on the island, she had heard of several 'Humans First' groups and meetings being held there. Blake did not dare flatten her ears; there was the distinct possibility these two carried that stigma with them.

"And Weiss and Pyrrha were…?" Blake pressured, drawing a deep sigh from Ruby.

"An accident a-and a b-blessing. W-we met Pyrrha at breakfast, a-and she's _super_ n-nice! Weiss was j-just… a lotta bad luck…"

"And a _lotta_ bad attitude." Yang grumbled.

So not nobility, no deep connections, the only way these two could have come, then, was with their talents alone, or a lot of weird luck. Blake's nostrils twitched… It didn't make Ruby any less curious, but it also meant she didn't have the opportunity to go look up family histories, if what they said was true. Still, the Xiao Long family could have been interesting to look into; even if it was illegal today, Mistral was built on the backs of enslaved Faunus, and nobility tended to historically own slaves-

"Holy crap, she is _beautiful…"_ Blake's train of thought ended as she glanced up to Ruby and Yang. They were whispering, not even stage whispering, but what was too quiet for a human was hardly an issue for Blake.

"R-right?" Ruby whispered back to Yang, the two giving each other conspiratorial glanced.

"For a first awakening, you picked a damn good girl…"

"Heehee… y-yeah, th-though I k-kinda didn't pick her…"

Blake nearly hesitated a step. Wait… she was _Ruby's_ awakening? Ruby hadn't known she was _that way_ until she'd seen her? Blake felt her cheeks and nose redden; she had been a lot of young Faunus first sexual awakenings at the White Fang camp; she was, apparently, quite the looker and had inspired a number of crushes, but it didn't stop Ruby from being any less adorable.

She had to hide a grin as her mind raced; their first day at the most prestigious hunter's academy in Remnant, the young, naive, inexperienced early-entrant comes across a beauty that inspires feelings towards the same sex, but that dark beauty had secrets of her own…

Blake frowned. As good of a book as that would have made, she did, indeed, have her secrets to keep, especially with all of the unknown factors regarding these two…

Peering ahead, the three could see the end of the dirt path, alongside the abrupt end of the forest. The clearing was at the edge of a high cliffside, overlooking a vast sea of flowing green tree boughs that stretched from the foot of the cliff to the horizon, amidst further rising and falling cliffs and mountains in the distance. Blake's eyes partially widened at the sight of unspoiled nature; it was incredible, breathtaking, yet threatening all the same. Who knew what manner of Grimm stalked amongst the trees, untouched by man, left to grow in both size and hunger, just waiting for a fresh batch of hunters…

So… a _practical_ test then. Blake focused on the cliffside they presently stood on, seeing the headmaster standing next to the blonde professor that had woken them, the two in deep conversation while reviewing a pair of large scroll pads, though Ozpin turned to offer them a polite smile, and returned a small wave that Ruby gave him.

Blake spotted a blonde boy she didn't recognize, Pyrrha Nikos, the Ren and Nora pair she had spied on earlier… and standing on one of the metal platforms built into the cliffside was Weiss Schnee. Blake's eyes sharpened into dangerous slits at the sight of of the girl, and she took a moment to control her breathing. The Schnee wasn't staring her way; rather, the heiress stood in silence, examining her elaborate, pristine rapier while muttering to herself.

Of course Beacon couldn't have been the haven Blake has hoped for, _she_ just had to show up here… She'd occupied Blake's thoughts ever since they were both kids, Weiss' existence played a monumental role in Blake's life whether she knew it or not. Revulsion, anger, one million scenarios of things she wanted to say or to _do…_ she knew what Adam would have wanted.

The girl who represented the Schnee Dust Company, whose low prices and quality products were at the expense of extensive, cruel Faunus labor. Weiss had personally given speeches on television about how accommodating they were, and how _lucky_ the Faunus were to have such a fine employer… Blake had seen the young with bent spines and gnarled hands, heard of the pathetic paychecks they'd been given, the benefits and medicine they'd been denied…

As much as a small part of Blake wanted easy revenge, a greater part of her was disgusted with the idea. She wanted to scream at Weiss, to demand her attention, her empathy, and justice. She wanted to be _heard,_ to force the Schnee heiress to recognize Blake as an equal, and an individual…

She found herself marching away from Ruby and Yang as a ball of energy in the form of a spirited, red-haired young lady immediately latched onto the younger sister, and Blake tightened her fist as she drew closer to the _Schnee._ She took steadying breaths, reminding herself to not go in fist first.

… What was she even going to say? Wasn't she trying to _hide?_ Just _talking_ to Weiss would have been suspicious, what was she going to accomplish by trying to dress her down here and now? In front of the _Headmaster?_ Blake found herself frozen as she stared at Weiss, so many ideas of how to articulate her rage running through her head that, when she snapped back to reality, she found herself eye to eye with the white-haired debutante.

Her eyes were a more striking blue in person than they were in the magazines… it was the first thought that ran through Blake's mind as she stood before Weiss Schnee, rendered speechless by her conflicting goals. Weiss's frown was accented with thin, tight lips and a sharp look of curious disapproval, and when she finally spoke, Blake found herself at a loss, "Are you well?" Weiss asked, her brow furrowing as Blake came to with an embarrassed expression. "If you're sick, you should tell the proctors."

 _So_ like a Schnee to tell people what to do. "Oh, um… I'm not sick." Blake touched her pallid cheeks in worry, and that only made Weiss's frown even deeper. "Sorry that I was staring," Blake lied, stunning golds staring into frigid blues fearlessly, barely masking their animosity, "You're… you look _different_ in person." Blake explained, not far from the truth.

"Ah, yes, well, you know what they say, the camera adds ten pounds." Weiss broke their held stare to glance down at herself, and Blake swallowed thickly. Holding it all back wasn't easy… even though the expected attitude and tirade didn't happen. "I got this outfit especially fitted to accentuate my features, the dresses I wore to events were nice, but hardly did me justice, and would have been terribly impractical for fieldwork." Weiss seemed… relaxed as she examined herself, then glanced up to Blake sharply, making the hidden Faunus tense. "Curious as they are, your clothes are very well-fitting. What sort of style were you going for with them? Some form of… butler _maiden?"_

"Um…" Blake resisted lowering her ears, and looked down at herself with a small twitch of distaste. "I trained in a camp, my outfit's sort of… whatever fit and didn't slow me down." She admitted, wanting to throttle herself for losing track of what she'd wanted to say so quickly.

"Oh," Weiss didn't sound impressed, "well, you wear it well either way. Best of luck to you during initiation." Weiss stiffly presented a hand. Blake glanced down at the presented palm, and felt a little bile build up in the back of her throat. Shaking hands with the _enemy…_ Blake's hand closed around Weiss's, and they shared a small, awkward, but polite handshake that ended with the two girls turning away from the other, and Blake heading for the shade of a tree to gather her thoughts and feelings. She courageously fought the throbbing _need_ to wipe her hand clean on the grass.

She was simultaneously both proud and disgusted with herself… she shook hands with a Schnee and _didn't_ try anything that would have immediately sold her out. So much anger, so much relief. She turned her attention back towards Ruby and Yang, wanting the harsh tightness in her stomach to _end…_

"Sh-she is _not_ m-my g-g-g-girlfriend!" Ruby squeaked from across the clearing, in the arms of a short, muscle bound girl that Blake knew for certain was carrying some extra equipment in a ladylike place.

"Jeez, got a Schnee wet on day one, and a girlfriend on day two? I am in _awe,_ Ruby." Yang said with an amused dryness, drawing a horrified shriek from the little huntress.

" _N-no!"_

"You got a girl all worked up before _me?!_ Ruby, you little _harlot!"_ Nora giggled, then yelped as a disciplinary hand came down on the back of her head.

"Nora, don't insult her." Ren reminded her, turning his attention back to Yang with a curious expression. "A pleasure to meet you, Yang. My name is Lie Ren, and this is _my_ girlfriend, Nora Valkyrie."

Yang let out a quick laugh, while Ruby continued to flail in Nora's iron-tight grip. "She only _just_ got a girlfriend and she's already in a love triangle?! _I_ didn't even move that fast! Nice ta meetcha, Lie."

"Ren is fine. Nora…" Ren tried to untangle his redhead from Yang's redhead, with little success. "Nora, please let Ruby go."

"But she's so soft and _cute!"_ Nora cooed, stroking Ruby's back with overly loving affection.

" _Yaaaaaang!"_ Ruby's whine drew a round of snickering from the older teens, but while Yang was content to tease, prod, and let her sister remain trapped in the crushing embrace of an overly loving stranger, Ruby was growing desperate, " _Jaune! Help!"_ Her squeaky voice rang out.

Not standing too far away, watching with smirks on their faces Jaune and Pyrrha both perked up at the young lady's plea, and the blonde boy let out a loud sigh, then strode towards the two with his thumbs in his pockets. His hand landed on Nora's shoulder with a smack, and Jaune shook her in a friendly, if demanding fashion, "Alright, uh, Nora, was it? Let 'er go, she's had her fill."

Nora stared up at Jaune curiously, her eyelashes batting rapidly for a moment, "And who the fuzz are you? Don'tcha know it's _rude_ to touch ladies? I'm committed, y'know!" The short, stocky thing twisted away from his hand with a playful smirk, and it was hard to tell if she was fully aware or entirely oblivious to the irony.

"W-well, just sayin'! Take it easy, alright?" Jaune asked, trying to take Ruby's hand, "C'mon, be a doll?"

"I ain't your doll, big guy! I dance at the end of _nobody's_ strings!" Nora stuck her nose up in the air, and didn't notice when Ren lightly nudged Jaune's side and moved in.

The Mistralian boy's hands delicately settled on Nora's shoulders, and she froze in place as he leaned in, murmured something unheard to her ear, and set her cheeks alight with a burning redness. Her grip loosened in her embarrassment, and Ruby dove out to hide behind Jaune.

Pyrrha giggled behind her hand, and Yang didn't even try to hide her snickering as Nora wiggled silently in place, looking up at Ren with a hopeful expression as he shook his head and flicked her forehead. "Be nice." He ordered.

"I _am_ nice. I didn't even touch her butt!" Nora stuck her tongue out, getting a roll of the eyes from Ren.

"You alright, Ruby?" Jaune asked the little lady hanging behind his back, and Ruby took a small breath, and nodded.

"Y-yeah… th-thanks." She squeezed his shoulders, and he bobbed his head. "I-I think I n-need to catch my b-breath."

"No problem, I'll keep 'em distracted." Jaune grew a lopsided smile and bumped his collarbone with his thumb, moving forward with a swagger in his step, "So, I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc!"

"Lie Ren."

"Nora Valkyrie~!"

"And I am Pyrrha Nikos." Pyrrha stepped in with a small smile, only to go rigid when Nora drew up close, a full head shorter than the gladiator champion.

" _The_ Pyrrha Nikos?" Nora asked, hands planted on her hips curiously.

"Err, _yes,_ from the MRT." Pyrrha rubbed her arm shyly, and Nora nodded slowly, circling the taller girl like a shark.

"Neat!" Pyrrha shot up straight with a squeak when a hand came down on her backside to summon a resounding ' _smack!'_ "Watch yourself out there, _Nikos,_ 'cuz otherwise, I'ma beat you up!" Nora smiled toothily, and Pyrrha's blush began to placate with a growing smile.

"W-well! If you'd like, I'd be happy to spar with you-"

" _Beat."_ Nora's finger tapped Pyrrha's clavicle tauntingly, " _You. Up."_ Her hips wiggled in silent delight as Pyrrha just chuckled.

"Very well, I'll be sure to not let my guard down." Pyrrha winked.

"Hey, make that two girls you gotta keep an eye out for." Yang popped in by their sides, forming a pair of excited fists.

They were normal. Six, presumably, normal teenagers, introducing themselves, being competitive, laughing, making jokes… Blake wondered if any of them had truly suffered, to be made to feel worthless, small, weak, and in the face of an untenable opponent…

They were kids. Her age, but… what had they lost? They were _human,_ they had the best the world could give them on a silver platter, they could have done anything, _been_ anyone, and nobody would be set to oppose their climbing in the social ranks… Blake felt a twitch of annoyance at the unfairness of their racial imbalance…

She dismissed the thought; it was unfair. Maybe humankind and Faunuskind had a tendency to discriminate against each other, but the Grimm made no such petty distinctions. People were ruthlessly killed, regardless of status, quality of character, or race. Blake hadn't joined Beacon to fight the Grimm, she'd joined to fight for herself, but these people, be they the curvaceous blonde with the endless smile, or the black haired boy whose emotions were shown through a filter, could have experienced some terrible things.

That they still smiled and joked could have been a testament to their innocence, or their strength, depending. Blake silently envied them; she wondered how many of them ran like a frightened child from their homes and convictions, she wondered how many of them had something to _hide..._

Without really knowing why, Blake fixated on Ruby's large, black goggles, noting she hadn't seen her new little acquaintance without them. She decided to hold back on postulating on them, they were more than likely just a ridiculous fashion statement. It was common for young hunters to try incorporating eyewear into their hunter identities, no matter how ill-fitting, for that ' _too cool'_ feeling.

Speaking of which, Yang had moved from the larger group to go stand in front of her sister. The bow on Blake's head subtly shifted to capture the conversation that ensued from her safe distance. The large blonde rest her hands on her sister's shoulders, wearing a smile that made Blake's brow furrow; she seemed every bit the huntress-celebrity wannabe Blake had heard of and seen on several occasions, but Yang's words… "You're going to do great out there, y'know that?" Yang spoke quietly, but not _shamefully._ "You're already doing amazing, look at how many people already like you! I'm so proud of you, baby girl."

" _Yang…"_ Ruby's face turned an adorable shade of red as she rest her cheek on her sister's knuckles. "Stop, i-it's embarrassing…"

"I just wanted you to know I'm super proud of you, dad will be _thrilled."_ Yang flashed a cheeky thumbs up, and Ruby grew a lopsided smile. Maybe they both really were just normal, excessively good girls. They seemed pleasant, but who knew what that was hiding. "You're gonna do fine, so just do your best, alright?"

"Alright." Ruby nodded, got a delicate pat to the cheek, and Yang strut back to the other four with an excited shout to grab their attention.

It was… nice. After spending so long watching conflict and persecution, it was nice watching these total strangers encourage and play with each other without the wafting stench of war between them. Sure, this was going to be a fight, but they each seemed convinced it wasn't going to be a great and terrible one… Blake hoped they were right.

Ruby stood a good distance away from the rest of the chatting and laughing teens, catching her breath and mentally preparing herself on one of the pads that, presumably, they would start their initiation on. Ruby hunched her shoulders, rolling them in preparative thought, and only glanced up when a dismissive sniff caught her attention.

Whether by rotten luck, or Weiss had chosen to move closer of her own volition, Ruby occupied a pad that was immediately next to Weiss's. The Schnee heiress' sharp blues eyes narrowed at Ruby, her lips tightening in a grimace that made the younger girl recoil. "Are you going to crawl out of your little hugbox once you're in the forest, or did your big sister forget to flip the latch for you?" Weiss asked snidely.

"M-... my h-hugbox?" Ruby asked in sudden terror at the girl's cold attention, and Weiss huffed. For the first time since fleeing from her camp, Blake felt an echo of her old protective instincts stir at Weiss' tone and dismissive expression. Her jaw clenched as she restrained the sudden urge to speak up in Ruby's defense… or at least berate the arrogant heiress into silence.

"You won't get to take your little cheer squad with you, you realize? I can only hope whoever is unfortunate enough to have _you_ as a partner has the sense to move on as soon as they can, rather than spend every hour hugging you back into the barely functional little girl you are."

Confident she had seized the best of the last word, Weiss turned her head away with her nose in the air, awaiting the signal they would be starting. Ruby tensed up in frustration, looking ready to slink away and sulk, or even turn physical, but her response surprised even _her,_ "W-Weiss," Ruby swallowed thickly, thinking hard to control her stutter, "you don't get very many hugs, do you?"

As far as insults went, it should not have cut _anyone_ very deep _,_ but Weiss's suddenly infuriated glare, mixed with the way her fists swung downwards obstinately, made Ruby take a small step away, as if the snarling Weiss would suddenly attack her. " _You-_ just _what_ are you accusing me of?!" Weiss demanded, her eyes wide, her cheeks burning, her mouth etched with a combination of anger and… sorrow? "I am a _Schnee!"_ Weiss hissed, her voice a lethal whisper, "My family _prides_ itself on its self-sustainment, we do not _need hugs!"_ She snapped, and Ruby turned her head away, her frown deepening.

"... Th-then don't act jealous." Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Weiss's semi-stunned, but even _angrier_ expression. Weiss's chest swelled with a scream, a rebuke, a challenge, _something_ that would take all the air in her lungs… then turned on her heel and stomped away, trembling in pure anger.

If it wouldn't have come off as patronizing, Blake would have applauded the younger girl. Whatever feud she had with Weiss Schnee was apparently real, and even if her choice of insults were… _simple,_ they had worked. However, that did little to abate Ruby's sudden stress…

And it made Blake curious as to what Weiss's problem was. Yes, everybody seemed to be warming up to Ruby and standing by her side, but wasn't that what hunters were _supposed_ to do? Lone wolf hunters rarely lasted long out in the wilds, hunters worked in teams not just for combat support, but moral support as well. By what right did a rich little girl with an entire network of business contacts and butlers at her beck and call get to call somebody _else_ out for being reliant on others?

"I wouldn't be too worried about whatever she said," Blake said in a comforting voice, having bridged the gap between herself and Ruby with a relaxed walk forward. Ruby glanced up at her, jerking her head as if Blake had frightened her, but calmed at Blake's proud little grin, "most Schnees can't function unless they've made everyone else feel worthless. Are you alright?" Blake rest a hand on Ruby's shoulder, and made a point to glare at the back of Weiss's head, hoping the debutante, currently holding her forehead far from the rest of the initiates, could feel the lack of support.

"I-I will be." Ruby sighed, glancing out at the Emerald Forest with a teensy frown. "Just… w-worried I-I might drag s-somebody down." Ruby quivered, and Blake squeezed her shoulder, helping her stop. "Wh-what if sh-she's right?... I-I just r-rely on e-everyone else t-to-"

"Ruby, if you're here at Beacon, then the headmaster has to have a pretty good reason to let you in." Blake retracted her hands, settling them on her hips as she looked the black-dressed young lady up and down. Even if she _did_ seem out of place with her dress, Blake couldn't think of a reason she'd be allowed to coast through Beacon. "This isn't some academic's college in Atlas or Mistral, this is a hunting school, you either have the skill or you're _dead._ If you were let in early, they believe you're good enough to keep up with us. So, c'mon, chin up, whoever you partner with is going to be fine."

There was a moment of hesitation in which Ruby looked Blake in the eye, her eyes hidden behind those thick, black goggles, and Blake allowed a moment of irritation to pass before Ruby quietly nodded, and put on a large, but fake smile. "O-okay."

"Good girl." Blake, despite herself, imitated what she'd seen Yang do, and nestled her fingers into Ruby's hair, scritching her scalp to make Ruby snicker and deflate.

Ruby's scalp was alight with a delightful tingling from Blake's affections, and the more-than-genuine smile she gave the dark-haired dream seemed to relax Blake just as much. Their smiles were warm and pleasant, encouraging without being prideful, a recognition that they would both do well once they were in the forest.

"There's a smile." Blake seemed pleased, and Ruby didn't want to tell her that the smile wasn't just from Blake's pep talk, but also the realization that she had gotten girl affection before Yang! Of course, it was just a head pet–and Ruby wasn't sure if that even counted for much after the headlock-enforced snuggles Nora laid on her–but it was more than enough to make Ruby's heart pump with fire.

This was, of course, quickly cut through when the test actually began.

 _"Students!"_ Professor Goodwitch's voice rang across the cliffside, Ruby and Blake both gave the professor their attention, the chatter emanating from the rest of the initiates ceasing, slowly drawing closer. "Each of you are to choose a launchpad and stand directly in the center of it, Professor Ozpin will now answer any questions you may have about your initiation."

Each student did as instructed. Ren took one end, with Nora by his side. Then Yang, Ruby next to her, sandwiched in by Blake, who had Pyrrha on the other side, followed by Jaune, and finally Weiss on the last pad closest to Glynda. Jaune slowly, worriedly turned to face Ruby. "Uh, hey." He gently tapped her arm with one knuckle.

"Hey, Jaune." She said, only half paying attention. She was too focused on the sudden desire to throw up on her own shoes… remembering how that went last time helped steel her nervous stomach.

"Did she say these were launchpads?" He asked with a nervous croak in his voice.

"Oh, um, I guess she did." Ruby tapped her foot against her pad testingly, not really thinking about the implications

"Now then," Ozpin called out, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his scroll in the other. He began a slow walk, his eyes focusing on each student as he passed. He wore a calm, collected expression, punctuating his words with a small wave of his scroll. "Today will be one of the most important days of your stay here at Beacon. Initiation will tell us a great many things about each and every one of you." He turned his scroll sideways to show the screen, displaying a view of the students as if there was a camera watching them from far off the cliffside, floating in midair. When Ruby scanned the horizon she barely noticed a helidrone floating in the distance, its camera focused on them. Some of the others were looking as well, but most continued to look confused, more than likely unable to spot it. "But more importantly, it will decide who your partner will be for the next four years. Your partner will need to be somebody you can work well with and can compliment your fighting style. A successful partnership is the cornerstone of your training, the beginning of building skills, gaining experiences and making contacts that will define the rest of your lives as Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Professor Ozpin sipped from his coffee, Professor Goodwitch behind him tapping furiously at her scroll. Their eyes met, and Goodwitch signalled two fingers at him. He nodded and turned back towards the students.

"With all that in mind, once you enter the forest, your partner will be the first person whose eyes you meet." He sipped at his mug again, savoring the feeling of their unbelieving gazes as much as the rich flavor of his preferred blend. The eight students looked between themselves, minds racing to integrate this slipshod idea. Ruby vaguely felt Blake's concerned gaze settle on her, while her already pale complexion drained of any further color until what was left was a good approximation of a ghost. "There will be no exceptions. You must be able to communicate and work alongside _any_ hunter in the battles to come, no matter who they may be… or how much they irritate you." The way his eyes narrowed, and his hand made the sturdy material of his crane creak, had some of the students wondering if their Headmaster was speaking from experience.

Professor Goodwitch signalled once again, holding up one finger.

"Your objective is to reach the northern end of the forest and bring back one of the relics stored in the ruins there. Between here and there will be numerous Grimm, from the lowly Creep to the mighty Ursa. You must be prepared to destroy anything in your path if you wish to survive, so if you have any worries of holding back for the sake of school property, don't. The life of a hunter is kill or be killed, and you will begin sharing that existence starting now."

"Um, Professor Ozpin, uh, how are we _entering_ the forest?" Jaune spoke rapidly as Professor Goodwitch hit one final button, and both teachers began to walk out of the way of the eight hunters. Ruby rubbed her stomach one last time as she swallowed thickly, and tried to suppress her rising stress levels.

"Your launchpads will send you on your way at somewhat randomized speeds and arcs towards your objective. Worry not, you will all land well within the bounds of the forest." Ozpin clarified.

There was a long sequence of steel sliding against steel, and Ruby felt multiple sets of eyes settle on her curiously as the compact sniper rifle she'd been toting extended, unfolded, and somehow turned into a scythe as big as the girl was. Ruby crouched low, her massive weapon's blade held away from herself as she prepared herself. Just past her, Yang slid on a pair of mirrored aviators, showing teeth with her most daring smile as she bent her knees for balance and stared down the trees ahead.

"Launchpads mean, uh, we're being _thrown?!"_ Jaune asked in rising panic as Professor Goodwitch's scroll screen began to flash. Ruby tried to keep an eye on Yang, a touch desperate to keep tabs on which way her sibling ended up going.

"Correct. This was much cheaper than renting a Bullhead to toss you all out of." Professor Ozpin gave him a friendly smile as Jaune made a loud, disbelieving laugh.

Everyone stood at the ready except Jaune, and Professor Goodwitch held up five fingers. Then four.

Then three.

Two.

One.

The launchpads' catches released with eight loud _'thunks',_ and the eight students' views were filled with blurred greens and blues as they were shot through the air with enough force to drown out Yang's wild, happy yell.

The wind threw Ruby's hair and cloak back, her stomach feeling like it was visiting her kidneys as the sea of green beneath her looked like an endless ocean. She told herself she could handle this, unable to catch her breath as a dozen ideas ran through her head. However, uncle Qrow always made one thing very clear: _'Be efficient, not fancy.'_

Reduce momentum, land as softly as possible. Ruby's aura went into overdrive to give her the strength to whip Crescent Rose's head forward, and she pulled the trigger. Her momentum suddenly skipped, the rushing through her ears dulling as the rifle let out a sharp bark, the bullet splitting the upper portion of a random tree in half.

Another two pulls and Ruby found her target: an approaching tree, well within her arc, with a sturdy-looking trunk. She relaxed her arms a moment, letting the wind blow her weapon backwards as she flew past it, Rose's blade catching onto the wood, the sparks flashing between her aura and the bark as she used the curved edge of her scythe to spin downwards around the tree. Her momentum was quickly drained before she hit the bottom, and she unhooked her weapon at the very last second before it ran a serious risk of getting stuck.

She flew towards the ground at more manageable speeds and put her feet in front of her, legs bent, scythe overhead and blade angled away from her body. She connected with the ground, slid a foot to catch herself, then mismeasured what should have been a seamless rise to a standing posture.

She crashed face-first into the grass, Crescent Rose twirling through the air for a second before burrowing blade first into the dirt by her head. Ruby laid still for a second, her aura creating sympathetic pain all across her front to remind her that, shielded or not, crashing into the ground was _bad._ She let out an annoyed breath, ignoring the vanishing phantoms of damage she never actually took. She pushed herself off the ground, her aura still a vibrant black blotch over most of her torso from the impact, but quickly fading away.

She could imagine Uncle Qrow harshly reprimanding her for wasting so much potential defense due to a shoddy landing, and she knelt, gritting her teeth. She couldn't even do that right, and it was the first step in the stupid test! Grumbling about her lousy luck, and vowing to never tell anyone about this, her hand snagged Crescent Rose's pole, and Ruby swiftly pulled the scythe from the ground. Rose hummed as her blade sliced through the air, the sounds of trampling grass ending in a single swing. Two halves of a Beowolf fell to either side of Ruby, the beast's warpath marked by a destroyed bush and heavy footprints in the landscape.

Ruby blinked, watching the slain beast fade from existence in a thick, black plume. Even in the middle of her sulking her training did not lapse, allowing her to keep her senses open, to respond automatically the moment she'd sensed danger. She'd killed the beast before she truly understood why she was moving.

Even if her landing wasn't very well executed, Ruby quietly thanked her uncle and pulled herself up straight. One Beowolf meant a dozen and a half prowling nearby. This part of the forest was more than likely infested by a couple of packs, and she needed to get moving before she alerted its companions. Good reflexes had saved her from a sloppy ambush, but she wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about getting caught by surprise again.

Loud bangs stole her attention, and she looked toward the sounds of discharging dust-rounds. Between the leaves, maybe a quarter of a mile beyond her landing point, she saw muzzle flashes and heard her sister's signature whoop. Ruby chewed her lower lip; the _first_ person's eyes she met would be her partner, no matter what _they_ thought of working with her.

With a smooth whine of oiled steel rubbing against itself, Crescent Rose compacted down into it's more manageable rifle form. The way ahead looked clear, and Ruby didn't want to risk snagging her weapon on something while she was barrelling after her sister. Ruby hoped Yang would forgive her selfishness, but if she had any say in this, she'd get the partner she always wanted. Her boots thumping against the dirt, crackling twigs and leaves as she quickly reached a an inexhaustible sprint. She raced between the tree trunks, following the sounds of cheering and shotgun blasts.


	6. Cry Havoc

Slowly, Ren rose from his crouched landing amidst the impassive army of imposing tree trunks and the shade they offered. Silently, he stepped out of the twin grooves his feet had made in the dirt below, banishing the adrenaline of the flight with little more than a shallow breath through his nose, and two slow, thoughtful blinks.

His pink Aura danced around him briefly, and with a moment of concentration, he brought its enhancing power to his ears. In the distance he heard a boy's meek gratitude, a young lady scream, and the dying cry of some Grimm. Other than that, he was back in the wild, surrounded by the enemy, an element he was more than used to.

The untamed wilderness of Remnant was second in danger only to being in the jaws of the Grimm, and Ren had spent a good portion of his teen years surviving the worst the Mistral forests had thrown at him. However, he had a few distinct advantages here compared to his old stomping grounds: the weather was more temperate, the people he shared the woods with did not seek his food or his woman, and there was a warm bed and a cooked meal waiting once he accomplished his goal.

He wasn't the gangly, inexperienced boy who'd stumbled numbly out of what was left of his home. Time had refined his skill and brought the clarity of hindsight and experience–a thought he mulled with some amusement since he was still only seventeen. The basic goal of becoming strong enough to fend for himself was completed to his satisfaction, so now he intended to push further, and see to it that he would never experience loss again. And the first step on this new journey was simple: grab a relic, return to the headmaster, and most importantly, find Nora before anybody else did.

He briefly mused that having a different partner would have been an interesting experience; he'd had few friends growing up, and only one as a teen. Having somebody completely new to rely on and share ideas with could have been a fascinating experience. The young girl, Ruby, seemed harmless and kind, but he was not yet confident in her combat abilities. Her older sister seemed eager to get into a fight, but was nonetheless friendly if brash in a distinctly different way from his beloved. Jaune was an admittedly handsome boy, who was unafraid to confront Nora, yet seemed strangely worried about the comparatively safe notion of being launched through the air at high speeds. Pyrrha would have been an intriguing partner, if only because Ren imagined he could have learned _so_ _much_ from her. The other two members of the launch group he hadn't interacted with, but he'd heard enough hearsay about Weiss Schnee to want to avoid her if he could.

Lastly, of course, was Nora… he had to suppress a fluttering note of worry brushing at the edges of his control at the notion that someone might have found her before him. She was _his_ girlfriend after all, he wanted to remain by her side, just as he had since the day they both lost their home. Well… _his_ home, she was fond of reminding him that she hadn't had a home until she'd met _him._ She wouldn't have been happy to be separated from him in any way, so Ren felt that, in the interest of protecting his fellow students from his little lover's wrath, he would have to bite the bullet and accept the responsibility of being at Nora's arm.

He smirked at the perfectly plausible rationality for his cheating.

He plucked the communicator out of his mouth, delicately wiped it off on his sleeve, and popped it into his ear. He tapped it, getting a beep of confirmation as the device powered on, then slid a long, thin, compacted receiver out of the communicator's body to hang near his lips. "Nora?" he spoke softly, experience having taught him that being clear tended to work better than being loud with the bauble.

There was silence for around a minute, then he spoke her name once more. A burst of static made him flinch and tap the device to adjust the volume down to Nora-friendly levels. "Aaaah, I forgot it was in my _shirt!_ Do you know how scary it is when your boobs start talking to you?! Over!"

"I can only imagine." Ren allowed a tiny smile. "Where are you?"

" _Ren!"_ Nora admonished. "We are using _ra-di-o com-mu-ni-ca-tion,_ we gotta do this the right way, like saying 'over' when you're done talking! Over!"

Ren rolled his eyes and deftly weaved between brown tree trunks as he got moving out of instinct more than anything. He lept over a crouched Beowolf, ignoring its confused bark and continuing his run, the sounds of its chase fading rapidly behind him. "Fine. Nora, where are you? Over."

" _Ugh,_ we can't use our names!" Nora huffed, the hollow sound of her grenade launcher going off, followed by a much sharper explosion and muffled wails of pain. "Anybody listening in will know who we are! We have to use _codenames!"_ Nora's voice took on a perky quality as a few more explosions went on from her end of the communicator. "Over!"

Ren sighed, "The chances of anybody else having brought a form of communication tuned to our frequency is rather low, Nora." He paused, thinking for a few moments as he sprinted. A look that some might call a faded shade of smug tugged at his lips, "I will go by the name ' _Thunderous Maximum'_ , over."

Nora's answer was an unbelieving squawk, "Thunderous _Maximum?!_ Are you reading my comic books?! You are _not_ a 'Thunderous Maximum!'"

"Mm. But it makes me feel…" Ren felt his chest swell proudly, " _Powerful._ Over."

"Oh haha, big boy, like you need the _help._ Ugh, _Thunderous Maximum?"_

Ren listened for a few moments longer as Nora rambled in disbelief and killed _something_ in a fit of hammer swings. He took a moment to wonder when the sound of breaking bone and howling Grimm became a comfort. "Puddin' Pop, don't forget to say 'over', over."

" _I-"_ Nora cut herself short, "Puddin' Pop?!" She demanded with an embarrassed laugh, her ramblings turning into a mixture of tiny giggles and coos. "Whatever you say, Thunderous Maximum! Over!"

"Good. Puddin' Pop, what is your location, over?" Ren perked his other ear, listening for explosions in the distance, and adjusted his direction and headed for the sound of Grimm roaring in panic.

"Uh, there's an assload of trees and bushes, it's basically every forest ever but with- _OOOOH COME GET SOME, PUDDIN' POP'S SERVIN' THE PAIN UP HOT TODAY!"_ Nora's mad laughter was audible through the communicator and echoed through the forest. Ren picked up the pace. "... Over!"

"Mm. Over." Ren shook his head, a grin briefly splitting his face as he ran towards his partner.

* * *

Myrtenaster trembled in Weiss's hand as the girl stalked forward, briefly turning into quick flashes as the rapier cut through the bushes that stood between Weiss and the far side of the forest. She peeked past a tree trunk, and seeing no one, she swiftly moved on.

Pyrrha had been on a launchpad to the right of her and had still been airborne when Weiss began to descend, so she would have landed somewhere North-East of her landing point; if Weiss had any hope of getting to her before anybody _else_ did, it would take a swift pace and ignoring any distractions, focusing solely on accomplishing her goal.

Despite herself, Weiss had to stop from grinding her teeth as she ran forward, slashing through bushes and low branches. Her mind kept lurching back to the damn goggles girl... apparently, their recent confrontation had left a much deeper impact than she had been willing to admit to herself.

She didn't understand how somebody so tiny and weak could even be _considered_ for entrance at Beacon. Ruby's inability to express herself, all the private pep-talks, the parade of people lining up to try and massage her flimsy self-esteem, it was _sickening._ Weiss couldn't imagine how cloistered the little pup was to be so thoroughly incapable of standing up for herself.

And she'd _dared_ to make assumptions about Weiss' life?! ' _You don't get very many hugs, do you? Quit acting jealous.'_ Weiss hardly noticed as she began to run faster, her eyes blazing, if damp. Overhead, she vaguely heard a boy yelp and a loud thunk, his voice ringing out in a dazed 'thank you!'. Weiss didn't look up, powering through the forest, entirely absorbed in her own thoughts as her rapier carved a path almost on its own.

 _Hugs._ Weiss cut down another swathe of emerald before her. _Hugs_ of all things? Why would she be jealous of _hugs?!_ She never needed hugs, whenever she was on the verge of tears, she pulled _herself_ out of the mire without needing anybody to _touch_ her. Not her parents, not her siblings, not even _Klein..._

Not since her sister had left home. She didn't need somebody to assure her things would be okay, it was her will and her will alone that would allow her to carry on. That was how she earned her enrollment to Beacon, not Atlas. It was how she made Myrtenaster, rather than commissioning some off-the-line military boomstick with a snowflake printed on it. It was how she comforted herself knowing that one day _she_ would wipe the ugly boot print left on the Schnee family name, restoring it to the glory of her grandfather's era.

Yes… she would change things. She would make the Schnee name a noble one once again. No more barely concealed scandals, no more Goliaths in the room going unmentioned, no more oppressed unions, no more callous disregard for the average employee. She would revolutionize the world once more, bring humanity to a superior position untouchable by the Grimm, no longer under the heel of eternal, relentless fear.

She didn't need _hugs._ She needed to keep moving forward, with or without the ignorant masses constantly forcing themselves into _her_ life and disregarding _her_ generosity and wisdom. She would not be marginalized by children who had no idea what real life was like.

Weiss ran her sleeve across her eyes. Beacon was going to be a good thing, it was going to give her the tools she needed to win. She wouldn't let all these awful little coincidences slow her down and make her contemplate defeat, she was _stronger_ than that.

She pressed her forehead against her forearm and came to a stop, shivering silently in the middle of a forest clearing. Myrtenaster's tip bit into the soft forest loam as her other arm slackened while she sucked in deep, angry breaths. Her Aura felt thin and was wavering as the war of emotions within her overwhelmed her control of it. She was not a simpering infant, not a _disappointment._ She was _Weiss Schnee,_ and she would be strong.

She forced air in and out of her lungs, ignoring the ragged sounds until they were steady and smooth. She lowered her arm, grimacing as she noticed the tear stains on her sleeve; it had _just_ been washed too. She wiped at her sleeve idly, trying to dull the lingering pangs in her heart, to collect herself, to _focus._ Myrtenaster leaned against her leg and she cleared her throat, allowing only a single somewhat indignant sniff.

She hated how angry she felt. All because of one stupid girl, and the last stupid day, and every stupid thing that was going wrong… " _Stupid."_ Weiss muttered furiously at the injustices the world was heaping onto her, rubbing the bridge of her nose and most certainly _not_ wiping the moisture out the corners of her eyes.

She examined the still stained cloth of her sleeve and frowned. Another wash tonight then, and a very hot shower, that sounded nice. For now, she needed to find Pyrrha and put this private stumble of mental fortitude behind her.

She raised her face to stare into a violent red maw, bone white teeth racing for her face. The smell of rotten meat and unwashed fur overwhelmed her, spittle contacted with her nose and chin as she felt–more than heard–the beast's triumphant howl.

She had never noticed the Beowolf approaching while she'd been pulling herself together.

Her back hit the grass, the Beowolf's heavy bulk slamming on top of her a split-second later, driving the air from her lungs. Pain raced up her left arm, her Aura flashing in distress as the beast violently gnawed in an attempt to strip her of her limb. Weiss wheezed for breath as she stared up at the creature like it was an odd dream, a nightmare that she was logically going to wake up from. She could almost count the hairs of it's coat, and swore she could see the faint outline of its pupil contract and expand as it tried to stare into her frightened eye.

The pain rapidly rising as her Aura strained to protect her couldn't have been real. There was no way she'd have allowed this, she'd had the best tutors in Atlas, she couldn't-

A sharp, involuntary scream tore from her throat. It was _real,_ it was real and it _hurt!_ Her white Aura was weakening as the Grimm tried to tear her arm out of its socket, neck and shoulders bulging as it strained. She slapped its nose, but the Beowolf snarled and slammed its palm against her chest, hammering her into the ground a half-inch as her whole body briefly flared with spent light.

Thick, boney claws threatened to tear through her dress and into the flesh beyond, its weight sending sympathetic pain through her ribs and breast as it tried to dig through her protective Aura and latch onto her bare skin. She grabbed its arm with her free hand, her mind numbly wondering if she was even still holding Myrtenaster in the hand beyond the beast's jaws… she couldn't really feel anything but agony.

In a moment of desperation, she furiously slugged the Beowolf's head with her right arm, over and over, rasping for air as her tiny fist bounced uselessly off of bone armor. Finally, mercifully, her knuckle dug right into a glowing red eye, causing the beast to howl in pain and release her arm as it reared away, instinctively acting to protect its face. Weiss frantically scooted back on her heels and elbows, slipping out from under the stunned monstrosity before she grit her teeth and shoved the heel of her boot into the Beowolf's groin. It's second bleat was more of a shriek then a howl, and it hastily rose to it's feet, flattening its ears against its skull. An opening, perfect, she could-

Her vision doubled as her head was slammed into the ground once more, the Beowolf driving her shoulders back into the dirt with a single stomp of its clawed foot. It opened its massive maw and let out a loud, terrifying roar of triumph before swinging its hand for Weiss's head.

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut and thought of her sister, of wishing they'd had one last meal together. She covered her face with both arms, feeling her heart hammer against her still stinging rib cage… it took several moment before she realized that she was still alive… and now, free. Sounds, previously lost to her due to panic and the ringing in her ears from her unwanted union with the Emerald Forest's floor, began to register once more. Gunfire, the pathetic whimpering of a wounded Beowolf, steel cutting through the air and slicing through flesh and bone…

The scent of spent Dust permeated the air, as did the wet sounds of something once living falling apart into several damp pieces.

She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head. Myrtenaster laid several feet away, just out of reach, confirming she had dropped it. The chunks of Beowolf corpse was fading into a thin yet dark mist, leaving only one figure standing tall; Weiss rolled onto her knees and stared up at the red cape and long red scythe.

The figure turned their head, and Weiss gaped in quiet disbelief at Ruby. The goggled girl's scythe collapsed into a solid red block, which was promptly strung across the small of her back. Ruby knelt to pick up Myrtenaster in careful hands, and shuffled slowly over to Weiss.

How had…? She was so _weak,_ such a tender, frail, stupid thing, yet she had killed the Beowolf before Weiss had even realized help had arrived! A surge of shame, embarrassment, and anger raced through her. She quietly shook as Ruby knelt down in front of her and presented her with the hilt of her own sword.

"I-I think we're partners now." Ruby whispered. Weiss's face went slack and she swore she felt the blood leave it momentarily. In that moment, she lost control; shaking violently, she raised her hand, and slapped Ruby as hard as she could, feeling strangely vindicated when both their Auras pulsed in response to her effort. Ruby reeled back, her face white with shock as Weiss glared at her through thick, pitiful tears.

* * *

Blake landed delicately on her feet, barely having to crumple her knees as a gentle tug of her ribbon dislodged Gambol Shroud from the canopy above her, her heels causing a few stray leaves to crinkle rather than snap under her weight. The custom katana tumbled down from the greenery above, and Blake held the sheath out, letting the sword slide home with the whisper of steel on steel before sticking the weapon to her back.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as her eyes and hidden cat ears scanned the forest around her while she slipped into the shadows and made her way north.

She wasn't all that thrilled to start a new partnership after how poorly her last one ended, but she was willing to play along as necessary to keep her facade up. Beacon was a good place. It had an accomplished history of inclusiveness and empowering Vale's youth with the opportunity to become some of Remnant's most incredible hunters, whether human or Faunus. Though Blake hid her ears out of paranoia, she had nothing but good opinions of Beacon Academy and would have liked to not leave it before she was ready.

Thinking of icy blue eyes and white hair, she conceded that maybe the school could have been a bit more selective about who it let through the gates, but Blake could disregard Weiss Schnee's presence on account of just how ridiculously unlikely it was that they would have to share a room. Besides, Blake had no intention of staying for terribly long, the academy would sharpen her skills and give her a chance to lay low within its well-guarded walls, where the White Fang would have been unable to find her…

Or, well, even if they _did,_ what would they do? _Invade?_ Blake had personally taught the Vale chapter's Fang initiates to ' _be smart',_ though the jury was still out on whether that lesson had stuck. Desperation to make some splash on the human/Faunus conflict, as well as general inexperience with the world at large, caused young Faunus to do dumb things…

Either way, Beacon was an ideal hiding place until she'd improved her skills and came up with a better goal to pursue.

Blake hesitated in the shade of a particularly leafy bough, a touch of guilt gnawing at her for dismissing such a prestigious location as a mere pit-stop. The people here didn't seem all bad, and becoming a Hunter was a lofty goal in and of itself. Maybe the other students were a bit too soft and accustomed to the comforts of civilization, inexperienced at roughing it in the wilds, but that just made them… people. People who simply didn't know how it felt to be constantly surrounded by danger, hunted by authorities… like she did. Blake touched her ribbon thoughtfully, her lips compressing into a thin line while pinching one of her hidden ears as a reminder of what she really was.

She let her arm drop and focused on the task at hand, distasteful as it may have been. Obtaining the relic would be child's play, she could navigate through a forest on a new moon during a thunderstorm, nevermind a few hours before noon on a clear day. Her potential partners where the true challenge to be managed… The Schnee she would avoid like the plague, she had no desire to get caught up in that one's dirty business. Ruby would make a pleasant enough partner, though their only interaction was based on books, bringing to question her skill. The rest Blake had little opinion of for good or ill, though Yang stuck out as being far too _loud,_ and Blake was still debating whether the attractive young woman was as genuine as she presented herself, or as uselessly beautiful as she appeared.

Blake leapt into the tree and ran along the low-hanging branches to avoid the eyes of anything or anyone she might find distasteful as her mind churned. For now, she would play things by ear, manipulating the outcomes of their initiation was unrealistic, once she thought about it, and she could withstand any partner with, at the very least, _silent_ contempt as opposed to outright animosity as long as it wasn't the Schnee heiress. Though she really hoped she didn't accidentally split up the couple with the contraband radioes, she did not need the to be at ground zero of that sort of drama...

Sawdust exploded toward her as thick, white claws cleaved straight through the branch she was leaping towards, impaling her belly and making her eyes widen in shocked agony, her mouth opening in a scream she would never voice.

The gored Blake wavered and vanished to reveal itself as a decoy, while the real Blake landed behind her confused attacker. The Ursa dropped to all fours, chuffing in irritation before catching her scent. It turned its bulky head to face her, rumbling an ominous promise of violence as Blake took note of the bony spikes of its back; too short to be a significantly more dangerous Major… an Ursa Minor, then.

Blake cursed her sloppiness while grasping the handle of Gambol Shroud as the Ursa rapidly moved to face her completely. She scrambled to think of what could have given her away… too much noise? Did she allow herself to feel too negative? Or had she honestly been so lost in thoughts of interpersonal politics that she missed five hundred pounds of lumbering predator? She made a mental note to never let anyone know about this.

She spun away from the charging Ursa's claws, heaving Shroud with both hands, dragging the bladed sheath across the Grimm's side, opening a thin line of red. A pained roar escaped the beast, but it swung it's paw down at her, trying to flatten her. Blake threw her katana at a tree trunk far behind the Ursa and flipped around the creature's foreleg, firmly tugging the ribbon connecting blade and sheath around the appendage and pulling the fabric taut.

She snapped up a leg, driving her heel into the Ursa's jaw and sending it reeling back, only to jerk to a halt, unable to escape due to its captured limb. With a swift tug, the katana flew into Blake's other hand, and she twisted the Ursa's arm, her Aura-augmented strength straining a bit, but allowing her to throw the massive beast onto its side. She wasted no time, bracing one foot against its ribs before she drove both blades through the Ursa's jaw, spearing it through the head and cutting its surprised roar short.

Blake let out a quick, relieved breath before sliding her blades free and stepping back from her kill as it faded away into black mist. Blake sheathed her weapon with calm grace. She felt a pang of worry mixed with embarrassment at the thought of making such a simplistic mistake and getting _caught_. She knew there was nobody to reprimand her for wasting time, heck, if someone was watching she may even get extra points to her grade for such a swift, well-planned execution of an otherwise tough monster...

Yet, as she held a hand to her chest and watched the spot where the Ursa faded, _his_ voice sneered into her ear about her compromising the mission. Another mistake in a lifetime of them.

Thunderous footsteps dragged her out of her head-space and she swiftly turned, sheathed weapon hefted up as a primitive broadsword in both hands as the trees shivered and bushes parted for a second Ursa Minor to trample towards Blake with an enraged bellow. She mentally chided herself; Ursa Minors often travelled in twos and threes, it had only been one of her _first_ lessons about survival _._

The beast's bulk crashed down on her clone, making it whine in confusion before a sharp slash across its flank made it twist, slapping Blake back. She was slammed into a tree hard enough to send a jolt of pain down her back and into her legs, her vision briefly blurring into an unwelcome kaleidoscope of color. The Ursa turned to face her, and she chewed her lip as it took its time to approach.

It raised up on its back legs, towering over her while trundling forward, readying itself to belly flop in whichever direction Blake might choose to flee. She realized she'd gotten herself cornered by the tree to her back and some thick shrubs, if she got caught underneath the beast, escape would be nearly impossible, its sheer mass and strength would make all her training moot. She would have to use her semblance once more, and the realization irritated her; three times in such short order–so _tiring–_ but she would not fail _here._

As she readied herself, the beast dropped back to all fours and suddenly lunged, too close and too fast for Blake to prepare herself. She slid her katana free by it's pistol-grip and held it and the sharpened metal sheath up to deflect as much as the blow as possible, but it proved… _unnecessary._

" _GEEEEEEEEEET-"_ Like a burning meteor, an assembly of blonde hair and tan clothing fell from above and collided with the Ursa's skull, crushing it into the ground so hard that Blake felt her knees shake from the impact, " _\- DUNKED ON!"_ Yang roared as her gauntlet discharged an explosive dust shell point blank into the Ursa's head, splitting it like a particularly rotten melon while swallowing it in fire.

Blake stared in wide-eyed disbelief as Yang rose, her back to her. Endless golden curls danced as their tips literally smoldered white-hot. Yang curled her arm, the leather of her glove creaking as a pulse of Aura commanded her gauntlet to cycle and expel the spent cartridge away in a spinning arc, accompanied by a smooth mechanized click that seemed to echo in the sudden silence. Slowly, Yang turned to look at Blake over her shoulder, who let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the blonde shot her a glorious smile, lilac eyes sparkling with excitement.

Blake's eyes locked onto Yang's, who twirled around on one boot heel and held both her hands over her head with a massive grin. "C'mon, give it to me high! I was waiting forever to drop that fleabag!" Yang tossed a cheesy smile and a wink down at Blake.

Blake stared at her, blinking very slowly as she processed this information. A tiny, angry shake entered her voice as she spoke, "You _waited_ to help me?!"

"Well yeah." Yang kept her hands up, pride undiminished "I had to impress my new partner somehow." She shrugged like it was obvious.

Blake didn't know how to feel. On one hand, letting her stay in danger just so she could make a big entrance to impress her disgusted Blake in a way she couldn't describe. On the other… it had been _magnificent._ The sudden appearance followed by the instant kill, the swathe of flames that had burst from the _perfect_ ambush… If Blake had been more like her storybook heroines, her heart would have skipped a beat at the sight. Actually… it had, but only once. For like half a second. Blake was definitely, totally, most certainly _not_ impressed with Yang's nine-out-of-ten entrance. She sighed in struggling denial, and returned Yang's double high-five, putting on a tiny smile as the blonde cackled briefly. " _Don't_ do it again. I don't like dying."

"Yeah yeah, you sound like my teachers." Yang scoffed and rested a hand on Blake's shoulder in a friendly fashion. Though Blake itched to push it away, the sheer force of Yang's self-pleased smile somehow stopped her.

Blake got the feeling Yang was used to getting her way. "North then?" Blake pointed in the direction, thinking for a moment, letting out a small, resigned groan "Partner?" She winced a bit at Yang's whooping cheer at being acknowledged.

"Heck yeah! The two biggest babes of this year are about to crack this whole school _wide_ open!" Yang sauntered in the given direction, her hips rocking back and forth in such a way that her short skirt flipped up to reveal how her black shorts creaked against her perfectly framed butt.

Blake stared after her in disbelief, her cat-ears subconsciously laying flat, giving her bow the appearance of melted wax. "... Babes?" She muttered to herself before starting to follow.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Ruby gently touched her cheek. Her Aura had absorbed the blow so there was no mark, but she could feel the sympathetic pain lingering a moment before fading. Weiss ducked her head, her white hair pooling around her face as she trembled in a prone position.

Ruby's heart was thundering behind her ribs. She reached out, slowly, carefully, as if to touch her but paused. Weiss was in pain, that much was apparent, and she wanted to help, but there was also a very tired, unsympathetic part of her that kept whispering for her to leave Weiss where she lay and just find Yang. Ruby grit her teeth, shoving the ugly impulse away, and shuffled to Weiss, resting her hand on top of the other girl's gently trembling fist.

Her vision briefly went white, the echo of a second slap and the sting on her cheek clueing her in on Weiss's response. She looked back as Weiss pressed her forehead to the forest floor, audible sniffles coming from her. Ruby felt a rush of pity and annoyance; empathy and apathy at the same time. She tried to focus on feeling bad for the girl, as much as she wanted to rub in just how pathetic she looked.

"Weiss?" Ruby called gently as the girl beat her fist into the ground.

" _Go away!"_ Weiss screamed into the grass. "Just go away, and leave me alone!" She punched the ground, leaving a visible fist print in the dirt. "Just stop _talking to me and_ _GO!"_

"Weiss…" Ruby trailed off, awkwardly knitting her fingers together to try and keep them from shaking. "Weiss, I-I j-just want t-to h-help you." she insisted quietly, but as firmly as she dared.

Weiss looked up at her. The heiress' face was red, puffy, and wrinkled as she stared into Ruby's eyes as best as she could with those dark lenses in the way, her fingers digging into the dirt beneath her. "I don't _need your help!_ I am Weiss! _Schnee!_ " Her shoulders and neck straightened for a moment as she tried to project the strength she clearly thought her name implied. "I don't need anybody's _help_ or anybody's _friendship!_ Especially not _yours!"_

Ruby shivered as a hot rush ran through her body. Weiss curled up on the ground, shivering, visibly struggling to pull herself together to avoid any further breakdowns. She was scared, angry, sad… alone... and entirely ignorant of the tension rapidly building within her companion.

Ruby felt a growing knot in her tummy. She bit down on her lower lip, nearly drawing blood as she used the pain to focus. They were scratching at the back of her skull… snarling for release against this arrogant, mean-spirited little bi-

Her eyes screwed shut for a moment as she silenced the impulse she knew was not her own. Slowly, Ruby crawled over to Weiss and sat down by her side; she could fix this. Weiss cringed, making a motion like she wanted to crawl away, but Ruby didn't try to touch her this time. Instead, she pulled her knees to her chin and sat by Weiss's side, staring down at the ground, not entirely sure where to begin. "I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered.

Weiss slowly stilled and looked up at Ruby. Her face was pinched in fury, and she sincerely looked like she wanted to hit Ruby again. " _Sorry?!"_ She repeated angrily. "You're always _sorry!_ Always apologizing and making excuses for yourself! Just stop! _Stop!"_ Weiss shouted at her, but Ruby quietly shook her head.

"I-it's okay to b-be s-scared, I know-" Ruby's jaw clicked shut when Weiss cut her off with a look that could slay Grimm.

" _I was not scared!"_ Weiss corrected a little too quickly, a little too loudly. She pushed herself to her knees, then smoothed her skirts under her thighs and sat back, away from Ruby. She curled her legs up as well, glaring over her kneecaps at the other girl. "I am Weiss _Schnee._ I don't need your _pity,_ or your _help,_ or _anyone else's_ for that matter. I never _asked_ for it, never _needed it."_ Weiss hissed through a loud tremor in her voice.

"Y-you, um…" Ruby fidgeted a tiny bit. "You s-said that a-already."

Weiss glared at her, then at the grass. She rubbed her arm, the one the Beowolf had tried to chew through, and let out a soft, agonized whimper. "I don't need your _damn pity._ Go…" Weiss sucked in a large gulp of air. "Just go _away._ We never saw each other, we aren't _partners,_ I don't want to _be_ your partner! I can't think of anyone who'd _want_ to be your partner, either!"

Ruby pulled her knees to her chest tighter, quietly shaking her head. "Th-the r-rules are th-the r-rules. Weiss, w-we h-have to be-"

"I _hate you,_ Ruby Rose!" Weiss barked, unable to snarl properly through a weeping grimace. Ruby flinched, staring at Weiss in disbelief. "I'd rather rot, forgotten for all time in this stupid forest, remembered as a shame to the _entire human race_ than partner with _you_ because I hate everything you _are!"_

Ruby stared at Weiss with a toxic haze seeping through her thoughts. The rage she was feeling, it… it hurt. It was a beastly feeling, wriggling within her like a worm through an apple, an invasive feeling she knew since her youth… It made Ruby's insides churn uncomfortably, it made her heart hammer painfully, her limbs felt more loose and full of energy than when she had a cup of coffee. She tried to distract herself from the ideas dancing at the edges of her mind by analyzing Weiss's behavior. The other girl wasn't just angry, she decided, she was scared and… broken. Ruby frowned at that. She recognized the threats and angry posturing. She'd seen others react that way when they saw her eyes… not everyone ran, some people instantly turned their fear into naked aggression.

Was this worth it? To even try and console this girl while she was clearly working herself into a frenzy? Weiss hadn't slapped her again, but she might try it or even openly attack if provoked too much. Ruby chewed her lower lip. The thought came back, to leave her and go find Yang. She found that she desperately wanted to submit to the impulse and save herself the drama, but the very thought of it sickened her; to abandon somebody who was in pain was... it was against everything she'd dreamed of doing since she was a child.

Ruby sucked her lips into her mouth and made a determined face. "H-hey... Hey!" She snapped until Weiss looked up and she could look her as close to in the eye as possible. "I d-don't care what you say, I-I'm not l-leaving you b-behind! At this r-r-rate, every G-Grimm in the a-area will b-be c-coming for us!"

" _Let them."_ Weiss spoke through grit teeth, leering at Ruby as if she'd just been insulted. "I was trained by the best mentors in Atlas, they are _nothing._ I won't be overcome by simple _Grimm,_ I have far greater things to do, and _I don't need your HELP!"_ Weiss screamed, slapping the ground as Ruby pouted.

"Weiss, th-the Grimm a-are our enemy; _e-everyone's_ enemy!" Ruby whimpered in distress. She was growing impatient, grinding her teeth, _not_ a good sign. Something was tickling at the back of her skull, something she hadn't felt in a long time: an impulse, a very soft snarl, an alien desire… _**Kill.**_ She sternly, desperately ignored it with a shake of her head. No. No she wouldn't break _now._ She would find the patience, she would remember her purpose, even as something evil howled within her for blood. "W-we need t-to work t-together, f-for all our s-sakes."

"Work with _you?!"_ Weiss threw a clump of dirt at Ruby, her shaking arms sending it sailing over Ruby's head, but flecks of dirt struck Ruby's brow and made her twitch in disgust. "So you can blow me up again?! So your big stupid sister can throw me around more?! What is _wrong_ with you?! Why do you keep causing me trouble, following me around, making _me_ look like a fool?! Did the Schnees do something to you?!" She threw another ball of dirt, striking Ruby's side. It didn't hurt, but Ruby felt the darkness in the back of her mind snarl louder at the ugly gesture. "Is this how you get your _revenge,_ by ruining _my_ school life?!"

"I'm not exactly h-happy _either!"_ Ruby snapped back, all the suppressed negativity in her belly welling up in a single sentence, making Weiss flinch. "You- you've been nothing but _m-mean_ and shouty a-and blaming m-me for _everything_ and I-I've tried to be nice!"

Weiss grit her teeth, and matched Ruby in volume. "There is no way I'm being tied down with you! To some s-s-stuttering _retard!"_ Weiss slammed her fists into the ground, and the darkness swirling in the back of Ruby's head was getting harder to ignore. Snapping teeth, raking claws, they were no longer making demands, they were acting. In her own shadow, now an ink-black stain on the world under her body and largely hidden by her skirt, she could feel them trying to push through, held back only by her will.

They were drawn to Weiss's negativity and Ruby's growing anger and disgust. It called to them, filled them, made them bold, begging for their chance to spread _misery_ to mankind, even if it was just this one, insolent girl. She could hear their clicking teeth in the back of her mind, feel their fur and claws pressing against the edges of reality. They knew. They knew she was weakening. That she would lose control.

Not _now._ "I-I... I'm. _Not._ _A retard."_ Ruby stood up swiftly, and a violent shudder ran through her limbs as she stared Weiss down, hoping the older girl failed to notice the bubbling darkness between her feet. Weiss looked up at her with what was meant to be a heart-piercing glare, but it quickly melted into quiet panic as Ruby took a firm step closer. Weiss's eyes widened and she pushed herself onto her feet. Instinctively she drew Myrtenaster as Ruby stalked towards her. "I just don't under _stand_ you, Weiss." Ruby's voice carried a weight, a directed point that buried any stuttering, squeaking, or cracking.

"After all you've done-" Weiss began, but a sudden shout from Ruby silenced her.

"What _I've_ done?!" Ruby demanded, but then she craned her neck in confusion and muttered just barely loud enough for Weiss to hear, "U-um... w-what did I do?" She seemed to ask herself, what was visible of her expression taut with confusion.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster, watching Ruby with visible worry and discomfort. "What do you _mean_ what did you do?!" Weiss asked in disbelief, waving Myrtenaster around thoughtlessly, more like a conductor and their wand than a swordswoman. "You blew me up-"

"US! I blew _us_ up! A-and I meant _besides_ that!" Ruby suddenly cut in, shouting once more. Her skin was crawling with the urge to _act_. The howling, the scraping, the hunger, the thirst for blood, they were all wordless but preyed on the anger she was feeling towards this girl. If she just let it all _loose…_ "I know I blew you up!" Ruby stomped her foot, head hung low and shoulders hunched. Then her voice softened, until it was a grieving groan of defeat. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so _sorry…"_ She whimpered, rubbing her rigid cheeks, trying to find something to do with her hands. "I-I never wanted that to happen. I just- I-I c-couldn't think o-of anything to _s-say,_ I-I'd never h-held a b-bomb before, a-all I w-wanted w-was to s-stop you f-from g-getting hurt a-and I hurt y-you _worse_ and I-I'm sorry, Weiss!" Ruby shouted at the white haired girl, pulling at the clasps of her cloak.

Weiss fought the desire to pace, her anger fluctuating and mutating into nervous energy. Everything that had gone wrong since she arrived at Beacon had somehow involved this girl. She'd been there for all of it, babbling, whimpering, barely-functioning or conducive to anything resembling progress the entire time. Weiss had been fumbling with her rage and embarrassment, struggling to express exactly how she felt about this _wretch_ and the chaos she spread, but now she finally felt that she'd found her words… "Then why do you always make things _difficult?!"_ Weiss demanded, catching herself before Myrtenaster sliced through the air again. She roughly returned the sword to her hip as she growled, no longer willing to entertain fantasies of dueling the brat. "Why couldn't you just accept my generosity, or stop your stupid sister from manhandling me, or just stay away from me and Pyrrha?!"

"Like I meant for _any_ of that to happen!" Ruby suddenly stomped forward. Weiss reared back as a finger pushed toward her face, and she found herself at a loss for words as a pair of big black goggles filled her view. "I didn't want Yang to yell at you, I w-was going to go sit somewhere else at breakfast, I j-just- I didn't- I'm trying…" Ruby squeezed her lips together and made a noise like a scream through a pillow before she hung her head again. "I'm r-really… I was _really_ t-trying to make up for what happened." Ruby sucked in a deep breath, causing Weiss to gingerly step back again to put some space between herself and Ruby's accusing finger, though it flopped back down to Ruby's side a moment later.

"Then how come every time you've tried to make things _right_ it's gone _wrong?!_ Who are you sabotaging here?! Me or _yourself_ because whenever we've been around each other-" Weiss's momentum was curtailed as Ruby's face turned an unpleasant shade of red and her voice lowered an octave into a near-roar.

" _Every time we're around each other you're mouthing off at me or getting mad!"_ Ruby bellowed and Weiss had to hide a tremor. She felt all the power in her get sapped away whenever Ruby's voice raised, and she tried desperately to remind herself Ruby was _not_ her father, her words were not carefully sharpened knives to puncture her ego and self-worth. Ruby exhaled through clenched teeth, like a pot venting steam, before continuing in a much calmer tone. "Y-you've never g-given me a _chance…"_ Ruby sniffed, covering her face with one hand, and crossing her other arm over her belly, as if she felt sick. Weiss took another step back, a flicker of worry crossing her expression.

It was, for perhaps the first time since Weiss had arrived at Beacon, concern felt for somebody other than herself. She had been given no reason to believe that Ruby was worth her time, other than the bald-faced sincerity in her weeping, anger, and apology. She didn't seem prepared to attack, and though Weiss still felt resentment over the girl's very _gall_ to try and transpose herself on Weiss's life, a moment of self-reflection made the heiress believe that, perhaps, for just a moment, she was not entirely justified in her continuing hatred.

"A-all I w-want is to be a huntress," Ruby's voice came as a miserable whimper, "and I-I don't want this dumb h-high school drama _crap._ I w-wanted to make friends, learn to f-fight, and h-help people, and e-every time I get my hopes up you just… _you-..."_ Ruby bitterly cut herself short.

Weiss felt that knot of anger pull tighter in her belly, but she found herself at a loss for words. The child in her wanted to throw all the blame for her faults and woes on something, _anything_ else. Ruby was definitely at fault for… _some_ things. Weiss squeezed her fists into tiny balls of anger, trying to mentally connect everything to Ruby. Ruby was… _not_ responsible for her sister's actions, even if she _should_ have stepped in! Ruby did not ruin her conversation with Pyrrha totally, it was the country bumpkin and his endless schmoozing. Ruby did not set the Beowolf on her…

Weiss looked up to Ruby with a furious stare. The black-dressed girl, currently physically trying her hardest to not sob, was still so ungainly and weak. Between her inability to speak up and hesitation to act, Weiss couldn't imagine being forced to partner with this girl at all! If the girl had just passed by and not come to her rescue-

Weiss felt her blood turn cold; Ruby had come to _her_ rescue. Weiss squeezed her left wrist, remembering the feeling of teeth and drool and snarling and rage… She had failed to protect herself. There was a likely chance she would have died if Ruby had ignored her in favor of literally anything else. The knot loosened in her tummy even as it seemed to drop, an acidic burn creeping up her throat that made her want to hurl. She would have actually _died_ if not for…

"Why…?" Weiss looked up to Ruby, her entire body feeling strangely ethereal as she realized just how close she'd been to completely and utterly failing this early. Her skin felt cold, and some corner of her noted she was probably going into some level of shock. "Why did you help me?" She asked in a tone befitting a scolded child even as she flushed herself with Aura to try and chase away the unwanted chill. Ruby seemed to pull herself out of whatever funk she had sucked herself into and looked up at Weiss. It was infuriatingly difficult to read her emotions with those goggles on, and it was driving Weiss up the wall, and making it much harder to calm herself down. "After everything, _why help me?!"_ Weiss demanded in a shriek, her hands shaking violently now.

Goggles be damned, Ruby tilted her head and gave Weiss a look she did not _like._ The tight lips and high cheekbones looked annoyed, but Weiss couldn't tell for sure. "I-I'm a Hunter, Weiss." Ruby stated quietly, tiredly, squeezing her cloak buckles tightly. "W-we both are. It's our j-job to help people."

Weiss was quiet. Arguing that point would be worthless; Ruby was correct, hunters killed Grimm to protect people, and had recently begun to include lessons for evacuation, protection, and first aid in the various schools. Ignoring somebody in distress out of a grudge was… out of the _question._ Hunters were supposed to leave behind their emotional hang-ups and focus on one thing: kill the Grimm, any Grimm, all Grimm, and do everything in their power to safeguard the people.

Ruby did not fail that test of her character, she'd passed with an unquestioned understanding towards her purpose. Loathed as she was to admit it, Weiss had left herself vulnerable and would have been killed otherwise, meaning she had failed. No, being caught by surprise could happen to the most seasoned Huntress… her failure was in letting her feelings completely blind her to her duty. This weak little thing, always in need of comfort and reassurance, would be regarded as strong and noble for her actions once others heard the story. Weiss would be the petty, self-absorbed load in the tale.

The realization hit Weiss hard enough for her to knees to nearly buckle in distress. Weiss could see _his_ smile of smug triumph so clearly in her mind's eye, hear his smug crooning for her to stop dreaming like a child and get to _work_. Weiss wanted to be like her grandfather, Nicholas, a man who was an incredible hunter and scholar. He was bold in idea, action, and battle, and Weiss had long ago vowed to be worthy of his pride when they met again on the other side of the veil.

"Weiss?" The gentle voice interrupted Weiss's swirling maelstrom of emotions. She looked up, sweat dotting her face in distress. She could feel a panic attack coming. "I-I'm really mad at you." Her eyes focused on Ruby. The girl wasn't hunched over, she looked serious, and those stupid _goggles…_ "But I-I don't want you to die." Weiss swallowed as her chaotic thoughts ground to a halt. The pain was still weighing in her heart, knowing she failed hung in her mind, but the gentle, if forceful words made her stop panicking. Ruby slowly walked towards Weiss, taking short, ragged breaths, as if she were under some terrible strain. Physically, she appeared calm and collected, more than Weiss could admit right now. A hand rest on Weiss's shoulder, and her usual inclination would have been to shrug it off, but right now, amidst all the conflicted emotions and ideas, it felt strong, warm, and consoling. "W-we're partners. I know w-we both d-don't like it, but th-those are the r-rules. We should g-go and do our job, right?"

Whatever ailment that had beset Ruby seemed to have gone. The girl was no longer trembling so harshly, no longer guarding her stomach from whatever disgusting feelings had risen up from within it. If Weiss was born an empath, she would have felt Ruby's overwhelming relief, but at the moment, she could only stare in confusion at the girl's mysterious strength. Weiss _loathed_ her… this girl had saved her life, and showed immense maturity in accepting her partnership, apologizing, and passing through that anger. The little bitch… why did Weiss feel so weak before her now? Not even five minutes ago, she believed without a doubt in her mind that she could have trampled over Ruby with hardly a hitch in her step, but now she could only picture herself grovelling over the bedamned girl that, with only a few words, proved herself a worthy inheritor of the Hunter's code.

Weiss mused, somewhat furiously, that her grandfather likely would have poured Ruby a shot of expensive gin and invited her to come sit in one of his big office chairs if he could have witnessed her actions. She _hated_ this girl… in a few minutes, she proved that she was everything Weiss only claimed she was… But the weakness she felt was not unwelcome.

She'd spent her entire life put down, made to feel worthless to be turned into a political _puppet._ Every time that sharp, stern voice tried to break her down and convince her she was fooling herself, that her dreams and desires were disillusioned ravings and childish hopes, that her only place in the world was burying her heel into the spines of the impoverished while she lied to their faces about who wore the _boot…_

A ragged breath filled her lungs, swelling with anger and retribution of how far she'd come in her hunting prowess. Every moment of weakness filled her with a bitter purpose, to prove everyone and _everything_ wrong. She _could_ become a huntress, she _could_ surpass her father, she _could_ carry on her grandfather's legacy… and this… this _girl…_ this girl who made her realize how _helpless_ she was… she could prove that she was the same caliber of hunter she was… but not out of _spite._ This girl did not deserve her rage, as angry as Weiss was, she recognized she was in the _wrong…_

It was time to recoup herself.

Ruby yelped in distress as Weiss grabbed her cheeks and mushed her face like a pillow. "Where was this _yesterday?!"_ Weiss demanded angrily, while Ruby made a tiny, distressed squeal as her cheeks were smooshed and pushed and rolled roughly. "Do I need to make you _mad_ to make you _competent?!_ Are you telling me we wouldn't have exploded if I'd shoved you around first?" Weiss let Ruby go and set her hands on her hips with a grumpy frown. Ruby chanced an awkward smile of relief, and Weiss huffed. "You are _such_ a pain in the butt." She sneered.

"S-sorry." Ruby murmured. Weiss let out an annoyed groan.

"And there you go _again!"_ Weiss stomped her foot and began to pace back and forth with short, furious steps. "Apologizing and stammering! How can you be _this_ irritating and still have the competence to kill the Grimm?! You're so aggravating it makes me want to scream!"

Ruby looked at the ground, frowning. Weiss sighed quietly to herself, until Ruby muttered, "A-at least I'm not whining all the time."

Weiss's nose crinkled, and she lifted her chin to shot back, "What was that?! I couldn't hear you over the _leaves rustling!"_

"Yeah?!" Ruby snorted at Weiss. "Well m-maybe you'd h-hear better if you ran your mouth less!" Ruby leaned towards Weiss, matching her hands-on-hips stance. Weiss stared Ruby down. Ruby stared back. Weiss quirked her lips in thought, reached out, and flicked Ruby's forehead. The girl fell back with a tiny squeak of pain, and gave Weiss a hurt expression. "Why?!"

Weiss didn't respond immediately. Instead, she examined Ruby's posture and worked her jaw slowly and thoughtfully. She let out a tiny sigh of exasperation and relaxed her stance. "We're partners. Fine. If you can fight, I'll put up with you until after initiation, but…" Weiss looked back at Ruby with a sharp expression, looking as firm as she could. "I'll be talking to Professor Ozpin about exchanging partners. My mind's still not made up on you, so _don't push it."_ Weiss ended her speech with a click of her teeth and a toss of her head, her ponytail moving in an artful curve. Ruby just stared at her, slowly comprehending what she'd been told.

Without another word, Weiss turned to start her march towards what she assumed was north. Ruby stood up, nostrils flaring in a moment of confusion, but she was relieved. She trudged after Weiss as the heiress marched.

Weiss weaved between the tree trunks, leading the way wordlessly and without glancing back at Ruby. They were moving slow, no doubt to try and conserve energy after wasting so much in their tantrums. Still, they would have to start to move quickly soon if they wanted to get a relic in a timely fashion, but Ruby was willing to take a few minutes to finish straightening herself out; she bet Weiss shared the sentiment.

Ruby stepped around a tree, and felt a hand grab hers. Weiss's eyes burned with sudden strength, and Ruby screamed as she was slammed to the ground. A hand covered her mouth, and Weiss looked to the sky. Ruby stared at Weiss's face. It was still red and puffy, but her eyes were focused, her mouth small and stern. "Shut up." She ordered quietly.

Ruby looked up. High, high above, barely visible between the full branches, was a seemingly normal looking bird. However, it had a distinctive shape, and judging by the slow, powerful flaps of its wings, it could have only been a Nevermore. A Nevermore about the size of a civilian airship. Ruby watched, her body suddenly tense as her mind scrambled for and found something about that monster.

' _Migratory predators, often staying on cliff sides and mountains overlooking hunting grounds: IE civilian roads in the wild. Nevermores are typically car-sized, but within a year can reach significantly more monstrous sizes. Commonly roused by arguments on the road (since the dangerous wilds often cause high tension), they hunt by flying high in the sky to blend in as a normal bird, then dive bomb at immense speeds and catch people in their claws to sail back to their nests and kill them at their leisure. They are known to pursue their prey for miles, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The hazard of Nevermores isn't their offensive abilities, but that they wait to kill, and take a concerning delight with dismembering their prey.'_

Ruby had read that in Yang's old Grimm Studies textbooks, something she'd often sneak away with when her older sister was done with her homework or just slacking off. She recalled that while Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursas were fairly common, Deathstalkers and Nevermores were among the most feared 'common Grimm' of Vale, the former due to its sting, the latter due to its cruelty.

She never thought she'd be in one's sights so early.

She looked to Weiss, who was watching with bated breath. The Nevermore flapped twice, then disappeared past the treeline, imperceptible with the branches obscuring the firmament. Weiss let Ruby go, slowly pulling herself up. Weiss looked at her palm and cringed before she wiped her hand on her skirt, grumbling as Ruby sat up. " _Ugh._ Should have dragged you to a _tree-_ wearing white and red while laying on the ground. _Stupid."_ Weiss seethed at herself.

Ruby considered her for a few moments, pursed her lips in thought, and awkwardly tapped her fingers together. "I l-like your hand cream."

Weiss stared at her, mouth opened, then shut it with a click. She took a deep breath and nodded. "We're going now." She said, firmly refusing to respond to that, much to Ruby's relief. Weiss returned to pacing north, sticking close to the trees. Ruby followed, mumbling under her breath about her stupid traitor of a mouth.

Weiss walked with squared shoulders and assured steps, but stopped every now and then to listen. Ruby did the same. The gentle sound of wings flapping high above faded and strengthened, suggesting the Nevermore was looking for them but unsure where they were. Ruby hoped it stayed that way.

* * *

"Okay. So..." Jaune trailed off briefly, gathering his thoughts, as he held up one finger. Down below, smiling up at him curiously, Pyrrha crossed her arms under the swell of her bust, and cocked her head as she listened. "Let's think about this: I'm in a tree, attached by a spear through my favorite shirt." He jerked his thumb upwards towards Pyrrha's spear, Miló, which was currently punched through his hoodie and a half-blade deep into the trunk. "My chest is starting to hurt, and so is my pride, and I don't see a ladder strapped to your shield. So! What do we have to work with, here?" He clapped his hands together, focusing on them for a solution. "The clear answer is that we have rope! Everyone who goes out on a quest takes rope, right?" Jaune smiled down at Pyrrha expectantly, who confusedly examined herself, then looked back up at Jaune with one eyebrow arched in silent question. Jaune's smile dimmed. "Pyrrha?" He called, slumping. "Please tell me you have rope…?"

"Sorry Jaune." Pyrrha chuckled as the blonde boy let his head hang limply in defeat with a miserable groan. "If I'd been expecting a longer mission, I might have brought some." She shrugged one shoulder.

"But, see, rope is _always_ useful! You can go up things, you can go down things, you can keep things together, you can put it on stuff you don't want to leave, it can even be used as a belt!" He stopped his rant, blinking as realization dawned on him. " _Belt!"_ Jaune grabbed his two mismatched belts and quickly unbuckled them, letting his sheathed sword fall to the floor at Pyrrha's feet in the process. "I can tie these together and wrap them around the tree and shimmy my way down! Just like my uncle Todd did when my sisters took the ladder. Family, right?"

Pyrrha smirked in acknowledgment and took a relaxed stance, watching Jaune squirm and pull his belts off. She covered her mouth as his jeans immediately puddled around his ankles, revealing his heart-pattern boxers. She quietly chewed the tip of her thumb and let her eyes roam as he twisted around to get chest-to-trunk with the tree. She suspected he was less of a hunter than he made himself out to be, but she couldn't deny that he had the muscles of a _man._

"Okay Pyrrha, you ready to witness my moment of triumph?" Jaune asked, whipping the belt around the back of the tree to catch with his other hand. Well, attempting to, and failing in the process. "Any second now!" He tried again, this time catching the buckle and letting out a victorious shout.

"Jaune, I don't think this will work!" Pyrrha called up to him, making the boy groan.

"Why not?! I got the belt, I got the tree, I just need to pull _real_ hard and shimmy." Jaune wiggled in place. "Just a little shimmy down to the floor." He continued to wiggle, bracing his sneakers against the tree while pulling the belt tight. Pyrrha hid her laughter behind her hands. "Whaaaaaaat?!" He whined in annoyed confusion as the leather creaked in his hands.

"The _spear,_ Jaune!" Pyrrha pointed up. Jaune glanced up at the spear still holding him in the air, and took a deep breath.

"I-I knew that!" He reached up to grab the shaft of the weapon, dropping his belts in the process. He gasped in horror as they fell directly into Pyrrha's waiting hands. The redhead gave him an amused smile and coiled them into some loose loops that she hefted over one shoulder almost tauntingly. "O-Okay, I can still do this."

"I believe it would be best if I helped you." She called up to him, her amusement finally giving way to pity.

"No no, a hunter is _self-_ sufficient. See, I can do this, I don't need anymore help!" He gently tugged the spear. "See, if I get enough slack…" He rattled the spear shaft, squirming in place to loosen it, his legs kicking as the soles of his shoes scrambled against the bark for purchase. Pyrrha was slowly turning red as her unblinking eyes widened.

"Jaune?" She squeaked up at him.

" _What?"_ Jaune called back, tongue stuck out as he stared at the buried head of the spear, willing it to come loose and free him. "Tryin'a concentrate up here!"

"I can see up your boxers, Jaune!"

Jaune stopped struggling and stared down at himself, then at her. Pyrrha was looking up at him between her fingers, her face and ears an adorable shade of pink. He snapped his thighs shut and blushed terribly, hands firmly gripping the spear shaft as he went back to just dangling from it. Pyrrha quietly fanned herself, trying to kill her blush. "Okay!" Jaune declared after an awkward stretch of silence. He looked down at her to meet her inquisitive gaze. "Pyrrha, I've come to a decision: after careful consideration, I've decided there is no shame in accepting your help!"

"Okay, Jaune." Pyrrha nodded, smiling a bit. The two shared a silent moment of relief, cut when a stiff breeze set Jaune to swaying in place like a broken tree limb waiting to fall.

"Pyrrha?" His tense voice broke the companionable silence.

"Yes?"

"Now would be good..." He declared as calmly as circumstances would permit. Pyrrha bobbed her head. She raised a hand and calmly examined Miló from a distance. Jaune glanced up as the spear began to wriggle without his input. "Uh, Pyrrha?" He called in worry. With a thunk, Miló popped out of the tree trunk. Jaune yelped as he suddenly fell, his limbs flailing as Pyrrha took two calm steps forward and held out her arms.

Jaune landed bridal style in Pyrrha's grip, staring up at the tree canopy and the sky. He glanced to Pyrrha, whose green eyes glinted in amusement as she smiled. Miló landed blade first into the ground next to them, and Jaune glanced to the spear, then Pyrrha, then to his lack of pants. He pouted, and crossed his arms in a minor sulk.

"You know, I'm supposed to be the one doing that." He huffed. Pyrrha let out a sharp laugh before setting him down so he could yank his jeans up and take his belts back. He buckled up, reattaching his dropped weapon, as Pyrrha squeezed her thighs together and shifted her weight from her left foot to her right.

She entertained thoughts of assuaging his ego by collapsing into his arms without her skirt while chewing her lower lip, stopping only when Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. She felt heat crawling up her neck again and prayed he had no clue what she'd just been thinking.

"Pyrrha, you and me, we're hunters." Jaune bobbed his head confidently, waiting for her to slowly nod back in agreement. "We're some of the best, right? We gotta keep our dignity, even in the face of pantslessness." Pyrrha's cheeks arched as she stifled a snicker. "So that being said…" He held both her shoulders now, lifting her slightly so she was standing on her toes while he gave her his biggest puppy-dog eyes. "Don't tell anyone?"

Pyrrha pantomimed zipping her lips, struggling too hard to not laugh to risking trying to speak. Jaune beamed at her, making her heart flutter. The moment of elation, however, came to a rather abrupt halt thanks to an abnormal rustle from nearby.

Jaune showed no signs of worry, "Thanks partner!" His enthusiasm began to drain as he noticed that her friendly little smile and pink cheeks began to diminish, and he quickly checked his fly, "What's wrong? Are my pants on backwards?!" He asked in a panic, checking his pockets until he pulled out a wrapped stick of gum, "Well _you're_ in the right place…" He let out a squawk when he was roughly tossed onto his rump, and he stared up in surprise at Pyrrha, who crouch low by his side to carefully scan their environment. "... Was gonna share it…"

"Shh, we are being hunted." She spoke in a low voice, her eyes darting from one quivering bush to the next, her ears straining.

"But aren't _we_ the-...?" Jaune trailed off when he realized what she'd meant. He sat up, slowly getting to his feet as his hand settled on Mors' hilt.

It was hard to tell while they were goofing off, but now it seemed painfully obvious: they were surrounded. Whatever was getting into position to ambush them had more than likely heard the commotion they were causing earlier, and in the blink of an eye, the beginnings of their partnership had turned into a dangerous situation.

With a metallic ' _twang',_ Pyrrha's shield flew into her hand, the tip of Miló's spear rising as they stopped, waited, and listened. A low-pitched hiss caught her ear; the sound was too gentle for a larger creature like a Beowolf, but too loud the be the rat-like Toskr, so that left the numerously vicious Creep in her mind, unless the forest boasted Grimm she didn't know about. She considered that she'd spent most of her life preparing for gladiator battles as opposed to learning about Grimm anatomy, so it was certainly possible…

She shot a silent, questioning look at Jaune when he pressed his ear to the ground, and was answered when he mouthed, ' _Creeps'_ at her. Good, she _was_ just overthinking this, but just because she knew _what_ they were didn't mean they were in any less danger.

"So!" Jaune startled Pyrrha with a loud voice, his speaking masking the sound of Crocea Mors sliding out of its sheath, and his shield springing to its full size, "I only have the one stick of gum, so we'd have to split it. You don't mind a little less, do ya? 'Cuz if ya do, I'm taking the whole thing."

" _Jaune?"_ Pyrrha whispered in a slight panic over the loudness of his voice, but he stared into her eyes with a serious expression as he continued on.

"It's a really good brand too, so you shouldn't worry about-" His sword slapped against the flat of his shield, making Pyrrha flinch and reach out to stop him as he did it again. " _Trust me."_ He murmured. Against all odds, Pyrrha did, allowing him to repeatedly beat his shield.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as she felt the ground beneath them rumble… She recalled from her studies at Sanctum, Creeps often surrounded their prey, with the smaller ones burrowing underground to prepare for the battle to start, then leap out to tear into an ankle…

If they thought the battle had already _begun…_ instinct kicked in without so much as a moment of hesitation as the soil erupted a foot away, and her spear plunged down the throat of an opportunist Creep. It exploded into a shriek and a cloud of black mist, and as other Creeps leapt out of the ground, sword and spear lashed out.

The secondary ambush prematurely ruined, the surrounding Creeps dove out of the brush with their flat, knuckle-shaped faces splitting to reveal needle-like teeth and pointed tongues. Even as they sped towards the two with bloodthirsty squeaks and chittering warcries, Pyrrha remained calm.

Eight Creeps were charging them, and there were still more in the bushes waiting to spring another surprise; they were clever, numerous beasts, who could quickly go from manageable to overwhelming in mere moments, but Pyrrha was not going to be stopped here…

Five Creeps charged for her legs, and she mentally went through the steps on how to dispatch them before moving like a well-oiled machine: the first of the black beasts lunged at her kneecap with a hungry howl, only for her pointed heel to drive through the bonelike armor adorning its face, puncturing the black flesh beneath to drive it back into its horde. Two of its brothers stumbled over the corpse before it began to evaporate, leaving two to rush Pyrrha down.

With a calm expression, the huntress in training lurched to the left, as if her shield was dragging her by its own will, and Akoúo̱ flattened the head of one of her assailants like a pancake, before Miló dragged her the other direction like a puppet to slice into the third. The two other creeps had recovered, and ignoring the deaths of their mates, charged her with hissing shrieks, only to fall to pieces as Pyrrha strode forward, untouched, unbothered, projecting an aura of certain victory around her.

Behind her, Jaune threw his weight in one swing that was too short, making the three Creeps menacing him step back and hiss; they understood the blade meant death, but they had every intention to kill him anyway.

He heard trampling from his left and shifted his weight towards his shield, causing the Creep to slam against solid steel and bounce off, pushing Jaune a step back and opening his guard. He leapt to the right and brought his shield down, flooring a Creep intending to capitalize on his weakness, as the other two pushed in in their packmate's stead.

Sweat dotting his brow, he slashed horizontally, cutting one Creep's cheek open and causing it to abort with a pained shriek. One of its companions slammed into his shield headfirst, breaking its bony plating while sending the shield ricocheting into his face. He stumbled back, pulling the shield's edge out of his cheek, stained red as a steady trail of blood ran down to his jaw.

He stared wild-eyed at his shield, then the offending Creep, then the next one charging towards him. ' He reminded himself that a little blood wasn't a big deal, not like losing a few fingers like Uncle Todd did. He battered the charging Creep with his shield and swept in, cutting straight through its chest with a single thrust of his sword. He pulled back, correcting his grip to swing the blade into the side of the first Creep he'd stalled. It flew back, a thin red cut across its side, and the second, its bony plates cracked and falling loose, bit into his shoe.

"Hng! Get _off!"_ Jaune snapped before he plunged his sword through its neck and pulled it out through the side, cutting through its neck with all his might and using the momentum to confront the last one. He stared it down, baring his weapons and shoulders as he growled. It took a step back, then turned tail and fled.

Jaune watched it flee, the surging adrenaline through his veins leaving him tense and paranoid. He took loud gulps of air, the heat in his chest matching the heat oozing from his sliced cheek. He blinked away the haze of relief and accomplishment, remembering he was not alone. His weapons raised and he grit his teeth as he turned back to Pyrrha, ready to help.

Instead he just let his jaw hang open and stared.

The redhead stood amidst the dissipating remains of over a dozen Creeps, her weapons sliding into their resting places on her back. She was barely sweating from exertion, her breath and steps calm and confident, and she looked back to Jaune, her smile gentle. She approached steadily, and Jaune shakily sheathed his sword, feeling more than a little foolish for worrying about her. He let out a breath in a loud rush, so thrilled that they won, as Pyrrha's eyes locked onto his cheek and her smile faded.

"Jaune, did they break your Aura?" She asked, moving more quickly towards him. She rested a hand on his wounded cheek, making Jaune flinch and grab her wrist firmly. She did not jerk her limb free, she merely give him a worried glance.

"No!" Jaune insisted. He stared at Pyrrha, then her hand, and realized what he was doing. He chided himself for reacting like a child. He needed to calm down. She was trying to help. He let her hand go, and gently she stroked the blood off the wound. She gave him a slight frown, considering him carefully. "I-" Jaune sighed, trying to shake off the aftereffects of the fight, "I don't have an Aura." He admitted.

Pyrrha was silent as she moved closer, holding his chin to keep him still as her thumb pressed to the cut. He winced in pain as she ran her thumb along the skin of his cheek. "To be a hunter, you need to unlock your Aura." She told him in a very calm voice, even as her face paled in worry.

"I-I know." Jaune gently brushed her hand aside, if only to spare himself the discomfort of her prodding, and looked at the blood on her fingertips disdainfully. She examined him, making a low, inquisitive hum. "Look, I thought they'd show me on the first day."

"Unlocking your Aura is something you do as a child, or in the interim hunter schools." Pyrrha spoke very gently as she looked into his eyes. "Jaune? Is… is this your first _experience_ as a hunter?"

Jaune was quiet. He stared at Pyrrha and braced for her to start judging him, but not once did she glare, or act prideful, or even look accusing. She seemed worried; just like his sisters… He sighed at the flash of irritation and comfort that thought caused and scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "N-no. Not really. My uncle Todd gave me some lessons to protect the farm while he and dad were away." He winced the tiniest bit. "I had to pick a _lot_ of turnips to 'buy' his lessons."

"I see." Pyrrha replied softly while touching her chin in quiet thought. On one hand, the danger of keeping an inexperienced hunter here was extremely high. On the other, his soft blue eyes, gentle, ashamed stare, boyish good looks, all of it made her hormones act all wonky, and made her feel… _risky._ It was a bad idea, but she liked Jaune. She didn't want to see him fail. "Well, how about I unlock it for you?" She offered.

"You can? You would?" Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. "You can just _do_ that? Just unlock somebody's Aura? I don't need, like… inner peace or the heart of the world or something?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking." Pyrrha nodded. This would be the test. If he didn't pass it, then… she would have to recommend that he go home in a stern voice. "Aura is the manifestation of your soul. I can _show_ your soul how to project itself in a protective barrier, but it requires you to be receptive. You must express yourself through it, focus on your desires, what you _want."_ Pyrrha took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "Our Auras protect us, it helps us reach our goals. When we feel strong, our Aura is strong, when we feel weak, our Aura is weak. You must strengthen your body, but your Aura is empowered by your sense of self. You must know your desires and your weaknesses in tandem, that way you can summon your Aura to guard yourself, even where you are most vulnerable."

Jaune nodded slowly, his cheeks slack as he formed a calm, but understanding frown. "And it makes your weapons stronger too, right?"

"No, not exactly." Pyrrha reached out to touch the handle of Jaune's sword. She looked to him for permission, and though hesitant, Jaune nodded. She slid the blade out of its sheath, appraising its craftsmanship. "What makes a weapon strong is its wielder. Your Aura may sharpen the blade, help it pierce through the enemy's hide, but only so long as you see your weapon as a symbol of yourself. Your weapon carries your hopes, your dreams, your rage, and your limits." She rested the blade's handle back in Jaune's hand, and he held it firmly, watching Pyrrha slide Miló out of its sheath. "That is why many hunters hand-make their weapons, for they establish an affection and trust in it early. It is rare to see hunters who can easily discard and pick up a new one with the same effectiveness."

"Crocea Mors, err, my sword and shield." Jaune pulled his sheath off of his belt and pressed the button to open it. Both of them watched the noble-looking guard extend to its full width and naturally settle into Jaune's grip. "They're hand-me-downs." He frowned and shook his head and corrected himself. "No, they're not _hand-me-downs,_ but they're family heirlooms. They belonged to my grandfather, and his dad, and his dad too. They've been in my family for a long time, and they protected Vale."

"See? You already love and respect your weapons. Heirlooms are often old-fashioned, before the advancement in technology, but they carry not just yourself, but every person who held them. The stories you hear about your weapons have already given them a purpose, it's up to you to see them through another lifetime of hunting." Pyrrha took a deep breath and held out her hands. Jaune sheathed his weapons and rest his hands in hers tentatively.

Jaune was unsure; he had heard of Auras, souls, and semblances before. He assumed that, in time, his would simply appear. He didn't expect it to come from learning, or from self-reflection, but as she focused, so did he. He closed his eyes.

His lips formed a thin, pinched frown. He knew himself, not in some philosophical manner of exploring your emotions, thoughts, and roots, but he knew what he, Jaune Arc, wanted to achieve in order to conquer what haunted him.

She took a deep breath, clearly steeling herself. "Listen to my words, the words of hunters who lived long before us. They speak of the soul, and of ourselves, from then, to now, to the future yet to come. Let them flow through you, hear it from the bottom of your heart, and I will show your soul how to bring about your Aura." Swallowing nervously, Jaune nodded. Pyrrha's eyes widened unnaturally, her pupils contracting into tiny pinpricks as her Aura manifested around her at a blazing red intensity. The absolute extreme of her power at full capacity, her soul wrapped around her for all to see before it consumed Jaune, reaching in to pull at his soul.

Jaune gasped. It was like a wave of emotion crashing through him, his entire body under the pressure of Pyrrha's sense of self. Through the unending tide of her light and self crashing through him, her words rang loudly and clearly through his ears, through his soul...

" _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."_

Jaune did not care much for poetry, but he understood: Pyrrha wasn't simply unlocking his Aura, she was filling him with her own and embracing his soul with her own. For several seconds, he was encapsulated by the unerring warmth and love that made up Pyrrha's sense of self.

It was overpowering. Jaune watched the world go white as Pyrrha all but swallowed his ego. He felt so small, so _belittled,_ and he pushed back, he _pushed_ at the invading presence, pushing until it was out of his body and mind, _pushed_ until he was free, and didn't stop pushing until it could no longer touch him.

Pyrrha stepped back, gasping, releasing her grip on Jaune. She stared at the boy, wrapped in a golden sheen flitting in and out of existence around him. She had felt the unmistakable light of his soul, but couldn't understand it any better than her own mentor's, but she could see it trying to manifest around him, trying to copy hers. It glowed so brightly that the shadows around them simply vanished, and Pyrrha felt a moment of elation.

Jaune's eyes opened, and the power disappeared as he fell to one knee. He felt winded, like somebody had just socked him in the gut. His chest felt so light, like his heart and lungs were floating to the top of his torso, trying to vanish into the sky but unable to escape because some jerk had grown ribs around them. He trembled, feeling incredibly tired yet alive in a way he'd never experienced before as Pyrrha knelt down by his side. "Your Aura is strong." She told him with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Cool." Jaune panted, trying to gather his bearings. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a stress headache began to form. He took a deep breath and ignored the sweat now forming on his face. "Why am I so tired?" He asked, barely able to squeeze his nose.

"Using your Aura is like flexing a muscle. It takes power from your soul, but also leeches strength from your body as well. If you use your Aura or semblance too much you will feel increasingly exhausted until you lose consciousness from the strain. You manifested your Aura, to which I congratulate you, but it took all your power to do so. It will take time for your energy to return." She slid a hand into a little hip pouch, and Jaune blinked as a snack bar hovered in front of his eyes between her finger and thumb. She smiled. "So, let us restore our body and spirits with a quick snack and a brief rest."

Jaune had never been happier to open a granola bar.

It had been amazing… a moment of pure agony followed by rapturous wonder, a joy he had never felt sprung from the depths of his chest and promised him eternal protection… and tired as he was, he couldn't have been happier. He had heard so much about Aura, and now it was his, the light of one's soul was unbound to him, but the process gave him a question. Swallowing the mixture of dried berries, raisins, and granola, Jaune looked up at Pyrrha with curious eyes, "Hey, Pyrrha?"

"Mmm?" Pyrrha hummed, chewing a piece of dried fruit hungrily.

"If you could just do that whole ' _by my shoulder'_ thing, why not do that with, like, _everyone?"_ Jaune asked, contemplating the impact it would have on society; the average country person had a solid defense against the Grimm, the ability to turn any object they could hold into a weapon. Heck, any dangerous profession could have been made safer by Aura… "Do I have something they _don't?"_

"A… _precarious_ question, because the answer is both yes and no." Pyrrha touched her chin, recalling her studies on Aura and soul theory, though it wasn't exactly Jaune's fault he was confused with the answer. "Firstly, for a person to naturally unlock their Aura, they must have the strength of will to call upon their barest, innermost reserves. Some discover their Aura through intense training, when they become confident enough to tap into it; others find it through meditation, and in some cases, there are those who find it at their most desperate moments. Aura comes from your soul, _you_ must be in-tune with it, Aura will not heed your call if you do not believe in yourself. You seem like a… _strong-willed_ and confident boy, one who would not be easily overwhelmed by my soul's embrace." Her cheeks pinkened the tiniest bit at her phrasing. "I had a feeling you had the makings of a fine hunter."

Jaune worked his jaw in a slow rolling motion. He'd worked himself down to the bone to earn the right to pick up Crocea Mors, his family heirloom, a weapon that he did not want to see retire. He did not come to Beacon as a hunter, but he had every intention to leave as one. However… "So, what's ' _no'_ then?"

Pyrrha quietly cleared her throat, putting the piece of peach jerky back in her pouch as she refused to meet his eye. "Soul crowding." She answered with a smack of her lips. Jaune raised his eyebrow in a handsome, golden arch, and spun his hand in a ' _continue, please'_ fashion. "Simply put, if your soul had not been strong enough, the intrusion of my soul would have splintered its connection, rendering you catatonic."

"... What?"

"Catatonic, as in, like, a coma? You'd be rendered a vegetable." Pyrrha clarified with embarrassment, and Jaune's eyebrow twitched.

"I-I _know,"_ He whispered in sudden discomfort, his skin itching something fierce all of a sudden, "but- but _why?_ Aren't our souls immortal or something?!"

Pyrrha raised her hands defensively, trying to sound confident as she tried to abate his fears, " _Yes,_ that is the theory, anyways! But just because our souls are immortal does not mean they cannot be cowed; what I did was done with caution, but attempting the same on somebody unprepared for the benefits of Aura would completely sever their connection to their soul due to the immense strength of the sharer, and there is no known way for it to restore that connection."

Jaune thought back to that moment when her soul filled him, before he'd pushed back… how small and helpless he felt, how awe-filled and terrified he was to be wrapped in the naked presence of somebody who was so much more powerful, but he had _refused_ her. He'd pushed her back, protecting himself from the great presence that swallowed him. "Great… So, why bother with me, then? I mean, that could have come back and bit you in the ass, couldn't it…? You didn't think I'd survive coming here, did you?" Jaune asked glumly, and Pyrrha quietly looked away.

"Few without Aura do, Jaune. It's why hunters are trained, to minimize the risk of human engagement. I do not mean to insult you, I had feared for your safety, and I felt in my heart that you might succeed in my test. You did, you survived, and I feel confident in your ability to do great things with it."

To most people, the words may have sounded patronizing, but Jaune's brow scrunched as he considered her words… few people had confidence in Jaune, even back home. Those that did always warned him of the dangers and the risks, never letting him _prove_ he was going to try his hardest… what Pyrrha had done could have been deadly, but with what he'd gained from it… "Thank you." He said calmly, surprising Pyrrha. "It's nice to feel trusted."

"I see no reason why I shouldn't trust my partner." Pyrrha said with a thin smile. Jaune chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, just lemme know when you're gonna do something risky like that again, alright?" He wore a lopsided smirk, and tore into his granola bar to abate the aches and pains of exhaustion with a sigh. "Even if you know I'll say yes."

Pyrrha saluted promisingly, looking pleased as could be.

* * *

"This is a _cliff."_ Weiss grunted, narrowing her eyes at the steep drop a foot from her toes as if in accusation. Ruby stared down the tall rock face, guessing they were around fifty feet up. She gave Weiss an apologetic look before she swiveled her head to the left and right to find a way down. "I _knew_ following moss was a bad idea! Who in the world told you to follow moss?!" Weiss demanded.

"Err, m-my uncle." Ruby pouted. Weiss began to rant on the trustworthiness of parasitic greenery while Ruby thought through the problem, tuning the older girl out with with greater and greater ease. Weiss was in the mood to rant, but it was no longer as malicious as before, her gaze was stern, angry, bossy, and all around grumpy, but no longer hatefully piercing through her. Ruby sighed gently to herself. "Weiss, w-what's your semblance?" Ruby asked, looking up to her partner–for however long–curiously.

Weiss stopped mid rant and held up a finger, instantly shifting into educator mode, "The Schnee family is unique in that its semblance is hereditary. Like my grandfather, mother, and sister before me, I can create reality-altering glyphs that are extremely susceptible to dust charging in order to create a number of effects. Now…" Weiss planted her hands on her hips. "We need to establish which direction we're going _without_ the help of _moss,_ the sun rises from the east, and it's still morning, so we are…" Weiss scouted the sky and the land around them.

Ruby pinched her chin. "Can your s-semblance help us get down the cliff?"

"Undoubtedly, but stop thinking about the stupid cliff! Rises from the east…" Weiss pointed one direction. "So it's heading towards the west." She pointed the other. "So north is _that_ way." She pointed straight ahead, off the cliff. She paused, her finger trembling. She slowly shifted her gaze at Ruby, who was smiling quietly in amusement.

"I guess the moss had our b-backs. I'll tell U-Uncle Qrow you were impressed." She stretched, feeling surprisingly light on her feet. The adrenaline rush from all the negativity earlier had faded, she was no longer on edge and she could think more clearly. Plus she hadn't felt the urge to scream and run from Weiss' voice in a while, so that was a positive.

"I am _willing_ to chalk that up to coincidence." Weiss stomped her foot with a huff. Ruby smirked, but refrained from saying anything, so the two girls settled for staring down the cliffside at the ground below. "Climbing down would take forever without equipment." Weiss noted.

"Well, you said your semblance could 'u-undoubtedly' help us get down, r-right?" Ruby asked, planting her hands on her hips as her head tilted to one side, her mind still milling for other options. Weiss lifted Myrtenaster and examined the revolving cylinder of dust chambers, a low, curious hum escaping her throat.

"Yes, but that requires some fairly extensive use of dust. Creating enough solid platforming or a gravity effect strong enough to get down easily is taxing, and I'm…" Weiss pushed out her lower lip as she remembered her earlier tantrum. "I'm beginning to feel _somewhat_ fatigued."

"Okay." Ruby nodded, rubbing her hands together as she thought. She paused as she faintly heard more clattering below. She peered back over the edge and this time she spotted a ledge, maybe halfway down the cliff, overhanging a cave. "Okay, h-how many glyphs do you think y-you could make before you run out?" Ruby asked.

"That depends." Weiss touched her chin, rapidly making estimates as her thumb idly rotated the cylinder of her weapon. "Three platform glyphs at most, or I could slow our fall for approximately fifteen seconds, maybe I could make _one_ ice block. Nothing helpful could be done with fire or electricity in this situation regardless of my stamina…" Weiss muttered. She _could_ push for more, but the threat of the Grimm would demand more of her resources than rock climbing.

"Okay, how a-about one platform for two?" Ruby offered. She pointed to the ledge down below, and Weiss worked her jaw slowly, thoughtfully.

"Shouldn't we at least check to see if there are other ways down first instead of mindlessly wasting valuable Dust? I can't just pull this out of the trees, you know." Weiss reminded Ruby huffily, looking left, then right, hoping to see a natural slope, or staircase, or if mother nature was feeling generous, a form of elevator.

"W-we shouldn't w-waste time, though! W-what if there isn't enough relics f-for everyone?!" Ruby whimpered at the thought, only to get a sharp groan from her partner.

"That is the _dumbest_ thing I've ever heard. What sort of idiotic test-maker, especially those working for an organization of immense renown like Beacon, would purposefully include an instant fail-state? They've already accepted our applications, to whose benefit would it be to start removing students on day one for _daring_ to be last? There's always room to improve!"

"I-it happens in my books a-all the time!" Ruby piped up, drawing a pointed look from the older girl. "I-it's a constant struggle for them to p-prove themselves, that w-way only the best of the b-best move on to th-the real world!"

"Putting aside the fact that adding a ' _you'll be expelled'_ hook is an extremely poor excuse for arbitrary tension in those sorts of stories, this is _not_ a book. Our mission is to slay Grimm and retrieve relics, _not_ to put ourselves at an increasing disadvantage by pretending this is a race!"

"B-but still, time is o-of the essence! In a-actual missions, we need to f-find the survivors and s-stop the Grimm before they can cause m-more damage!"

"And this is _not_ one of those missions. Treasure retrieval requires good planning and knowledge of the surrounding area, it's best if we scout out other potential routes and conserve our resources-"

The two continued to squabble back and forth, wasting time discussing wasting time. Though they argued, it was harmless, ultimately lacking the tension-fueled anger that had threatened to tear them both asunder before.

"... _One._ Only _one_ glyph." Weiss conceded, her brow tightening as she finally gave into Ruby's pestering.

"A-all we need!" Ruby bobbed her head, pointing down the cliff face. "A-about ten feet down, th-then we can jump to that ledge below, a-and we'll be fine!" Ruby beamed, while Weiss simply sighed.

"We'll need to be frugal, then. We still need to come _back,_ and Aura or not, I am not partial to rock-climbing barehanded." She lifted Myrtenaster, took a breath, and began to concentrate for a moment. She focused on a point in mid-air down below, drawing on the depths of her spirit, her snow-white Aura springing to life around her as her intense focused created a gentle glow where she pointed. She willed it to take shape, to become dense, to serve as a stepping stone for herself and her partner.

In an instant, her focus broke. Weiss glanced where Ruby stood a moment before she was whisked backwards, and stared blankly as her partner struggled and flailed, slapping at the head of an immense, bear-shaped Grimm that had her cloak in its teeth.

"W- _Weiss!"_ Ruby shrieked in fright, one hand reaching out for her partner, the other frantically grabbing at Crescent Rose on her back, and a black paw, the size of a dinner plate, jutting claws like daggers, slammed down on the girl's shoulder to crush her into the earth. Ruby's scream of pain sent a wave of numbness through Weiss's body as her mind tried to catch up with what was happening.

The bulldozer-sized Ursa crushed Ruby to the forest floor with one paw, and its teeth-lined jaws clamped around Ruby's throat. As her pitch-black Aura sprung to life, so did a high-pitched scream.

Ruby's fingers tried pulling the powerful Ursa's jaws away from her neck, and she barely managed to cry out, "Weiss! H-help! _HELP!"_ She begged in her pain, and a cold stonefell into Weiss's stomach.

She had to move _but this wasn't real_ but Ruby would die _this can't be happening_ and if she did nothing _it's just a bad dream-_ Weiss felt her cheek explode into pain as she forcefully slapped herself, interrupting her thoughts as quickly as she could, and Myrtenaster rose a heartbeat later.

It was a Major, it had to be, Ursa Minors did not grow spines like that until they reached maturity, so she would need to watch her placement. Weiss lunged into motion with a black glyph spinning beneath her feet, discharging enough force to send her skyward; she concentrated her Aura into her sword, another black glyph forming around the hilt, and having suddenly gained a few hundred pounds in weight, Weiss dropped onto the Ursa's back, legs splayed to avoid the spines, her blade plunging straight through a thick, white armor plate to burrow into the black flesh beneath it.

Ruby scrambled away as the massive bear howled in pain, shaking violently, tossing Weiss around on its back as she clung to Myrtenaster for safety, until the big beast suddenly threw itself onto its side and rolled. A single peep of fright escaped Weiss as she was suddenly crushed underneath the Grimm.

When the Ursa stood, snarling and snapping in pain from the sword still lodged in its hide, its attention turned to the young heiress shakily pushing herself off the ground, the adrenaline helping her ignore the pain of having nearly been squashed under the thousand-pound monster. The massive Grimm lunged, front claws in the air to smash the huntress underneath, but a scythe reached its target first.

Weiss yelped as the Aura-blunted blade dragged her out of the monstrosity's earth-shuddering blow, and straight into Ruby's arms. Weiss wheezed in terror, her knees knocking before Ruby pushed her to her feet. The debutante barely caught herself, and glanced up to see Ruby charge in.

"No, _idiot!_ It's too strong, you can't-" Weiss reached out helplessly as Ruby ran to confront the Ursa, its claws lashing out at the younger girl. Weiss found her complaints suddenly stopped as Crescent Rose's pole dug into the ground, and Ruby vaulted over the Ursa in a quick display of agility. The Ursa's bulk shifted backwards to try and crash into its prey, but the scythe hooked around its back leg, and Ruby used it to swiftly slide around its attack and leap over it once more.

The beast attacked, Ruby evaded, and Weiss tried to consider her options without her weapon; Ruby was doing well keeping it distracted, but even one hit from the Grimm would pulverize her. Her scythe, large as it was, scraped uselessly against the bone plates on its back whenever she tried to attack; being a Major, the older Ursa had more combat experience and intelligence than the mindlessly aggressive younger Grimm, it constantly shifted its weight to catch attacks harmlessly, then quickly lunged with tooth and claw, preventing Ruby from building any momentum in her assault.

And for all her talk on being a hunter, Ruby seemed content to act an acrobat, constantly flipping over the beast, again and again, trying to confuse it while uselessly wasting energy in flashy maneuvers that- Weiss's eyes widened as her partner's fingers brushed Myrtenaster's handle, but the beast moved just so to keep it out of her grip.

She was trying to rearm Weiss… Weiss felt a small pit of comfort, as well as annoyance for having missed it the first time, and quickly pulled open her satchel to grab a vial inside. Ruby miscalculated during the moment Weiss wasn't watching, and the heiress winced at the sound of the beast finally connecting.

Ruby flew into a tree with a painful gasp as the beast's claw finally found its mark, but rather than wallow in pain, she forced herself to her feet with Crescent Rose temporarily acting as a walking stick. Her back was stiff from the blow, and her legs felt unsteady beneath her, but before the Ursa could capitalize on her weakness the air around them both turned as cold as a midnight winter; a glyph spread from beneath the Ursa, and ice sprang from the pale blue sigil, wrapping around the monster's legs and digging into its chest. The beast roared its annoyance and distress, throwing its weight around to crack the ice, but Ruby moved before it could escape.

Another echoing howl erupted from the Major's mouth as Ruby tore Myrtenaster out of its back, and the weapon went airborne, its hilt landing comfortably in Weiss's hand. Rearmed, Weiss raced forward on another black glyph, her elbow cocked back, a lethal grin crossing her face as fire suddenly sprang up around her.

Her burning blade plunged into the Ursa's haunch, the fire surrounding the heiress quickly washing over the beast as well to cook it alive, and in its pained shaking, throw Ruby off with a surprised yelp.

"Weiss!" Ruby squeaked as landed next to her partner so the two could back away, the wounded Grimm ripping itself out of the melting ice with enraged roaring, its furious eyes locking onto the two of them. "Y-you're on _fire!"_ Ruby stared at the flames enveloping Weiss's form, and the girl could only smirk.

"The Schnee Family's signature fire shroud, one of our most simple, but effective forms of offense and defense! After all," Weiss crouched low, her eyes flicking to Ruby, "who would be dumb enough to attack somebody on fi-" The question ended with a harsh answer, and Ruby's only response with a terrified scream as the Ursa Major crashed into them both with a ferocious howl, its thick claws battering Weiss aside as its teeth sank into Ruby's upper arm.

The younger girl squealed in pain as crushing fangs tried to bite straight through her ink-black Aura, the monster shaking her violently like a ragdoll. With a gasp she felt her fingers loosen, Crescent Rose dropping from her hands, and in furious response, slugged the Ursa's skull.

Her fist _hurt,_ the Grimm's headplate was like punching a brick, and it swiftly tossed her aside, sending her onto her butt at the precarious edge of the cliff. Ruby squeezed her upper arm, wincing from the pain, her breathing desperate and panicked as she tried to formulate just how to get her scythe back while the Ursa trundled towards her, hardly worried about its wounds or the smoldering smell wafting from its back.

Weiss pulled herself from a pained crouch, her shroud dissipating as her will weakened. She was slipping, growing cocky from a few successes against a beast that required more than a handful of good hits. She was panting, her Aura around her wavering slightly… she was running out of steam against this _one_ Grimm, and she still had a whole forest to go. She needed to calm herself, think this through, and rely on Ruby… in a sudden panic, she swiftly looked around for the other huntress.

The younger girl was trying to find a way to get past the enormous, ravenous Grimm, skipping left, then right, but the big bear was playing things patiently, ensuring it kept the two huntresses separated and Ruby at the edge of the cliff. Weiss lifted her sword and plunged forward with hardly a thought, intent on creating an opening for Ruby as soon as possible. Her sword aimed for the bear's haunches, a warcry escaped Weiss' lips as she swelled with confidence…

… and announced her ambush for all to hear. Ruby, seeing the distraction, jumped up to fly over the bear's back, to land behind Weiss and grab her weapon, but as she rose, so did the Ursa. There was a moment of shock as the bear's eyes met the lenses of Ruby's goggles, Myrtenaster's tip scraping against the bear's thick back plates, and a pair of black paws swatted Ruby down like an aggravating fly.

Ruby smashed straight through the cliff's edge under the bear's weight, falling with crumpled rock and earth towards the ground far below, shrieking in terror as Weiss watched in a cold sweat, backing away a few shaky steps in wordless horror.

As if it could taste her rising panic, the big Grimm slowly turned to face her and began to pant, an accompanying growl sounding like a cruel chuckle. Weiss felt something inside her die when Ruby's screaming came to an abrupt halt, prompting the beast to charge with an open jaw.

* * *

Her entire body throbbed like one, massive bruise, her black Aura crackling across her skin in a frantic attempt to restore her senses. Ruby's eyes shot open to the sensation of a whipping spring wind, to the feeling of her stomach trying to escape into her legs, to the sight of the cliff falling towards the sky as she struggled to move.

She was falling. That explained things, and in the same vein, made everything worse. Falling off the cliff, towards the ground far below… she might survive thanks to her Aura, but it'd still shatter and leave her without her main defense in the middle of these Grimm-infested woods…

Panic finally flooded her system as it all caught up to her; she was _falling very quickly_ towards the ground, and if she didn't find a way to stop safely, she would be _dead_ and it was only her first _day_ and Yang would be _pissed_ and dad would be _sad_ and Weiss would be _dead-_

 _Weiss would be dead._ The howl of the wind in her ears faded into a low murmur as Ruby gasped in terror at the realization, and forced her scrambled mind to focus on finding a solution; she didn't have Crescent Rose, she didn't see anything to grab onto, she had herself, the swiftly approaching ground, and the promise of a sudden impact that, if she was lucky, would not break her neck. She… couldn't allow that. Weiss was alone with that monster up above, she couldn't allow _anyone_ to die on her watch.

… Even if it meant doing something risky.

She jerked her head to face the coming ground and concentrated with bared teeth, her heart hammering louder than the whistling air around her, and she gasped as a black spot appeared in the grass, spreading quickly to cover her impact zone. She shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around her head before she felt the strangely cold material swallow her whole, her entire body flinching as the world turned into pure darkness, the cool muck replacing the powerful spring heat so quickly her mind nearly blanked in shock.

She had not hit the ground, she had not died… but she was _far_ from safe. She'd not fallen into one of her pools in a long time, she gained such a tight control of its capacity to let things in or out that she found she could stand on the surface like it was bare earth, whereas she'd drop in to her chest like it was water when she was a child. It had always terrified her, because unlike water, the Grimmstuff swirled around her and tightened like compacting mud, trying to sink malformed teeth into her to drag her further underneath where _they_ waited…

She could hear them howling around her, even though the cloying darkness allowed no sound, she could see their red eyes opening as their spawning consciousness awakened at the presence of an intruder, their _jailer_ , even though the darkness was so pure it mocked the _idea_ of vision _._ They were coming in a wave of hundreds from all around her, the pressure of the darkness amassing like a tightening fist as Ruby righted herself to stare upwards, where she thought she'd come from, where she could feel the tingling echo of her Aura holding the liquid breach in reality open.

Her hands pushed through the sludge, and she held her breath as she pulled herself upwards towards air, towards _life_. She'd never been fully submerged before, never run the risk of closing the portal on herself, she didn't know _what_ would happen if she dared to, but it terrified her thinking she would be lost forever, to _drown_ in this endless, lightless world…

The Grimm were upon her, pulling at her clothing and the ooze that spawned them was trying to slip _inside_ her, pressing to her ears and nostrils, trying to push through her lips as she pulled herself towards the exit. Claws were raking against her flesh as she realized, in her panic, her Aura would not rise. She was defenseless here… as a result of her own fears, or the awful place her portal lead to? She didn't know, and that lack of knowing made her swim faster, she needed to just keep pulling…

The howling was growing louder around her, it was practically inside her ears, _screaming._ The wolves, the boars, the bears, the ravens, their voices raised in a massive frenzy, trying to strangle their captor as they invaded in a single, solid mass.

Ruby refused to draw breath as a sickly feeling slid up her nose; it was _inside her_ now, writhing in her nostrils, struggling to slip into her sinuses, the discomforting slime filling the tunnels of her face beginning to put pressure on her head, creating a painful ache, but still, Ruby did not dare open her mouth as she continued her ascent, she was so _close,_ she could almost _feel_ the warm air beyond…

Then, her ears popped. Ruby whipped her head back, mouth open, a silent scream drowned out as ink flooded her mouth and plunged down her throat, blood flowing from her shattered eardrums as all sounds ceased to be. The pressure grew, her body convulsing, the Grimmstuff filled her, entering every open hole in her head as it slid under her clothes and wrapped itself around her like a perverse blanket, ignoring her pain and discomfort and tightening until she arched her back, curled her fingers in agonized talons, and went still.

An inky mass jerked up from the center of the slowly shrinking portal, ichor sloshing off to reveal a slender arm with a pale hand accented by throbbing black veins. The elbow flexed and the hand slammed down onto the liquid blackness as if it were solid rock and heaved… a moment later, it's twin joined in and slowly, Ruby emerged from the puddle of black goop she had held fast all her life. She planted the heel of one boot on the grass as the portal dwindled, popping her other leg free just before it would have been caught in the vanishing goo. Her entire frame shook and her pale lips peeled back, air hissing out through her teeth in an ominous, rasping growl.

She flexed her hands, curling them repeatedly into white-knuckled little fists while staring at the ground, panting in total silence. It was hard to _see,_ things were so dark even outside of her portal… Ruby grasped her goggles and whipped them off her head, letting the Grimmstuff pour out of them to surge into her shadow, giving her a fresh, bare look at the world around her. It took her a few seconds to realize she could not hear the distant birds or whispering wind, so she focused, willing her Aura to life. She felt a low, distant satisfaction as it responded, which morphed into an agonized shriek as she grasped her ears when her auditory sense restored itself with a sharp, snapping wail of distortion. Blood squirted out of her ear canals, flowing along the edge of her jawline as she held the sides of her head for a few moments longer, her hearing retuning itself naturally with the assistance of her Aura.

She was whole. She could see, hear, and touch. She licked her inner gums, tasting the remnants of her breakfast, and sniffed, smelling the world around her. The clean air seemed sharper, somehow, as if she were more alive than she'd ever been. She was in pain, but whole, and with a deep breath she refilled herself with purpose.

Find the relics.

 **Kill Grimm.**

Where was Weiss?

Ruby froze as her knuckles popped from her tightly clenched hands, her teeth aching as she ground them together is sudden, seething rage before she stared up the cliff face; the Ursa was still up there, and so was Weiss. Weiss was in danger, the Ursa would _**kill**_ her if it wasn't put down. Something musical caressed her ears and she realized it was a her voice… a small, happy chuckle. She embraced the feeling, the euphoria, this was _it_ , this was everything she'd _wanted_ and now she _had it!_

 **Kill the Ursa.** Protect Weiss.

She hadn't been this excited since her father brought home Zwei as a puppy.

As easy as it was for Ruby to extend her hands out from herself, ink flowed across her back and spurted from under her cloak and out in the air, forming a pair of large, sturdy black wings she had seen and read about in hundreds of stories, mighty wings that stirred up chaos and terror with every motion.

The wings of a Nevermore.

The ground buckled, expelling dirt in a rolling donut-shaped cloud from where Ruby had pounded Aura into her legs to leap up, while her massive wings thundered down, the two complementary forces launching her toward the top of the cliff at a speed that made her earlier fall seem like a sluggish walk. Why hadn't she done this years ago? She wanted to reprimand herself for being such a coward, but regrets could wait, she had to focus. She had **to kill.**

* * *

Weiss stumbled backwards, hitting a tree with an exhausted and unbearably undignified grunt as she weakly held Myrtenaster up in self-defense. She clutched her stomach, where the sympathetic pain lingered, while she struggled to keep the image of the Ursa lumbering towards her still. She cursed the lazy confidence in its walk, she was not going to be an easy kill...

Her ego was aching almost as badly as her body; the beast had toyed with her, answering every stab with a sweeping paw, or gnashing teeth that sent her stumbling clumsily out of the way, or spinning through the air with a pained cry. She was quickly losing her composure, her planned attacks and practiced counter-strikes falling apart against an opponent so overwhelmingly powerful that the training dummies she'd tutored against suddenly seemed like absurd oversimplifications of combat.

The beast had shown too much wit, and was far too strong. Weiss felt beyond wretched; she'd been outsmarted and overpowered at almost every step by a _Grimm,_ her father was right, she had done nothing, accomplished _nothing_ by coming here. Her very first test and she was going to _die…_

She _couldn't…_ she didn't _dare…_ she would not be proven wrong, she would not be sent home in a casket, she would not be a _martyr_ to the company she had yet to restore! She grit her teeth, her flickering Aura solidifying around her, and she screwed her eyes shut, opening them to face down the solid image of the Ursa with a hiss between her teeth. As soon as she finished off this idiotic throw-rug… she would save Ruby.

Assuming the spunky little brat hadn't died.

The Ursa moved in for the killing blow, lurching forward to throw a powerful swipe aimed to disembowel her, but Weiss ducked underneath and sprung away as the trunk behind her turned to splinters and sawdust, the rest of the tree creaking in imminent collapse as Weiss spun her weapon's Dust canister in thought.

Perhaps… one solid blow from the left to its side, adding on a gravity glyph beneath the Ursa, then a force glyph alongside the strike to send it off the cliff… but if it survived, that would put it down by Ruby, assuming _she_ had survived. Weiss swallowed thickly, afraid to find if her partner had been killed… the damn _brat…_ the little annoyance would haunt her, she just _knew it._

Weiss twisted, Myrtenaster finishing what the Grimm had accidentally started by slashing the tree completely in half while dodging a strike from the Ursa, a rapidly-summoned fire glyph causing the felled lumber to explode into a roaring pyre seconds before it came crashing down on top of the advancing juggernaut. The bear halted its stride and bowed it's thick legs under the heat and weight, then, almost boredly, pushed itself up and forward, dislodging the burning wood with little more than a chiding chuff, as if she were a naughty cub that had dared to play too roughly.

The thing was a damn _tank…_ what was she going to _do?_ She needed more firepower, or some cover it couldn't shatter as fast as she hid behind it…

Her head quickly twisted towards the cliff as she heard the beating of wings, and even the Ursa deigned to grant the intruding sound an annoyed look. Both stood very still, quietly stunned as Ruby stared down at them with an expression of pride and joy more befitting somebody who had won a gold medal…

It did not seem… _natural_ on the girl, whose wings stirred the air as she slowly descended towards the ground, her pale face and hands were bulging with black veins, her eyes… _her eyes…_ Weiss hesitantly slid away from her partner as the girl landed in front of her, briefly inspecting her with blood-red pupils in an endless sea of impenetrable ink.

A cold hand tightened around Weiss's heart, and she could barely sputter the other girl's name as all her confidence was sucked away to leave an empty, perilous void within her. She was _useless, weak,_ how had she ever thought herself to be a potential _warrior?!_ A miserable, heartbroken gasp escaped her as she heard _his_ low, mocking chuckle, heard _his_ demeaning, cutting insults, and felt her dreams and hopes slowly but surely crushed like glass under this girl's boot…

And Ruby looked away from her, allowing Weiss to catch her breath and backpedal quickly as the younger girl's wings disappeared into the shadow beneath her cloak, focusing entirely on the Ursa Major. The Grimm, for all the bestial confidence and cruel playfulness it had displayed earlier, seemed hesitant as it roared a warning at Ruby, rising on its hind legs to tower over her as it's fur rose and muscles flexed. Grimm did not often waste energy on threat displays, their goal was to slaughter humans, not defend their young or their territory while mitigating risk like an actual animal would. The only time Grimm hesitated to attack was in the presence of other, more _powerful_ Grimm, especially those looking to take down the same prey.

They banded together against more overwhelming prey, but would attempt to cow one another into leaving before attacking a single individual. The Ursa was trying to _warn Ruby away_ from its kill… Weiss's eyes locked onto the back of Ruby's head in a moment of fright and confusion…

Then Ruby exploded into action. The girl ran towards the Ursa with an uncontrolled scream, her running not at all efficient, her arms swinging outwards like a drunken bar brawler, except they were wrapped in black, tipped with sharpened white claws that scraped at the Ursa's face, making it growl its final warning, then open its mouth to lunge for the girl's head with a bellowing howl of fury it had never bothered to unleash on Weiss during their battle.

The bear _gagged,_ and Weiss covered her mouth as Ruby thrust her clawed hand into the beast's jaws, straight down its throat to grab, to _rip,_ to _tear._ Her other claw scratched the Ursa's cheek before finding its lidless eye, making it thrash and cough as the snarling, furious girl tried to tear its face apart. It nearly dislodged Ruby with a wild buck of its head, but she lunged forward and dug her little teeth into its ear, whipping her head left and right as her claws dug into eye and throat without care.

With a garbled howl the Ursa rose, bringing Ruby with it, and threw her to the ground with slash from one of its great paws; Ruby bounced when she hit the ground, a shallow crater hammered into the dirt and stone beneath her, but before the bear could land on her to crush her to death, before Weiss could whip her sword out to try and drive the Ursa back, black claws sprung from Ruby's shadow to drag her out of its landing point. The entire cliff shuddered under the weight of the beast, and its entire body seemed to tense and swell with air to unleash an infuriated snarl that Ruby dumbfounded Weiss by matching in kind, if not volume.

She raced forward again, and Weiss ineffectually reached out as if to stop her as Ruby's shadow expanded into a rippling black pool that made Weiss deeply blanche on sight. The Ursa lunged, head tilting and maw gaping open to try and snap her head clean off, but she slid underneath the attack as it it were coming in slow motion, and countless inky limbs erupted from the pool to dig spindly claws into its legs, while half-formed heads sunk white teeth into the Ursa's chest and belly, making it scream in surprise and pain as it was torn into by what Weiss could only describe as a small pond made entirely of unborn _Grimm._

Ruby slid out to safety behind the Ursa, and baring her teeth to growl like an angered wolf, thrust her hands into another puddle of pitch-black, pulling out a long, ebony pole, topped with the enormous, curved blade of a scythe. It did not look like the weapon Ruby had brought into the forest, it looked like a bad special-effect; it did not reflect light, it seemed utterly disconnected from its sensible surroundings, devoid of the spirit and technological effort hunters put into their weaponry. It _existed,_ it had a _shape,_ but it was as inexplicable as Ruby's sudden change in attitude, and her shriek of delight sent fearful shudders through Weiss's limbs.

As the Grimm was torn apart from below, Ruby spun her scythe in a slow circle around her, almost looking like a baton twirler, except the sound her weapon made sent cold shivers across Weiss's skin. The weapon lashed out, digging into the Ursa Major's white back plates like a pickaxe more than a scythe, and ruthlessly tore deep, jagged gouges into the thick armor.

The bear's cries of pain turned panicked as it tried to pull itself out of the pool of limbs, but Ruby landed on the side of its bulk, her black claws plunging into the newly exposed flesh of its back, black shapes rising from beneath her cloak to form multi-jointed claws and mouth filled with fangs, and Ruby tore into its back while screeching in a sick mix of savage joy and childish delight, her new limbs lashing out in a frenzy until the dark hide was torn apart to expose the raw, damp redness beneath.

Grimm hands took hold of the black scythe Ruby had abandoned in her haste to bury her arm up to the elbow in Ursa-meat, and the scythe whipped about wildly, cutting off the Ursa's pointed spines for more hands to grab ahold of and stab into the bear like daggers. Pieces of the bear flew off it, and Ruby's ferocious offensive did not cease even as she exposed the upper half of the Grimm's red musculature and some of the bone supporting its heavy frame.

It was sickening, _maddening,_ it wasn't like watching a huntress fight, Weiss was watching a Grimm kill another Grimm. She had no words for it, the savagery, the hatred, the desperation in it, Ruby gave no heed to anything but the Ursa, and her smile grew as she ravaged it from above and below.

Weiss felt numb. The- the _brat_ was _berserk._ She knew that darkness, she knew those teeth and claws, she had studied the Grimm long enough to identify what Ruby was using to fight, and she knew, all at once, it was a mistake… how had she come here? Who had let her _in?_ Did the headmaster _know_ they'd let a monster into Beacon?!

She had to run, to _escape,_ if Ruby finished the Ursa off and turned on her- if Ruby was so far gone- if Ruby really was a _Grimm…_

Weiss staggered around the gory slaughter, not caring where she went so long as she moved and kept the macabre display from getting any closer. Myrtenaster hung limply in her grip as she tried to think while watching the slaughter in front of her in sickened fascination, and she nearly leapt out of her skin when Ursa twisted and thrashed to point itself in her general direction, breaking free with a desperate heave and the loud snap of something in one of its hind legs breaking from the monsters digging into it from below. It barrelled towards Weiss, wailing as if it was pleading for her help, but it acted as if it didn't even see her, bulldozing the cracked armor of it's mask into her chest, dragging her along in its sprint to send the both of them flying off the cliff in a hopeless attempt to escape the enraged little girl trying to tear it open like a birthday present.

Hearing the Ursa scream a few feet away, watching the edge of the cliff rise away from her at an alarming speed, Weiss swallowed thickly and was shocked to realize she had no terror left. She silently wished she'd had the chance to tell Winter goodbye, she wondered if her grandparents would be waiting for her on the other side… and that was her last thought before her fall halted with a lot less finality than she was expecting. She stared up at the sky blankly for a moment, barely able to breath in her shock as the rush simply stopped.

She gently turned her head, and choked down a scream as she stared into Ruby's eyes, which were surrounded by a web of puffy, dark veins… Ruby held her under her neck and her legs, watching over her partner quietly as they floated towards the ground below. The existential fear that had failed to connect during her fall suddenly swelled up within her as she stared into those eyes. Neither girl reacted to a loud crash, and the final broken cry of the Ursa as it slammed into the ground, but the beast had ceased to exist as Weiss found herself lost in an unending terror.

As soon as Ruby's feet hit the floor the world around them went horribly still. The Ursa was dissolving behind the back of its killer, cut down mercilessly, not that it had deserved any less. Even still, Weiss shoved Ruby's shoulders, falling out of her grip with a shriek. She fumbled around until she located and snatched up Myrtenaster's handle in trembling hands and rounded on the girl, whose expression turned darkly vicious as she refocused on Weiss.

"S-stay back!" Weiss ordered, her breath feeling cold on her dry tongue, her eyes shaking as she tried to look at Ruby without peering into those eyes, but no matter what, she was drawn to them, like they'd spring out of the girl to attack her themselves. With each passing second they consumed her, letting them dig into her mind like hungry teeth, scraping away the years of discipline and knowledge she had built over her formative years.

"What's your _problem?!"_ Ruby demanded at the top of her voice, her roar making Weiss cringe. She remembered the dozens of black limbs digging into the Ursa, how could she possibly survive that? She was going to be left as bloody ribbons…

"S-stay! _Back!"_ Weiss ordered in a frightened cry, only to find Myrtenaster thrown out of her hands when Ruby strode towards her, powerful fingers digging into her upper arms. Weiss fell limp, trying to look away from Ruby, trying to fall out of her grip, but Ruby held her up and shook her, demanding they meet eye-to-eye.

" _I saved your life!"_ Ruby shouted in her face, and Weiss weakly pushed at Ruby's cheeks and forehead, trying to turn her away.

"Please! Please no, I-I don't- g-go away! I don't want to _die!"_ Weiss pleaded in a weak, shaking voice, her eyes crushing shut to try and stop the flow of tears, to try and not stare into Ruby's eyes, and she felt that tight grip on her arms weaken considerably.

"But…" Ruby's voice lowered, "I already saved your life.. _."_ She almost whispered, sounding more confused than furious now, and Weiss chanced a look. The girl she had assumed to be little more than a petty annoyance, then a complete terror, looked… lost. "Why do you want me to leave?!" Ruby demanded without a stutter.

"Y-you're…" Weiss swallowed thickly, "going to tear me open, like you did to the Ursa…"

"I am _not!"_ Ruby insisted, shaking Weiss again, now sounding more desperate. "I don't kill people, I'm a _hunter!"_

"You're a _Grimm!"_ Weiss spat, pointing at Ruby as her eyes watered heavily in fear, "I-I saw you summon them! I saw how you _acted!_ Y-you're a _monster!"_

Ruby went silent, her grip weak enough that Weiss pulled herself away, but she didn't flee simply because she couldn't bring herself to turn her back on… whatever Ruby was. The younger girl was staring blankly at Weiss's mouth, and she shook her head aggressively. "I-I won't! I'm a- I'm a _hunter!_ I'm not a _Grimm!_ All I did was kill a Grimm to _save you,_ those things- what _I_ did- I-" Ruby was panting heavily, her black veins beginning to pale considerably. "I would n-never- I-I'm not like th-that. I-I wouldn't- n-not the _Grimm-_ I-... I-... … … wh-wha'...?" Ruby's swayed on her feet, staring at nothing as she held her midsection, hunching over as if in pain.

Her nightmarish eyes bulged, and she quickly glanced to Weiss, seeing her reaction, seeing her pain, her fright… of _Ruby…_ and without a word, Ruby backed away, slowly, step-by-step, beginning to shiver uncontrollably, before she retched. Weiss flinched at the sound of the dry, throaty heaving, and she quickly back-pedalled as Ruby slammed down to her knees hard enough to make Weiss hiss in sympathetic pain, and began to vomit a solid stream of black ink, the Grimmstuff pouring out of her mouth, draining out of her nose, eyes, and ears, squeezing from her pores until her face was streaked with black liquid than ran down her chin in a quick little series of branching rivers, as if it was desperate to reach the ground now that its human host had expelled it.

She gasped for breath when it was over, the darkness quickly getting eaten by her shadow, and Ruby stood on shaking legs, holding her aching midsection as her face puffed up with fright, clear tears spilling down her cheeks to intermingle with the lingering rivulets of ink. "I-I… didn't…" Ruby wheezed, a cough escaping her from the raw feeling in the back of her throat. "I-..." She looked up to Weiss, looking pallid, looking _devastated…_

Silently, Weiss sheathed her sword, staring numbly at Ruby. The younger girl, the brat, the needy little thing that had blown her up, humiliated her, then earned an ounce of her trust, reach out towards her… and Weiss turned, and ran.

" _Weiss!"_ Ruby pleaded, but Weiss paid her no attention. She had to go, she had to escape… " _Wait!... Please!"_ The miserable call followed after her, but she did not heed it, she just ran, she didn't know what was going on, what was _real_ anymore...

* * *

Weiss hurt.

She opened her eyes, letting out a groggy moan. She felt hot liquid dribbling down her forehead, and a gentle wipe and inspection of her hand confirmed it was blood. Her Aura had given out… when? Because of the Ursa? Because of Ruby?

She lifted herself off her chest, trying to rise to her knees, only to jerk to a halt as her left left leg refused to move under her. She shifted on her right knee and stared down at her leg, narrowing her eyes at the root that had snagged her foot and sent her toppling over. She couldn't have been _more_ of a cliche she realized with a sigh, heavy with the exhaustion of the last two days piling up on her. She pulled her foot out with a strained grunt and rolled over to stare at the sky.

She closed her eyes to try and think, but all she could see in her mind's eye was a furious red and black glare in the shade behind her eyelids.

Weiss gasped and snapped her eyes open, swallowing thickly to suppress a decidedly embarrassing sound of distress. Every blink was another stare into that bloody abyss, and it shook her for the next few minutes. Every time she thought she had gotten control of it, a moment's distraction would allow that stare to hover before her once again.

Finally voicing a scared whimper, Weiss rolled onto her side and tried to pick herself up, pausing when blood intermingled with her eyelashes. She wiped her forehead and pushed herself upright on her knees, clenching her jaw and silently raging, pleading to any deities listening that all of this madness _stop._

She eventually stood, her body trembling from the effort. She screwed her eyes shut to gather her strength and bit back a scream as she saw that stare, along with hundreds of writhing black limbs. Weiss stumbled back, eyes wide and darting, confirming she was alone.

That girl had power over her. That stupid dangerous _thing_ was still dominating her thoughts, making her angry, making her afraid, making her _make mistakes_. She was a monster…

That Ursa had stood no chance. The memories of it being gutted, eviscerated, and torn to shreds in that pool of _Grimm_ were still fresh, making her blood quicken and her stomach sink. Weiss closed her eyes again and focused to banish the thoughts, the images, but Ruby was there, staring, screaming like a demon, growing limbs and claws, gnashing her teeth and gouging out chunks of her prey...

Weiss stumbled to a tree and sat down, crossing her legs and flopping her hands onto her knees, her body racked with shivers as she tried to ignore everything she'd seen. She slid a hand into her back pouch and pulled out something to replenish her Aura: an orange cream puff. It didn't look appealing anymore, having been crushed inside of a plastic baggie she'd snatched before leaving the cafeteria, but the smell, the taste, the _civility_ of it would bring her a feeling of comfort she'd been missing for the past two days. An explosive burst of sugar to restore some of her lost strength would be a noteworthy but emotionally unnecessary bonus.

She struggled for a full minute to open the baggie, her hands were shaking from exhaustion and anxiety, she could barely get her fingers to obey her and get a firm enough grip to tear it open. She cursed softly, barely audible over the struggle between teenager and plastic-wrap until she achieved victory. The smell hit her, and relief flooded her immediately.

Weiss Schnee was normally a delicate and artful eater, she knew all her forks, spoons, and knives by heart, was perfectly proper in sipping both water and wine, and had perfect manners at the table. Her poise, elegance and refined palate were the envy of any Atlas gathering of the elite. She had, in short, mastered the art of eating like a lady.

At a _table_.

In the forest, anything goes.

She made hungry, ravenous noises and audible groans of delight as she tore chunks out of the mashed treat. When no more pastry remained, she licked the cream and icing off her fingers like a disgusting animal, but right now she could care less about formality and her image.

She licked the last bit of orange-scented cream from under her fingernail and leaned back against the tree trunk, staring at the boughs while willing her Aura to return faster.

This was not what she thought her training would be like; she was used to open ballroom floors, Grimm-shaped automatons, mentors walking her through her steps and resetting the battle whenever she made a mistake. Her first real fight against some Grimm-possessed knight had been her only real taste of combat, and though she walked away with a scar, she wore it as a proud testament of her victory, proof that she could win her own battles, worn right over her eye where anyone could see it, her ever present, indisputable badge of independence.

Here she was, roughing it in the woods, nearly mauled to death twice because of her own inadequacies against what should have been lesser foes. Her life, up to this point, was entirely dependent on Ruby's involvement. Weiss bit down on her tongue to stop herself from crying. Twice now she had proven her father right, that she was weak and unfit for hunter work. He would have twiddled his moustache as he always did when he was being smug and clicked his tongue, taking her hands between his far too warm palms as he told her how silly her dreams were, how she was nothing like her grandfather, that she was frail and should have stayed in Atlas where she was safe under his never-ending watch, bound by his ever-present leash... and without a word his eyes would turn red and black, bulging veins sprouting up around them as black limbs sprung from his back to grasp and crush his own daughter-

Weiss didn't know how Myrtenaster had ended up in her hand. She had the blade held forward, pointed towards an opposite tree, taking deep, pained breaths as her weapon's dust chamber spun, the hammer cocked and her finger trembling on the trigger. She bit her lip and lowered her blade, her eyes watering up as she blinked to clear them. Why was she so afraid?! This wasn't fair, it was all Ruby's fault she'd been reduced to this!

No, no… it wasn't Ruby. Her father, Jacques Schnee, still had an invisible hand around her soul. His words still haunted her, his repeated obstructions as she tried to carve her own path, his subtle tauntings and needle-sharp, well-aimed put downs to cut her ego, all of it was to mold her. Her father did not want an heiress, he wanted a clone of himself. To him, everybody was a pawn, a piece in his grand scheme, and anything that rebelled was to be stomped out by force. He saw no compromise, felt no mercy, and settled for nothing less than what _he_ wanted.

Winter had broken away from his control in a way that he could not easily retake, and Weiss… Weiss had proven far too proud and stubborn; she had the scar to prove it. Yet, far away from her father, where she should have been at her boldest and excelling without the poison of his influence, she had done nothing but get ambushed and humiliated… she had been laid low by totally random acts and suddenly, she was the weak little girl her father wanted her to be.

By mere chance, Ruby had blundered into a series of circumstances that had Weiss displaying nothing but weakness. Two days straight of humiliation because of Ruby, and when things seemed to finally come together, when Ruby finally proved she was more than a stammering screw-up, _her_ secret finally came out... Weiss took another shaky, ragged breath to calm herself as those red rings and black pools tried to ambush her thoughts again.

Weiss fisted her shaking fingers together and closed her eyes. She was confronted by that fierce glare once more, and Weiss fought her paranoia to keep her eyelids closed. In her mind, they were the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. They were inhuman, unnatural, other-worldly, it reminded Weiss of the Grimm, and those claws, those teeth, those monsters that ate the Ursa couldn't be anything _but_ Grimm. Ruby had summoned Grimm. Ruby _was_ a Grimm, or something like it, and had torn into that Ursa like a tornado slamming into a building: fearlessly, without restraint and to the utter devastation of the target, as if it hadn't spent years in constant combat within its territory, surviving who knew how many other, older, more experienced hunters before her...

… All in _Weiss's_ defense.

It was a shaky and implausible idea. The Grimm were violent and aggressive creatures, that was why Hunters were necessary, they knew nothing but hatred for humanity, but the Grimmgirl- but Ruby, and the things she summoned, only attacked the Ursa… And Ruby had even caught Weiss while she was falling. It seemed to be such an absurd idea, but when she took a proverbial step back… if Ruby had been born with some sort of piercing or cutting Semblance… would the results have been much different? The attack had been swift and brutal and messy beyond belief, yes… but Weiss has tried to burn the Ursa to death. Repeatedly. Torn open, burned alive… who was she to say which was worse? _._

Those horrible eyes, the threatening voice, Ruby had, in that moment, seemed like a monster wearing the skin of a girl, yet she hadn't left so much as a scratch on Weiss, her unchecked fury had only been aimed at the beast Weiss had been in the process of trying to murder herself. Ruby had even fallen back at her words, still claiming to be a hunter, snapping out of her… state almost on her own when the danger had ended.

Ruby was still a hero, not a monster… and Weiss had run away. Leaving her rescuer, alone, miserable and probably exhausted… in the middle of Grimm-infested woods… during a Hunter exam.

A low, humiliated whine escaped Weiss as her thoughts clicked into place. Even against a towering, armored monster she had not fled, she'd fought and defended herself against a titan four times her size, but against the girl who saved her life _twice_ she'd tucked her proverbial tail and ran away. Weiss had been and still was emotionally wrung out by that point, but she had _abandoned_ Ruby, her savior and _partner_. " _Idiot!"_ Weiss hissed, eyes stormy and glaring at the shadows around her as she rapidly pushed herself to her feet. "You're nothing more than a goddamned _coward."_ She spun on one foot and punched the tree she'd been using as a back brace. Her white Aura flared, and she pulled her fist out of the splintered bark with a firm yank and stared at her immaculate knuckles. All her life she'd been surrounded by a sort of… _societal_ Aura; she'd always had food, money, a roof, good clothes, and a comfortable bed. She'd had the protection of bodyguards and butlers, of Atlas's finest technology and army, she never had to step into the woods by herself, and the one time she did, she did the _one thing_ a hunter wasn't supposed to _DO..._

She pulled her fist back and bared her perfect teeth, pulling her Aura off her fist, then bellowed a warcry as she slugged the tree as hard as she could. She squealed, pins and needles of searing hot pain shooting through her hand and up her wrist, a pulsating, angry heat racing up her muscles and bones as she dug her fist out of the new hole she'd made. Blood ran down her knuckles and stained her near ivory-white fingers, intermingling in the trenches between her flesh and nails. The pain was overwhelming, sending queasy pulses into her stomach, but she dared not summon her Aura. "That's what you get, idiot." She whispered to herself angrily. "You should be _dead._ You should've been eaten the moment you walked into this forest; you're no huntress."

She was not her grandfather, not right now, certainly not before now. As her Aura reappeared and swallowed her bleeding knuckles, mending flesh and soothing muscles, she let out a relieved breath. She could be though... She could be better than her grandfather. She needed to learn from her mistakes and stop acting like a spoiled child. After years of failing to be turned into her father's puppet, she would not accept failure right when she was finally free… and she would start by paying back Ruby.

Even with those eyes taunting her in her memories, she owed the girl, twice over now. Not petty little money debts, not borrowing some school work, she owed two _life_ debts. Weiss felt her knuckles tighten at the thought. Ruby deserved… _more._ That was what the books would say. Weiss had done the selfish thing; in that moment, she had been like her father, and that furious thought drove the last nail into the coffin.

Weiss looked up to the sky, letting her gaze lose focus before her eyelids drifted shut, and took a deep, relaxing breath, every muscle from her neck to her toes gently relaxed. Then steeled herself anew, but not with knots of anxiety and uncertainty, but with a true readiness, reminding her of the moment she stepped on stage or when she _knew_ she could beat that knight-grimm.

She quietly hoped Ruby was okay… and realized that she meant it. She had questions, suspicions, and demands to make, but only once she knew it was safe to do so. Whether it was intentional or on purpose, Weiss felt entitled to know what Ruby's purpose was at Beacon.

Weiss moved her head, shifting her gaze to find her own trail. She took four confident steps back toward where she'd left her fellow huntress before she broke out into a full sprint.

* * *

It was an honest miracle that Weiss had managed to run so far in such a short amount of time without noticing. She was beginning to fear that she had somehow gotten turned around and was even more lost- _displaced_ than she had been before, she figured she would have at least seen the cliff by now.

 _Stupid stupid stupid…_ that's what she was, leaving a pathetic little girl to her own misery in the middle of a Grimm-infested forest. It wasn't as if Weiss had seen hide or hair of any of the other hunters, the chances of somebody else coming across Ruby was next to nil, unless the second launch group had picked up the pace or, for some reason, any of the other initiates decided to double-back.

Even with a shameful instinct whispering for her to leave the girl behind and secure her own position at Beacon, Weiss kept moving forward. Though she still felt those eyes peering at her from the shadows, Weiss was too caught up in her theorizing about what on Remnant Ruby could possible _be_ to be swallowed in fear. She would remain alert, of course, but now that she had grasped ahold of her emotions and demanded their compliance, she was able to _think…_

In the distance, above the treetops, she spied a decaying black mist, an obvious sign of dead Grimm, and Weiss hurried forward. Was she right? Was Ruby in the middle of another fight?

… Or finishing one? Weiss broke through the treeline to the sight of a familiar cliff, and sitting in the field, appearing untouched, surrounded by the limbs of a pack of deceased Beowolves, Ruby was bent over. She held her knees and panted, her hunter's scythe in her hands, her goggles back on…

Well, that explained one annoyance: the goggles were practical, not likely to just fall off if she fell wrong, and Weiss swallowed thickly. She remembered the girl's sobbing, and while Ruby seemed calmer now, her sagging shoulders small whimpers heavily implied she was tiring from the emotional outpouring mixed with her recent fight.

Slowly, Weiss approached Ruby from behind, passing between the dissipating bodies of what were formerly Grimm, and the moment her heel scraped the grass a bit too roughly and made a sharp rustle, a rifle bullet whistled over her head, the sound of the gunshot echoing ominously off the cliffside. Ruby hadn't even looked her way, but the shot had been far too close for Weiss's nerves, and the heiress immediately stumbled back as Ruby fixed her with a hidden glare.

Then a small frown, then a panicked gasp as she quickly gathered herself to stumble towards Weiss. "I-I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!"_ Ruby whispered as Weiss stared at her in uncertainty and fear. It had been a good shot, nearly _too_ good of one… and Weiss bit down on her lower lip; the meek little thing had more talent than Weiss wanted to give credit for, she'd nearly taken that bullet between the eyes… Weiss' eyes tracked downward and took note of just where the muzzle of Ruby's sniper-scythe was pointed.

"D-don't aim it at me, you idiot!" Weiss ordered, sweeping Myrtenaster out, the blade forcing the business end of the red rifle to the side. The younger girl froze, swallowing loudly enough for Weiss to hear as the debutante regathered her thoughts. "I came all the way back here and you _shoot at me_?! Seriously, you need to see a specialist about your social skills!"

"W-Weiss…" Ruby whispered, her jaw quivering as she stayed still. Crescent Rose folded into its compact form at Ruby's behest, and it was strewn across her back. The little huntress-wannabe held her hands up passively, and lowered her head in silent shame. "I-... I d-didn't m-mean to s-s-scare you… I-I d-don't know w-what happened… I-I w-was scared t-too…"

"You… were?" Weiss asked hesitantly, her thoughts silencing as she listened.

"Y-yes! I-I've never d-done that b-before! I-I-I… I can s-summon Grimm, a-and I c-came to Beacon t-to f-find a way to f-fight that." Ruby's volume increased slowly, and she made tight, furious fists. "No… I came to try to learn how to fight _despite_ that and… I… I failed…" She whimpered, her face lowering. "I u-understand if you can't do this… be p-partners with a… with _me_ , I-I'm not a g-good person, I-I just w-w-wanted to b-become one… I n-never would have left home if I knew about… _t-that_. M-maybe i-it's b-better if you l-leave me behind… I w-won't f-follow you… just… go" Ruby bit her bottom lip.

The little thing lowered her hands and shook like a leaf, her eyes clearly shut since she didn't see Weiss lower her sword. What the hell had she just heard? An invitation to _abandon_ her? She was serious too, she was awaiting Weiss's move, refusing to look up even as Weiss stormed forward, her footsteps as loud and furious as she was.

Ruby _screamed,_ but only for a second, and held her pained cheek while looking up at Weiss without comprehension. Weiss stole her open hand back, then grasped Ruby by the front of her outfit to stare the despondent young lady in the eyes, as best she could with those damned goggles. Weiss's expression could have politely been described as 'teeth-gnashingly furious', something that left Ruby terrified and speechless.

"You- _you-!"_ Weiss could barely articulate herself as she shook Ruby like some crude neanderthal in a back alley, frightening the younger girl further. "How _dare you?!_ Asking me to _leave you to the wolves?!"_ Weiss threw Ruby back, storming forward with an icy glare and a red face. Ruby, despite her words, hesitantly stepped away from the girl's heart-stopping rage. "I am a _huntress_ you vapid _ignoramus!_ I do _not_ give up on people, even snivelling, suicidal little cowards like _you!"_

"B-but I-" Ruby swallowed her words at Weiss's inarticulate snarl.

" _You_ are a socially inbred, mush-mouthed, stuttering _cretin_ who, against all odds, was graced by _my_ partnership, and despite its continued proof that this is a complete mistake, I have maintained it up to this point!" Weiss roughly shoved the smaller girl, more like a sorority bully than a huntress, and continued on her tirade, "Not only have you managed to find ways to infuriate me like no other has, you have terrified me, threatened me, laid your hands on me without my permission, and _saved my life!"_ Weiss's rage peaked with a roar that made Ruby shudder, and after a few seconds, look up hesitantly at Weiss's chosen words, to see the arctic beauty's flowing tears. "If you want to fail so badly, go ahead and march right on back to the proctors and tell _them,_ Ruby Rose! I won't leave you here just because _you_ feel pathetic!"

"Th-the Grimm…" Ruby stuttered, more out of shock than fear now as Weiss wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, flicking the moisture off disdainfully before refocusing her anger on Ruby. "I-I could h-have k-killed y-you, a-and… a-and I s-summon G-Grimm.. Y-you shouldn't h-have come b-back!" Ruby sucked in a painful breath, caught up in an emotion she didn't know how to describe.

"And leave you to be mauled to death in the woods by the _Grimm,_ so I can explain to the headmaster and your thug of a sister that I let you, my partner, a fellow huntress, a _person,_ die based on information and circumstances I am not cognizant to?!" Weiss stomped her foot, making Ruby flinch once more. "Just because you have yet to meet _my_ standards, Ruby Rose, does not mean I won't live up to them myself! We are _hunters,"_ she spat, " _we-..._ we _help_ people." She repeated, making Ruby stare at her in a mixture of apprehension and confusion.

"E-... Even a-after w-what you s-saw me d-do?..." Ruby asked in a soft voice, earning a dismissive huff from the debutante.

"What I _saw,_ upon reflection of our situation, was you defending the both of us. How you did it is _beyond_ questionable, but again, I am unaware of how and why you have these… _abilities,_ and those _eyes."_ Weiss balled her hands together to take a deep breath, trying to relax her fears, her anger, her annoyance… "But based on your words and actions, you did not _choose_ to have them. Whatever gifts we are born with we have to live with, I will not make the mistake of ostracizing someone for something they cannot control."

Their eyes met as best they could. Ruby's expression was flat and pale with surprise, and Weiss's determined face only flickered once with doubt. Ruby was a contradiction to her bones, a shambling social pariah with all the grace of a falling Goliath, a huntress of surprising skill and clarity of purpose for her age, and a Grimm-thing with heroic tendencies… Weiss had the distinct impression that taking Ruby up on the offer to run screaming into the forest would have been a lot less stressful in the long run but, damnit, Weiss had made up her mind and was Ruby starting to _wail_ …

"W-Weiss…" Ruby drew the name out into a long, agonized sound of a dozen or so emotions. The heiress huffed, rolling her eyes at the younger girl's emotional overflow, and quickly went stiff as she found herself embraced. She held her arms out in shock and disgust, staring down as Ruby buried her face into Weiss's shoulder. She wanted to kick and scream at the disgrace; where had Weiss implied that hugs were acceptable?! The gross violation of personal space had Weiss gritting her teeth, and with little warning, filling her eyes with moisture.

She _didn't need hugs…_ a Schnee was an independent, powerful person whose words swayed pop culture and politics with shameless ease, so why was it that such… _brazen_ physical contact, so _simple_ and _primitive,_ left Weiss shuddering and warm? She was the one coming to comfort Ruby, why did her embrace leave her so weak and content?

" _I-I-I p-promise I-I'll be the b-best p-partner i-in the w-world...!"_ Ruby openly sobbed, shaking as she held onto Weiss's midsection for support. Weiss sniffled the tiniest bit, and hid her peace with a disgruntled sigh.

"I don't want to hear promises you can't _keep,_ if you want to be my partner-" Weiss finally pushed Ruby off of her, forcing their _cuddling_ to come to an end. It was disgraceful, and left Weiss full of all sorts of weird feelings, "- then I expect you to prove your worth through your grades and training. I _hate_ empty boasting." Weiss sniffled, ignoring the odd impulse to get another hug.

"O-okay!" Ruby bobbed her head, still shaking, still shuddering, still acting like such a child. "I-I will… I'll b-be the best… a-and I'll d-do my b-best!"

Was it possible to even trust her at this point? Weiss's nostrils flared, and she silently surmised that, no, she barely _knew_ Ruby, she didn't know a thing about her powers; that they walked away from that last encounter only beaten up as opposed to crushed and eaten could have easily been a stroke of luck, one that Weiss was uncomfortable at the idea of repeating. There'd been no masterful takings of the board, no grand plans executed, no spur-of-the-moment epiphanies to turn the battle around… it was pure deus ex machina, and Weiss did _not_ like the idea of _luck._

It was messy, unclean, and taught no lessons… so Weiss sucked in her breath, bowed her head to Ruby, and looked towards the north. They still had a mission and an idea of which direction to go… "I'll be talking to the headmaster after all of this." Weiss said suddenly, making Ruby freeze up. "About who you are and why you're here."

"B-but…" Ruby began, stopped herself, then lowered her head. "H-he might… … … I unders-stand…" She whispered in defeat.

"Then let's move on ahead." Weiss ordered, doing her best to channel Winter's 'No talk, just obey' tone as she pointed to the north. "It's for the best we start moving immediately. No more distractions, no more needless fighting-" Weiss's words were cut short by the sound of cutting winds, and a sharp pain slicing into her Aura-protected hip.

She hit the ground with a yelp, the color draining from her as she looked around to realize that all around her enormous, steel-sharp black feathers peppering the ground like a field of fallen swords, and she glanced up to see Ruby grasping one, panting heavily in anxiety as she tried to tear it out of the ground to free her punctured red cape.

"N-Nevermore!" Ruby shouted, a weakly flickering black light caressing her arm and fist as she punched the Nevermore feather hard enough to snap it in half, letting her grab the rough vein and tear it out of the ground.

"The one from before?!" Weiss demanded, forcing herself to think through her numbed shock, not wanting to make the same mistake as before. Of _course_ it waited until they were in a clearing, of _course_ it waited until they were softened up, of _course_ it would attack them during a big, emotional moment before they had a chance to recoup. Vile beast… "Stay low!" she finally ordered.

" _Run!"_ Ruby countered with a sudden panic in her voice, and Weiss twisted her head to look towards the sky, where an immense black shape was swooping down on her, glossy white talons extended. Weiss, once more, felt her life flash before her eyes… she pushed herself to her feet, everything feeling like she was moving in slow motion as her heart hammered in her chest, her heels biting into the forest floor to push her out of its grasp, but she couldn't outrun the diving bird.

Weiss went airborne with a pained shriek as a boot connected with her chest, and she just barely saw Ruby drop into a low stance where Weiss had been standing, readying her scythe, but even _she_ wasn't fast enough. The debutante hit the grass with a pained cough, and shook out the dazing fuzz in her head to shoot to her feet.

It had gone quiet.

In the field of black feathers, a red and black scythe lay still on top of a few, deep gouges in the forest floor, with no Ruby attached to it. It took only a moment before a bubble of panic appeared in Weiss's stomach. She forced herself to her feet and looked back up at the fleeing Nevermore, focusing her eyes to catch sight of a tiny, squirming figure in one of its talons…

Weiss felt a multitude of emotions hit her at once. Fear, anger, worry, and most distressingly, a hint of relief: Ruby was gone, she could _go_ , and Weiss was honestly and sincerely not to blame _._ She wouldn't have to worry about her powers, her klutziness, her Grimm, her _anything._ Ruby was _gone_ and Weiss' conscious could be clear about it… no one could have stopped that Nevermore in this situation _._

It was a short-lived thought that stunk of her father's self-serving rationalizations. Weiss wanted to kick herself for even having the gall to _think_ that. She'd already decided she'd be working with Ruby, as much of a headache as the idea was, and she wasn't about to back off just because circumstances provided an alibi _._ Weiss had to focus; she had a _new_ mission.

Her mission _had_ been to retrieve the relics… but as much as she hated the idea of reprioritizing without official authorization, Ruby was _far_ more important. This could have been a potential failure from a scholastic perspective, but if her professors failed her on the basis that she was too busy saving another human being, then…

… then this was not the school for her. She would not be like her father, she would _not_ disregard basic human decency for personal gain; she would _work_ for her country, her employees, and her race. She would work for Ruby, because that was what a decent human being would _do._

It's what Ruby did for her...

Weiss took a calming breath through her nose, and despite the way her limbs shook at the prospect of fighting the massive Nevermore, she pushed aside her fear and filled herself with a sense of duty.

She ran forward on unsteady legs, picking up Crescent Rose and slung it across her back, the Auratic enhancements allowing it to adhere to her Aura seamlessly, negating the need for a sheath. The weapon was heavy, but Weiss had run with heavier for her training.

She just needed to keep her eyes on the sky and her focus on rescuing Ruby.

A surge of excitement went down her spine as she ran forward, watching the black wings soaring high above. She _would_ be a hero; no sad endings, no loss of lives, not on her watch. She would do the impossible, and find a way to conquer the odds.

Weiss ran into the forest, heading north, after her partner.


	7. Eight Player Co-Op

"Okay…" Jaune stated as calmly as he possibly could, a nervous frown on his face. His throat bobbed as he swallowed loudly and fought to keep a tremor out of his voice as his partner looked on in concern. "Let's think this through."

"It may be a little late for that, Jaune." Pyrrha's eyes followed him up, down, up, down, then up again, and down one more time. Her cheek twitched when Jaune turned a faint shade of green.

The Deathstalker clicked its massive pincers while Jaune hung from its stinger by the spear hole in his hoodie, dominating most of the well-lit forest clearing that the two unlucky teens found themselves in, "It's _never_ too late to come up with a plan. Like… okay, while I'm up here, it can't reach me so I shou-"

The Deathstalker cut him short by suddenly charging forward, pincers spread out to prevent Pyrrha from strafing while its stinger plunged down towards her, Jaune screaming in terror as it did so. Pyrrha slapped the stinger up above her head with a swipe of her shield, and her cheeks flushed with heat and blood as Jaune pressed against her, their noses touching, their lips a mere inch from-

" _Aaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuggggghhhhh!"_ Jaune was jerked back by the Deathstalker, which clicked its proportionally small mouth feelers in confusion as he hung in front of its broad, flat head. "Pyrrha!" Jaune wailed, managing to unsheathe his sword and hack at the yellow, bulbous stinger holding him, though the blade did little more than produce a loud ring. "Pyrrha, I think it's mad at me! I need a distraction!" Jaune flailed for a second as he hung ever closer to its head, its pincers snapping closer to his body as it reached up, when a spear suddenly flew between his legs and clattered against its bony hide ineffectually. Wild-eyed, Jaune stared at his partner, whose complexion was a deep tomato red, her arm still extended from the powerful throw. " _That_ is _not_ what I meant!" He shrieked, crushing his thighs together to banish a phantom ache in his balls.

With a quick, aggressive shake of her head, Pyrrha pushed past the absurdity of the situation, and charged forward to slam her shield into the Deathstalker's face as her other hand summoned her spear back to hand, the weapon shifting and compacting at her command into it's shorter sword form. The Deathstalker flinched before it let out an angry chitter and swept its pincer over Pyrrha's head as she rolled away. As its other claw speared for her midsection, she tossed her shield into its grip to keep it from closing around her before turning to fence with the scorpion's other claw.

She was beginning to pant. This was not good; she had used too much aura helping bring Jaune's Aura out. She'd paced herself well during the fight with the Creeps, but the combination of the heat, constant walking, and ceaseless vigilance had prevented her from recovering her stamina since then. She predicted she had another hour or so of basic aura-enhanced exertion in her before she would need to tag out. A generous timeframe, sure, but against a Deathstalker? Basic aura enhancement would never crack its armor and the more power she used, the faster she'd run dry.

She heard a twang as her shield finally flew out of the scorpion's grip, and she raised a hand to summon it back to her with a low metallic hum. She would catch it before its other pincer came at her, parry the hit, strike the other claw…

Jaune lifted himself enough to slide off the stinger and fall shield-first on top of the claw. He grunted in pain and rolled away from the Deathstalker as it shrieked angrily, and Pyrrha dove after him as it tried to catch at least one of them with its unburdened pincer. "Okay, Pyrrha, where's the best place to stab a Doomstalker?" Jaune asked, getting to his knees, keeping his eyes focused on the enemy as the leather of his fingerless glove creaked around the hilt of his sword.

"Deathstalker." She corrected, stabbing out as her weapon shifted again to elongate and nearly pierce a bulging red eye as a spear, driving the creature back while Jaune regained his feet. "Normally?" Pyrrha pressed a hand against Jaune's chest, forcing the both of them back, out of the stinger's effective range. The Deathstalker stared them down with unblinking compound eyes, snipping aggressively as it considered its options. "A typical Deathstalker has a more lightly armored underbelly and sides, as well as the joints in its claws, tail, and legs. This one, however, is _considerably_ older…"

"Oh cool, maybe it wandered away from the Grimm old folks home and there's some Beowolf in a dress looking for it." Jaune quipped rapidly, then looked to Pyrrha with a question in his eyes at her unamused expression. "You're serious; how does it being _old_ stop us? We're going to be killing these things for a living, right?"

"The Grimm grow larger and more powerful with time, Jaune. Even devoid of sustenance, some unknown force strengthens them, until even the lowliest creep is capable of extraordinary feats. _This_ Deathstalker is particularly old..." Pyrrha noted with a hint of worry. "Older than any I have faced before."

"Aaaannnnd that means there's more bad news?" Jaune hazarded a guess, shifting to more fully hide behind his shield.

"Indeed, Grimm also grow more _intelligent_ with age. Plus, Deathstalkers are rather infamous for how much damage their armor can take even at an infantile age. Add on years or decades to enhance its durability..." Pyrrha trailed off and pointed her spear towards its back, which was covered in bony armor, scored with countless chinks and nicks, sprouting a sparse coating of grass. "This one may have been spawned before the Color Wars."

" _Ooookaaaaaaay."_ Jaune gave the beast a careful, evaluating look as it snipped at the two of them threateningly, clearly agitated by this standstill. Its stinger thrust at Jaune, who practically danced out of the way. Pyrrha noted that his movements were _far_ from energy efficient as he slashed the bulbous, tough-as-rock stinger, his blade bouncing off with a resounding crack. "So it's super tough, super strong, super smart, anything else?"

"Um, well, it's venomous." Pyrrha opened her mouth again to explain, but had to hammer the stinger to the side with her shield, a sweeping motion of her sword keeping the beast too wary to rush her. She quickly skipped to Jaune's side, helping create a defensive line with their shields.

"This thing is _poisonous?"_ Jaune asked with a shocked look.

"No, _venomous,_ but I would not recommend ingesting a Grimm either." Pyrrha and Jaune both thrust their shields out. Pyrrha's autumn red aura sparked alongside Jaune's twinkling gold, and the stinger skipped off their shields with ease. Jaune gave her a questioning stare, and she flicked her hair back before clarifying, "Venom is injected, poison is ingested."

"Y'know, I always wondered what-" Jaune pressed against Pyrrha and the two of them skipped away from the stinger. The Deathstalker was growing angrier, and threatened a few steps closer with its massive claws. "What does Domestroker venom _do?"_

"Deathstalker," Pyrrha quickly retorted. Jaune took a wild swipe at a lunging claw, hammering his weapon down repeatedly until he battered it away with sheer force Pyrrha winced at his wasted effort as she deflected the other claw with a slight twist of her wrist and shift of her weight. She struck at its wrist-like joint, but found the Deathstalker's black flesh was only slightly less durable than its armor. "It's venom causes fading!" Pyrrha shouted, frowning when she noticed she'd barely drawn blood, despite the successful attack.

Jaune began to slowly back away, his sword held out in front of her to signal for her to do the same. Pyrrha looked to him curiously out of the corner of her eye as the two slowly began to retreat from the beast. "Fading's bad, right?"

"Err…" Pyrrha forced herself to think back to her lessons as a child. "Yes, it's- it's an instantaneous loss in Aura that leaves you at your foe's mercy, so-" The two froze in place as the tip of its stinger tried to puncture their shields and ended up held ominously between their faces. Thick, black droplets formed at the end of its deadly point, and Jaune met Pyrrha's eyes.

"I'm convinced!" Jaune suddenly shouted, twisting with his entire body to throw the tail up and away before hooking the elbow of his shield arm around her sword arm and sprinting as fast as he could. " _Retreeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat!"_ Jaune roared as a surprised Pyrrha finally caught her footing and tried to keep pace. Her legs were longer, but he was surprisingly swift as she stared at him with wide eyes, keeping her sword from flailing in her grip as they sped away from the monster. Behind them, the crash of the trees alerted them to its pursuit.

"Jaune-" she began, then her eyes focusing past him.

" _We were told to find relics, not to kill things! I mean, yeah, we were told to kill things, but first we were told to find relics! I don't think we should fight that thing!"_

"Jaune!" Her tone rose, her legs slowing down but he nearly dragged her off her feet, not at all slowed by her resistance.

" _Okay, yeah, we're hunters, but we're not professionals yet! I mean we have a lot of lessons to cover and frankly, that thing grosses me out! So I say we high-tail it, find the relics, and let somebody with better credentials take care of it!"_

" _Jaune!"_ She snapped, hitting his shoulder with her own to jolt him out of his panicked rant.

"What Pyrrha?!" Jaune snapped, finally twisting to look at her for a moment, his one visible eye darting a touch in panic. Pyrrha pointed ahead with her sword.

" _That-is-a-cliff-Jaune!"_ She squealed in distress as his head jerked back ahead, and he made a feeble noise of distressed confirmation.

Jaune planted his feet and tried to slide to a stop, the back of his arm pressed against Pyrrha's chest in a gallant, if pointless, gesture of protection. Pyrrha's hand magnetically stuck to the back of his armor as the heels of her boots dug a trench while she grimaced in discomfort, her ankles and knees aching powerfully from the strain of jerking them both to a halt. Finally, they stood at the cliff's edge, peering down with wide eyes, barely believing they'd stopped in time. Jaune glanced to Pyrrha, who was worryingly red while staring at his elbow flattening her breast, then over his shoulder to see the glowing yellow stinger racing towards them through the trees. Pyrrha let out a tired sigh as she followed his horrified gaze to see the scorpion break through the tree line with an angry snap of its claws.

Jaune cleared his head with a deep breath. "Okay." He stated, staring at the beast as it marched towards them. Pyrrha was shaking by his side, squeezing her weapons tightly as the massive creature closed the distance with frightening speed. Terror? Exhaustion? He didn't know. "Pyrrha?" Pyrrha looked to him with big, worried eyes. His sword was rapidly returned to its sheath in his shield and his now-free hand moved low, sliding along her lower back and toward her far hip. She made a dry, confused, amazed sound… "Trust me." He ordered.

In that moment, she had no choice. A small twist of her head flipped her ponytail back, and she gave him a shaky little nod.

Jaune exploded into motion, charging the monster while throwing Pyrrha as hard as he possibly could by her belt with his left arm. Everything from his fingers to his mid-chest ached at the overexertion, but he recognized it as the phantom pain left by his Aura. He jumped, catching the diving stinger on his shield and deflecting it away from his body, his shifted momentum sending him to the right as Pyrrha flew to the left, both flying over the beast. The Deathstalker skid to a halt, its front half dangling off the cliffside precariously as the scorpion made a confused, unhappy noise, its front legs squirming to find purchase on open air.

Jaune rolled to his feet and swiftly turned to face the Grimm as Pyrrha unceremoniously landed on her front from the throw. Jaune had half-predicted that he wouldn't deflect the stinger and he'd lose an arm in that attempt, but he felt his aura–his totally badass forcefield–take the shock perfectly. There wasn't time to celebrate, it was time for part two of his plan! With a self-encouraging roar, he charged the Deathstalker with his shield raised high.

Pyrrha pulled herself to her feet as her partner slammed shield first into the massive scorpion's rear, lurching it forward a foot, making it squeal in rage and terror. He planted a foot into the ground and pushed with all his might, his golden Aura glowing as he channelled all his strength into it, and with a loud cry of effort and one impressive shove he sent the Deathstalker hurtling off the cliff, an unearthly scream trailing behind it.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her jaw slack from awe. She scrambled to Jaune's side, staring down as he raised his arms and gave a happy whoop, his face flitting briefly in panic at the sound of a thunderous crash below. "Oh yeah! I am freaking _awesome!"_ Jaune turned towards Pyrrha, chest puffed out, hands on his hips in triumph. "Did you see that?! Tell me you saw that! That!" He pointed off the cliff. "That was _cool!_ I- I can't believe I did it! Holy crap I beat a Deafstreaker!"

"Deathstalker." Pyrrha corrected as she slowly took in the scene below, her mind fuzzy from all the activity.

"Whatever, it's dead now! Wow, I-" Jaune took a deep breath, momentarily in disbelief. " _I_ did that."

"You did." Pyrrha smiled at him, resting a hand on his shoulder. She turned to look down at the cliff bottom and delicately frowned. Jaune followed her eyes to see the Deathstalker had not begun to dissipate. It twitched in obvious pain, but slowly, dazedly lifted itself up. It made a horrendous, angry cry, its tail writhing in rage, the bony armor on its back streaked with new cracks.

Without a word, Pyrrha grabbed her partner's hand and began to pull him along the cliff's edge, trying to locate north as Jaune stared down below. "What does it take to kill those things?!" Jaune demanded, keeping up with Pyrrha as they hustled towards their goal.

"Apparently, more than that." She glanced down the cliff as they ran along the rim of it. The Deathstalker was still trying to pursue them from below, undeterred by the pain of its broken armor and a couple of shattered legs as it scrambled alongside the cliff wall.

"Well, it better stay down there!" Jaune grunted. "Next time, I won't be _so nice."_ He spoke with confidence, and Pyrrha hid a small smile.

* * *

"So…" Blake's left eye twitched ever so slightly at the sudden sound of her new partner's voice. "You like jokes?"

It wasn't the first question Yang had asked in their extraordinarily uneventful walk from their meeting place to however far north they'd traveled since then. Blake paused mid-stride to shoot a look at Yang, evaluating her with a silent, judgemental expression.

Yang walked an extra two steps before stopping, turning her head and staring right back at her, her lavender eyes blinking slowly, her face round and rosy-cheeked, not at all tense or frightened at the possibility of meeting more Grimm in their mission to find relics. Blake opened her mouth the tiniest bit, as if she was about to answer her, but closed it and shot Yang a flat look. Yang simply smiled. "I'm not hearing a no~ooo." She all but cooed in a sing-song tone.

Blake let out a soft sigh. "Could you take this seriously? Just because we've blown through the last twenty minutes like tissue paper doesn't mean we should let our guard down." Blake strode forward, guiding the way again briefly before she stopped by an aged tree trunk and knelt down. She closed her eyes and focused on all four of her ears, listening for threatening noises.

The rustle of animals oblivious to their presence, the wind sweeping through the treetops, the sound of very distant gunfire… the admiring hums coming from behind her. Blake's eyes popped open and she shot a look back at Yang, but their eyes did not meet. Yang's stare was fixated further down, and Blake swiftly tried to tug the tails of her vest to cover her tightly outlined backside.

Blake hopped to her feet and spun around to point a threatening finger at Yang as the blonde just smiled jovially and puffed up her chest, as if _daring_ her partner to reprimand her. " _Okay."_ Blake started, her voice nearing a snarl while raising an eyebrow. "Your sister's one thing, I can shrug it off when she gawks because she's a kid, but she doesn't make…" Blake made a face, " _noises_ when she looks." Her golden eyes flashed indignantly and Yang suppressed a cliche line about Blake being lovely when angry.

"Hey, when you finally spot what you want for your birthday, sometimes you can't help yourself." Yang's eyebrows wiggled comedically, making Blake close her eyes in silent regret. "Oh c'mon, you can't be _that_ mad!" Yang pouted, which was a remarkably cuter improvement compared to her lecherous grin. "No way am I the first person to be like: 'You see the tall girl with long raven hair and flawless pale skin in the tight shorts and stockings? She's _hawt_ '."

"My skin is not flawle- _look:_ we're on a mission, we don't have time for this kind of thing." Blake gestured to the forest around them as Yang followed her hand curiously. "There could be any number of Grimm hiding anywhere around us. That we've stayed calm is probably why we haven't brought a horde down on us. _You_ making noises, and cracking jokes, and _staring-"_

"Does it _embarrass_ you?" Yang cut her off with a roguish smile. With all the subtlety of Zwei begging for scraps at the table, her eyes dipped downwards, and Blake instinctively covered her chest with her arms as her cheeks and neck began to turn pink. Yang looked right back up with a bubbly little chuckle as Blake groaned.

"You aren't _worried?"_ Blake sneered, trying to relax herself while still covering her bust. Yang raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, silently asking for clarification. "About the test? Like at all? Is this all a joke to you?" She looked into Yang's eyes, searching for something deeper than bluster and flirtation. She had no clue how to feel about this girl. Her broader shoulders and heavier musculature in no way hurt her curvy, feminine shape. Her face was a stunning mix of a long, pointed nose, big, perfectly set eyes, a large, disarming smile, and a youthful puffiness to her cheeks tinged with a natural blush. Even her hair was admirable: long and wild, yet perfectly clean and lustrous. And for all that, she was strong enough to pulverize targets that Blake would struggle to hurt, and as much as her hair alone would imply some preening primadonna, Blake had set a hard marching speed through rough terrain and Yang wasn't even winded enough to stop talking. Blake's assumption that Yang was going to be a useless anchor was falling apart faster than a card house in an earthquake. With every Grimm that tried to jump the two of them, the blonde proved herself to be both powerful and embarrassingly selfless, putting herself between Blake and anything foolish enough to attack them both.

Yang rolled her shoulders dismissively and stepped around Blake, looking ahead into the sun-dappled expanse of forest, with one ear cocked in the air. She paused a moment, then snorted. "There's nothing around here we can't handle. It's just a big Grimm extermination with some item retrieval at the end, I've done it a-hundred times." She leaned against the tree as Blake stared at the back of her head in quiet consideration. Yang seemed to sense the disbelief and clicked her tongue. "Look." Yang turned to look at Blake from over her shoulder, sweeping her hair back for a clear view. "I get it, this is important and all, but if this is a test it's kinda bogus. A few Ursas? Nothing. We can handle a pack of Beowolves, or a bunch of creeps. Heck, I'll take on a Beringel if one shows up, but this is middle school level stuff. I thought it would be _way_ harder than this."

Blake stepped up next to Yang and tried to evaluate her. Yang had proven to be very strong, if overly flashy. Her laissez faire attitude towards the mission stressed her, she had seen far too many of her former partners believe it was a 'simple mission' and discover it was anything _but_ later. Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "I just don't want to _fail._ Or, y'know, die a sudden, horrible death and end up ID'd later in some Creep's stomach." She said in a near pleading tone.

Yang pouted again, but sighed and rolled her shoulders as she straightened up. "Oh _fine,_ if you want me to keep my eyes on the prize, I will." Yang stared north, twisting her neck to crack it and make Blake flinch at the sound. She stood straighter and set her shoulders, the change in body language instantly putting Blake more at ease… until she gave Blake a cheesy, lecherous grin. "But you're the one leading the way so… I'll cover your _rear."_

Blake stared at Yang in quiet disbelief, closed her eyes, worked her jaw, took a deep breath, and convinced herself to let it go. "Unbe _lievable."_ She groaned softly in exasperation as she resumed their march. The heavier ruckus of Yang's boots crushing leaves and twigs sounded just two steps behind her.

"Well yeah, we're partners. Who else am I going to run my mouth at?" Yang laughed, making Blake have to stop her bow from twitching in agitation. "We gotta talk to each other, learn about each other, otherwise the next four years are gunna suck!" Yang paused to observe Blake's silent cringe, and the blond snickered louder, making Blake turn her head enough to watch her from the corner of her eye and show her annoyed frown at the same time. "I get it now!" Yang tossed her hair behind her, the brief but silky smooth motion causing the light pouring through the leaves to glint off her locks, briefly catching Blake off guard as the rough and tumble huntress had a moment that wouldn't look out of place in a movie. "You're shy; I'd be tripping over my tongue trying to talk to me too." Yang smiled with insulting confidence, ignoring Blake's steadily deepening expression of shocked disbelief. "You just can't _believe_ you scored _me_ for four years."

"I'm _not_ embarrassed, I'm just _antisocial."_ Blake asserted firmly, her brow furrowing as the blonde stretched and wiggled her hips and bust in admittedly enticing ways, not even breaking stride to do so. Did she practice that?

"Of _course_ you are." Yang's tone implied complete confidence in her statement, but she torpedoed her arrogance when she stuck her tongue out playfully, holding down a giggle as Blake gave her a tight-lipped glare of indignation and wondered how Ruby managed to find any quiet time to read with this lunatic in the same house. "I mean, I'm _me_ , you are _so_ in awe of my beauty, dazzled by my strength, amazed by my sensuality…"

"Disgusted by your _ego…"_ Blake drolled, hoping one sharp put down was all it would take, but it was like dumping burn dust into a fire.

Yang sprinted a few paces ahead and cracked a proud smile while walking backwards to examine Blake's face. She laced her fingers behind her head to lift her bust and better display her midsection, making Blake stare as Yang's exposed belly flexed in a… magnificent way. Yang's smile turned evil after letting Blake take in the view for a moment, her voice coming out as a sensual purr. "My ego is just one of my _many_ healthy assets; it's nice to know you're checking them _all_ out." Yang smiled smugly as Blake's eyes tore away from Yang's torso in the hopes the blonde hadn't noticed. "Ha!" Yang leaned forward, giving Blake a very much intended view of Yang Canyon as she poked her partner's nose. "Made ya blush!"

Blake recoiled, stopping in her tracks and staring at the proudly beaming blond. Slowly, to Yang's joy, everything from Blake's collarbones to the roots of her hair began turning a bright, vivid red. Blake covered her face with both hands, hiding her chest with her elbows before shuffling past Yang as quickly as she could. "Just stop _talking!"_ She wailed, voice muffled by her palms as she pushed through the forest as quickly as she could without the use of her eyes.

Yang stared after the girl and smiled to herself. She shook her glorious mane and sprinted after her fleeing partner with a shout, "Don't run, this is totally natural! My dad told me all about it! See, when a woman finds herself faced with perfection-" Blake's tortured groan was music to Yang's ears.

* * *

Nora stepped out of the treeline with a sigh. She ran the back of her hand across her forehead, flicking the sweat off with a swift motion of her wrist and a small crinkle of her nose. She hummed to herself, then opened a pouch on her belt and pulled out an entire bacon and egg taco she'd stuffed in there and took a bite. She let out a pleased, almost proud little chuckle as she chewed and resumed walking.

It was a hot spring day in Beacon's Emerald Forest and boy did it _suck._ She ate slowly, gratefully, nourishing herself on pure grease and protein and she couldn't give a rat's ass if Ren had an issue with it. It was better than the little thermos of nutritional slurry he'd handed her before they started. Pity she'd misplaced it in a river after making sure it wasn't a grenade...

She planted Magnhild's head into the ground with a tiny tremor and leaned against the handle to relax, her eyes lazily wandering to take in her new surroundings. She was officially out of the forest and in a vast, open clearing with a large stone circle dominating it. It was some old destroyed set of ruins that probably had a interesting, ancient history in the times of war and blah blah blah _so very blah who cared?_

The important thing was, she'd found it, it was _hers_ now, and nobody could say otherwise. She'd lost count of how many Beowolves she'd left crushed into paste at the bottom of a shallow crater, but there were at least four Ursas and a handful of Creeps; the forest was garbage when it came to providing a target worth smashing. Or Ren. It may have been better if she hadn't _moved,_ but there was no fun kicking around the same three rocks for an entire five minutes, she had needs too! Smashy smashy crushy crushy needs...

"Puddin' Pop, come in, over." Ren's voice came from her earpiece. Nora swallowed loudly and tapped the device so she could answer.

"Puddin' Pop reads you Thunderous Maximum, where the hell are you?! Over." Nora stuffed the rest of her breakfast in her mouth and chewed with wide, cow-like gnashing motions as Ren's stressed, tired voice came through.

"I cannot answer that accurately; I am moving north, being pursued, over."

"Coo', juff kill 'em. Efryfing in thiff foresf is a chumpf." Nora mumbled through her food. She walked towards the ruins and found numerous pedestals set in a circle around the center. Each of them was topped with a different chess piece except the little round-headed ones that only moved one square, and sometimes two when the stars aligned and Nora actually cared to look at the rules. Prawns or something. There were at least a pair in each color, and Nora calmly picked up a golden castle piece. "Reeeeen, I totally found the relics! Over!"

"Very good Puddin' Pop. Keep in mind, we are using our codenames, over."

"Ah, whatever! Hurry up! If anyone gets here before you-" Before Nora could finish that sentence, a crashing in the distance caught her attention. She glanced over in time to see Ren sprinting out of the treeline as fast as his legs could carry him. Nora raised a hand and waved, a beaming smile threatening to split her face apart. "Over here, Ren! Look, we're part… ners...?"

Trees crumpled behind him as a pair of King Taijitu raced after him, snapping at his ankles as their massive, tube-like hides dug out shallow trenches in the ground. Nora let out an annoyed sigh and brought Magnhild to bear in front of her, scowling. She would NOT let a bunch of dumb snakes ruin her taco appetite, _or_ her boyfriend.

But seriously, she had two more and now the wait to eat them was going to drive her nuts...

Ren dove to the left, rolling away as the white Taijitu ate a mouthful of dirt where he'd been sprinting a moment ago. Its black sibling slid underneath its coils, lunging at Ren, its fangs blocked as the boy projected his Aura to his palms and stopped its attack short. His feet slid back, his toes sinking into the grass as he grunted at the exertion. It hissed in confusion, giving Ren a good view of its massive, all-consuming maw, a silent promise of the future that awaited him if his focus slipped, when something impacted its head with a crack so harsh, even Ren couldn't help but wince in sympathy.

The black Taijitu crumpled to the ground, dazed, as Nora lifted her hammer onto her shoulder and shot Ren an annoyed glare that immediately turned into a roll of her eyes. "Ooooh, you're _always_ like this." Nora flapped her fingers in imitation of Ren. "'Nora, you have to eat healthy', 'Nora, don't ride the Grimm', 'Nora, you have to take this seriously.' And look who's cleaning up after you, buster!" Nora poked Ren between the eyes with a smug smile, making the boy sigh, grab her around the middle, and swing her out of the way as the white Taijitu crashed into the spot she'd just been.

"I just thought I'd bring you a present, since you'd been complaining about the ease up until now." His tone was thick with sarcasm, and he whirled to open-palm strike the white Taijitu's head, his Aura flashing on impact to make the seemingly light strike impact more like a small car collision, sending it slamming into the side of the ruins.

"Oh _please,_ a couple of garden snakes? I'm a high-class girl." Nora twirled like a ballerina and stopped to wedge Magnhild in the black Taijitu's maw. It shook its head in confusion and distress, trying to dislodge the obstruction before she pulled the trigger and sent the massive snake reeling in pain as it swallowed a grenade, the hammer popping free. She swung her weapon firmly to remove the lingering drool and shot Ren a look. "You could have brought me something cute, or something _dangerous._ You never bring me alphas anymore, sweetie."

Storm Flower shot into Ren's hands and he peppered the white taijitu with a spray of bullets. It ignored the swarm of low-powered rounds bouncing off its scales and lunged, receiving his elbow to the eye for the effort just before he hooked one of its fangs with his guns' sickles and heaved, shifting it's momentum straight towards Nora's waiting hammer-head, where it was battered into a miserable heap with an excellent golf-swing.

The two snakes wearily picked themselves up, both dazed and unsteady as Ren and Nora continued to bicker, "Well, perhaps if you were less picky and took things more seriously, you would appreciate what I bring you." He huffed, pressing his shoulder to hers gently to start her moving before he verbalized his command. "Left."

Nora slid to the side as the black taijitu lunged to the left, and found it trying to circle around her in a death grip to squeeze the life out of her. Ren jammed Storm Flower's sickles into one of its coils and pulled it out just enough to create a gap, and wordlessly tossed in a vial of lemon yellow dust that he accurately guessed disappeared with a crack and a dangerous giggle.

There was an electric explosion, making the Taijitu hiss in pain before an unseen blow sent the whole snake skywards. Ren held out a hand and took Nora's, spinning her out of the way and into his arms in an intimate dip before the Taijitu landed in a broken heap, shaking the earth. "I just get tired of the same thing over and over again, babe. I just want something new. Something _exciting."_ Nora batted her eyelids at a smirking Ren, who admired the way a sparking current passed between the strands of her hair and eyelashes.

The white Taijitu burst from the ground by their side, giving a deafening hiss-like roar before lunging at the pair. Nora righted herself and twirled, spinning Ren around her, his foot meeting with the snake's snout and sending it flying back the opposite direction. Ren landed on his feet, keeping momentum and using it to spin Nora around his body twice before flinging her high over the snake.

Bringing Magnhild down before impact, Nora landed on the Taijitu like a laughing bolt of lighting, its head disintegrating into a rain of black and white chunks. Nora stepped out of the cloud of disturbed dust, wiping herself off before storing Magnhild on her back. She walked towards Ren, holding out the golden rook with a cocky smile. "We won." She stated confidently.

Ren wrapped his hands around her hips and crushed her close to his body, staring down into her eyes with a warm smile. "We did." He affirmed. "Good to have you as a partner, dear."

"As if there was _any_ doubt." Nora rolled her eyes and stood on her tiptoes, the two holding one another as they engaged in a fond, happy kiss. Nora giggled and cooed happily and Ren made that little noise that meant he was into it, and Nora couldn't help but remember they were alone while her fingers dug into his firm butt...

" _Gross."_ A voice interrupted.

Someone was going to _pay_ for this, Nora swore it.

Nora and Ren popped apart, standing side by side with visible redness to their cheeks, and a foreboding glint of hostility in their eyes, as Yang gave them an amused grin. Blake, the girl in black they hadn't spoken to, stood behind her with a raised eyebrow and a ghost of a smirk on her face. Yang laughed, "Okay lovebirds, good show. Is this the place?" She asked, jerking a thumb back towards the circular ruins.

Nora bobbed her head, and Ren quietly straightened his shirt, keeping his face as placid as possible. "We can only assume so." He lead the way to the ruins, one leg moving more stiffly than the other, with Nora by his side, and Yang and Blake following after them.

"I thought this would be a harder test." Blake spoke up, her voice relaxed and low, as if the world had no surprises left for her. She expertly ignore Yang's smug, self-pleased little purr at the admission. "A few Ursas and a handful of Beowolves seems rather simple for even an intermediate student. Though two Taijitu could be considered 'advanced…'" The four of them hopped onto the platform, and Yang shot ahead to inspect the chess pieces.

"Perhaps we are simply overqualified." Ren responded with a small, pleased smile that Blake matched while Yang swept up one of the gold pieces.

"Horsey~!" Yang sang, showing Blake the golden knight with a self-pleased flourish. Blake simply nodded, "I dunno about the rest of you, but overqualified or not, I expected a little more." She rolled her shoulders.

"Eh, I got here first. Maybe I did most of the hunter work." Nora beamed, puffing her chest up proudly. Yang gave her a friendly punch to the shoulder, which Nora returned. The two girls giggled and began to wrestle on their feet while Blake examined her surroundings, "Wassup?" Nora asked her after Ren broke up their growing tussle.

Blake frowned, her golden eyes narrowing as she examined the treeline. "On my way here, I saw many signs of Grimm activity. Footprints, broken branches, marked trees, there must be dozens of packs. I thought we'd find them as we headed north, but I've yet to see anything other than a few stragglers."

"Hm." Ren joined her at the edge of the ruin, watching the trees carefully, his own body language growing tense as he considered her words. "It did seem oddly quiet. It's the perfect Grimm environment: Vast wilds close to civilization..."

"History of human inhabitants long gone." Blake followed up.

"Hunting ground for newer hunters, more than likely a good way for them to feed as well."

"Specifically preserved for keeping Grimm, I would suppose, otherwise, why send us in?"

"Agreed." Ren touched his chin as Yang elbowed Nora.

"Check out the nerds." She whispered loudly, taking in the way Blake cocked her hips when she was concentrating.

" _Complete_ dorks." Nora bobbed her head in agreement, and the two giggled, but Nora fought down a fond smile. There was nothing quite like a man who knew better, but followed her into danger anyway...

Ren and Blake ignored them. "Maybe something has drawn them away?" Blake offered, her brow knitting together in deep thought. "Somebody may be having a _very_ bad time, creating enough negativity to draw the Grimm towards them."

At that, Yang's mirth shriveled and died. Nora stopped a second later as a tide of anxiety poured off the blonde. Yang marched to the edge of the ruins, her eyes now wide, face slack. She was forming a pair of very tight fists that made her gloves creak in distress. "C'mon Ruby." Yang whispered, only just loud enough for Blake to catch. "I know you got this, girl. _C'mon Ruby."_ Yang whispered in a rising panic.

Blake stared at Yang in quiet wonder and growing concern, making a mental note of the immediate change in priorities. She stared out at the forest, blinking her big yellow eyes slowly, silently joining her in hoping for the girl's safe arrival.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Blake was carefully seated on top of a partially-destroyed stone wall that wrapped around the relics. Looking into the forest made her anxious; she was sure Ruby was fine, but listening to the pitter-patter of the pacing blonde's footsteps below was getting to her. She felt no relief now that Yang was finally taking things seriously; if anything, the change in mood made her more uncomfortable, since it gave her the bad feeling that Yang might do something drastic.

Hunting wasn't just about strength and skill, hunters were meant to be in control. Emotions were a killer in the field, and not just because they caused rash decision-making, but because the Grimm were drawn to them. Yang wasn't throwing a tantrum yet, but her tension was palpable enough to unnerve her.

Blake let out a silent sigh, and rolled her left shoulder to stretch it a bit as she looked down at her fellow hunters, silently judging them. Yang was a powerhouse, but full of herself. Ren and Nora were clearly in this together for the long haul, yet Blake knew that storybook, school romances were the most likely to disintegrate the moment somebody more attractive entered the pictures… though both Nora and Ren managed to keep their eyes off _Yang,_ which showed promise for their longevity. That left the other four, who had yet to arrive… one was astounding, one was intriguing, one was a fool, and the last…

Blake grit her teeth. It would be easy to send an anonymous tip to her old comrades, to let them know exactly where to ambush in the coming weeks. The _gains_ they could make from having a Schnee in their camp would be phenomenal; morale would be up, they'd have political clout with a hostage, they'd have their hands around the throat of their oppressor…

And even then, all Blake could picture was the white-haired girl thrown into a dingy little cage with the barest scraps to nibble on, dirty water to drink, while her captors would take any excuse to let loose some stress. Blake couldn't bear the thought; she was a revolutionary, not a terrorist, she would _never_ stoop so low _._ Even _if_ the girl's presence was utterly insufferable, she had no desire to hand her over to the monsters her former friends had become…

Blake squeezed her elbows and suddenly shivered as dark words whispered in the back of her head… she could hear that low, infuriated simmer in his tone, spoken through grit teeth as he reminded her that this unwillingness to take the plunge was what made her a _coward..._

She closed her eyes and silently counted to twenty-seven before the shivers and churning acid in the pit of her stomach dissipated. She was _not_ a monster _._ No matter what the news said, no matter what _anyone_ said, she was Blake Belladonna, she was a fighter for the civil rights of her people! Not a killer, or a kidnapper, or a blackmailer. She would _not_ dirty her hands with Schnee blood out of revenge; that was _petty._

And Blake was _not_ petty.

Yang slowed her pacing to stare out into the forest once more. She'd be back to her normal speed in another couple steps, but she kept waiting for a sudden show of red to rush out of that green, hopefully with Jaune or Pyrrha immediately behind her. Yang had to repeatedly remind herself that her sister was a trained huntress... just not formally trained. Their uncle was a skilled hunter for sure, but he was also a soggy old drunk that, regardless of Ruby's adoration for him, had questionable teaching skills. Though Ruby barely kept herself on her feet in a one-on-one fight, she did fine against Grimm, and there wasn't anything that would be keeping her from using the full extent on her skill; it wasn't as if this had been two of the most tumultuous and aggravating days of Ruby's life, it wasn't as if she was performing to gain entry into her dream school, _it wasn't like all that pressure could possibly affect her performance and get her torn apart by a horde of hungry Grimm whilst all alone and crying out for her older sister's help_ —

"Blake!" Yang grunted to interrupt herself, forcibly jarring her own thoughts to stop the rising bubble of fear in her chest. Yang looked up to where her partner was seated and stopped herself from calling again. Blake was sitting in the lotus position, torso slightly leaned forward, head tilted down, staring at the bricks she sat upon with furious intensity. She was deep in thought and looked troubled, and Yang wasn't sure if interrupting her would be appreciated.

Yang looked down at the ground in quiet discomfort. She'd be just fine once she knew where Ruby was... She went back to pacing.

A few feet away, sitting at the other edge of the stone circle opposite from Blake, Ren and Nora watched the treeline expectantly. Theoretically, nothing was stopping them from heading straight back to their proctors and presenting their find, something that had passed through Ren's mind more than once.

"Hm. Nora?" He spoke up, though his voice was still too low for the other two girls to hear. He sat with both legs hanging off the ruin's edge, his hands comfortably crossed in his lap.

"'Sup Ren?" Nora asked, sitting with both legs curled, knees to her chin as she watched the trees with a bored disinterest.

"Why are we still here?" Ren asked gently, sneaking a hand onto Nora's thigh for a small squeeze. Nora flexed her leg, responding to his advance playfully.

"Y'know, I dunno."

"In that case-" his jaw snapped shut when Nora turned to face him with a thoughtful frown, her brow knit in something approaching worry.

"Like, what did we do to get this far in life? Why are you and I the way we are?" Nora let out a contemplating hum as Ren smothered the impulse to sigh. "Is the universe really that random? Is there no real reason other than the decisions we've made and stinkin' chance? You think there's actually gods running around somewhere up there, dictating the way the dominoes fall?" Nora fell silent as Ren stroked his hand up and down her leg to admire how strong her thighs had gotten. "I dunno Ren, but it keeps me up at night."

"Mm." Was all Ren had to lend on the matter. He'd give it another five minutes before he brought it up again.

Things fell silent, with the four teenagers lost in thought and wondering where their fellow test-takers were. The lingering tension and inaction was making them nervous for a variety of reasons. Blake was ready to recommend to Yang that they go into the forest and look for Ruby–and escape the possible discomfort of dealing with Weiss Schnee once she showed up–when she spotted something bright between the tree trunks.

With a push of her arms to help, she stood and grasped the handle of her pistol-sword above her right shoulder. The sudden movement caught Yang's attention, and she followed Blake's gaze out at the forest. Yang sprinted a few steps away from the ruins, watching intently, her gauntlets cocked in case her hopes weren't being answered...

"Ruby?!" Yang called out. All that answered her cry was the sound of rustling brush and a snapping twig. From the trees, a girl in smudged, dirt-streaked white ran out, slowing down as her eyes met Yang's. Weiss stared at Yang, sucking in deep breaths, Myrtenaster hanging from a loop of silk by her side, and Crescent Rose looming over her shoulder like death itself creeping up behind her. Yang stared at the panting, anxious Weiss, then shifted her eyes up to the unmistakable head of Ruby's scythe.

Blake leapt off the stone wall and ran after Yang as the blonde lurched into motion and closed the distance to the smaller girl to wrap her hands around Weiss's throat. Nora and Ren were both ahead of her, the three of them latching onto Yang as the taller girl held a squirming Weiss up with an angry _roar._

" _Brute!"_ Weiss managed to squeak out as she was lifted and shaken, her boots kicking in the air uselessly.

" _Where is my_ _sister?!"_ Yang snarled, trying to shake the answer out of Weiss _,_ but four hands grabbed her bulging upper arms and pulled, forcing her to drop Weiss as Nora and Ren tugged Yang back and held her, " _Let go of me, damnit!_ That's _Ruby's_ _scythe!"_

Blake swiftly stepped around the struggling blonde and knelt down next to Weiss. The girl in white was coughing into her hands, looking defeated and exhausted as Blake stared at her. Weiss finally looked back at her with a small frown, her blue eyes wide with worry and confusion, her delicate fingers stroking her throat to soothe it and Blake had to bite back a strong inclination to leave her in her pathetic state on the ground, abused at the hands of somebody more powerful and merciless... But she would _not_ be petty. "Weiss Schnee." She said the name robotically, trying to hide the venom in her tone. She considered offering a hand to help her up, but couldn't bring herself to move her arm.

"Ugh..." Weiss got to her feet unsteadily, eventually using Blake's shoulder to keep herself up. Blake grit her teeth at the touch, but resisted the impulse to throw her off; she had to act normal, even towards the _Schnee._ The moment Weiss regained her composure, she visibly struggled to not glare at Yang as she straightened and stood on her own to announce, in utter seriousness: "Ruby's been captured."

Yang's furious struggling stopped instantly, her eyes focusing on Weiss again. Ren and Nora both slackened–whether it was at the news, Yang's sudden relaxation, or both was unknown–then were swiftly thrown back in instant later when Yang stormed forward, sticking a finger into Weiss's face. "What the _hell_ are you talking about? Where is she?! Who took her!?" Yang demanded.

Weiss grabbed Yang's finger and shoved it away dismissively, "Don't point fingers like it's _my_ fault! We'd fought off an Ursa Major when she-... a _Nevermore_ grabbed her. I've been trying to track it but I lost sight of it." She sneered up at the blond, who growled back like an angered dog. "They _fly_ you know."

"A Nevermore?" Ren sounded unhappily surprised. He moved to Yang's side, watching Weiss with the color in his already-pale face draining away. "Which way?" Nora was quiet and stiff by his side, her normal playful energy turning into something far more worrisome.

"I don't know, somewhere _north!"_ Weiss was noticeably shaking, her eyes wide and anxious and her hands closed into tight fists at her side. "If I _knew_ where the nest was I'd be heading straight for it, but I _don't_ know where it went and if we don't hurry, Ruby's as good as _dead."_ Weiss spoke the word with strong finality in her tone, and the other four hunters shared a very real moment of fear.

Blake looked to the sky quietly. She had some experience with Nevermores; she'd lost a couple of comrades to their sudden, swift ambushes. They were so fast that the sound of rippling air hardly gave the unsuspecting any time to react before somebody was already in their claws. When the rush of wind was over and the group looked around and realized there was somebody missing, the massive Grimm was already far out of reach of most conventional weaponry, with a struggling prize clutched in its grip.

Nevermores were bad news. Blake thought about the little huntress in red, and a stone formed in her stomach; the thought of somebody getting killed made her queasy enough, but the thought of it being somebody so innocent and warm made it so much worse. She looked at Yang to see how the blonde was taking the news...

Silently, it seemed. Weiss flinched as a hand shot past her head and pulled Crescent Rose off her back. Blake, Weiss, Nora, and Ren all watched as Yang held the shaft in two places, releasing the catches and collapsing the weapon into a blocky red sniper rifle. She adjusted the scope like it was her own weapon and aimed for the sky, staring down the sight before asking in a flat, icy tone, "What am I looking for?"

"What do you-" Weiss began to rant, but she was stopped cold by the dark look Yang gave her, "Nevermore, up near the clouds, about the size of an airbus." Ren shared a look with Nora. Nevermores were typically car-sized, Nevermores _that_ massive were the product of old age. "Flying north, Ruby's in its left talon."

Yang swung the rifle north, eye pressed almost painfully to the scope. Blue skies and white clouds should make it easy for a pitch-black Grimm to be seen, but the sky appeared empty. She slowly scanned, sector by sector, like her father and marksmanship coach at Signal had taught her, until she spotted something. It looked like a perfectly normal bird, despite the magnification the sniper scope offered. Flapping black wings, riding the wind trails, it was impossible to tell… until it flew towards a cloud.

In Yang's experience, birds typically flew beneath the clouds, not through them. This one was big enough to casually reach such a dizzying height and smart enough to try not to be seen. Her feet spread and her fingers shifted, securing her grip on the borrowed weapon as her entire body tensed into a knot of coiled, unhappy stillness. The distant black target emerged from the cloud and Yang set her jaw, held her breath, and squeezed the trigger.

The other four jumped at the sharp retort of the sniper rifle, but immediately strained their eyes to see what Yang was firing at; just barely visible in the distance was a black speck flying so high, it could have been mistaken for a piece of dirt in the eye. There was the metallic clanging of a bolt action being worked and, before the spent brass casing could clatter to the dirt, Yang fired off a second shot with her jaw clenched.

"Nora." Ren spoke up, marching away from the group. Nora was by his side in an instant, holding his shoulder in quiet worry as they began to head north.

"Think we can catch up?" Nora asked, her voice trembling.

"We have no choice." Ren began to sprint, Nora following close behind him. Blake was going to say something, tell them to wait up, but instead stared at Yang, the blonde begining to openly sweat as she struggled to keep herself calm, and her eye still looking down the sights.

Ren and Nora crested the hill to the north of the ruins, and were gone from sight after a few seconds. Blake rested a hand on Yang's stiff shoulder. "We should follow them." She said, an edge of command in her voice.

"I can make the shot." Yang insisted, sounding completely unconfident in the statement.

"Yang, it's an impossible shot, we need to go after them. The sooner we track it to its nest-"

" _I can make the shot."_ Yang's voice came out strained between her teeth, obstinately pulling the trigger again. The black speck in the distance didn't falter. Yang whispered a curse as she worked the action, ejecting the spent round to load the next. Weiss let out an unhappy sniff and, despite Blake's somewhat foreboding glare, decided to add her unsolicited two cents.

"It's _too far_ , the bullet will lose its momentum! Even _if_ you somehow hit it, you're-"

Yang interrupted Weiss with a hiss, " _It has my sister. I'll make the goddamned shot. Help, watch, or get the fuck away from me."_

Blake and Weiss shared a quiet look. Weiss took a deep breath, ran a few ideas through her head, worked her jaw, and spoke clearly, calmly, "Yang, I will help you if you listen to me." Weiss spoke slowly. Yang said nothing, _did_ nothing, with only the shifting of her eyes letting Weiss know she was listening. "Aim a few meters ahead of it." Weiss drew Myrtenaster off her hip, and, like a director before her orchestra, slowly waved the sword's tip back and forth in front of the rifle's barrel.

A sparkling yellow snowflake formed in front of the sniper rifle's barrel, and Blake took a step back at the sight of the familiar logo, as well as the electric death it promised. Yang briefly pulled her face away from the scope to stare at the construct as it shrank, going from a few feet wide to a tight few inches of crackling yellow power. She could feel the hairs on her arms rise from the sheer force compressed in the little glyph and she hastily put her eye back in place, quickly reacquiring her target.

"Okay… okay, yeah, I got this." Yang murmured.

"Make sure you aim ahead of it, this Glyph should make up for the extreme range and the loss in momentum, but you still need to lead the target." Weiss insisted. Yang let out a very unladylike grunt.

"I _got-"_

"Just _make sure."_ Blake interrupted her, feeling dirty assisting Weiss, but Yang swallowed thickly, then did as she was told, the muzzle of the weapon shifting imperceptibly, the crackling glyph obediently staying a hair's breadth from the very tip of the muzzle.

After a second of hesitation and a slow, calming breath, Yang pulled the trigger.

* * *

It was impossible to focus… Ruby could barely draw up any plans on how to escape, much less execute one. Her chest ached heavily from the lack of oxygen; the air was too thin this high up, and with every breath she took the talons around her squeezed just a little bit tighter, pushing what air she drew in right back out.

It was toying with her; just before she would pass out, it loosened its grip to let her suck in a deep breath, then clamped back down to feel her squirm, to hear her whimper…

She squeezed its talon feebly, trying to force open its extraordinary grasp, but she had no leverage, and barely enough strength to stay awake. It _hurt,_ it hurt so badly that Ruby could barely squeak her older sister's name, hoping she would somehow appear out of the blue to protect her, but it was futile. Yang was down there, somewhere in that vast sea of trees and plunging cliffs, beneath the clouds they kept flying through; Yang couldn't have caught up even if she tried, and with fright, Ruby heard a gentle whine in the back of her mind; were they afraid too? If Ruby died, did they die as well? Ruby had no answers, she didn't even have enough breath to console herself...

Her eyes went fuzzy as the breath was forced out of her. Her lungs were burning, sweat pouring off her face as the dreadful reality of death began to set in on her.

When its grip loosened, she took as deep a breath she could and hung her head, staring at the ground, resting as her body ached and her head pounded; she could barely _think._

Light, like a million exploding bulbs, nearly blinded her for a moment. Even with the tinted lenses, spots danced in her vision.

Like a circuit breaker being flipped on, the sound of electricity filled the air, and Ruby witnessed a pure, white laser beam fill her vision, and drown out the world with blinding light and thunderous snapping. She barely had time to gasp as the Nevermore screamed in pain, the crackling beam punching a large hole through its tail feathers.

Ruby screamed as well when the Nevermore's flight became erratic. The horribly slow, torturous journey was suddenly a turbulent roller coaster, a smoke trail having taken the place of the Nevermore's tail as it began to fall. It flapped its wings, controlling its descent, but without its tail it was having difficulties steering, and the pain seemed to be motivating it to land before another attack could come.

Ruby remained still in its tightening grasp, too weak to fight back. The scratching in the back of her head turned to soft whimpers, then silence. Ruby hung limply, taking shallow breaths as the darkness at the edges of her vision closed in and sucked her into a dream.

* * *

"Whoa." Jaune stopped, having rounded the corner of the stone archways and walls he and Pyrrha had been jogging along.

Pyrrha silently agreed with his assessment.

Jutting out over the mist-filled canyon they'd been following was the proud remains of what had been an incredible accomplishment of mankind. The passage of time had left the once-glorious structure worn, and covered with twisting vines and mosses, but the temple that had audaciously gleamed in the wilderness in ages past now rested in silence, swallowed up by the very nature it had defied.

With carefully crafted catwalks and tall towers, the ruins carried questions of ' _what?'_ and ' _why?'_ With no answers readily given, it seemed to draw a childlike curiosity from the two teens.

"I doubt the relics the headmaster would want us to find are here." Pyrrha said mindfully. Despite her doubts, her feet moved in step behind Jaune as the boy wandered closer to the stone bridge connecting the edge of the low cliff to the tower in the center of the canyon. It seemed to serve as a sort of hub for more bridges to connect to several other towers, as well as an odd building set into another, taller cliffside.

"Like, do we know for sure?" Jaune asked. He pressed the tip of his toes against the stone pathway, testing its sturdiness, then rested his entire weight on the foot. The stones, though aged and worn by weather, still held true. With a reckless grin forming, Jaune stepped out onto the suspended road as Pyrrha stood between the pillars marking where the pathway started.

"He never described them..." Pyrrha acknowledged reluctantly, watching Jaune cautiously, listening for the sounds of shifting stone. "I suppose they _could_ be here."

"Then what's the hold up?" Jaune waved her over.

"I just have a... bad feeling about this place." Pyrrha replied with a small shrug of one bare shoulder. She couldn't shake the idea that, despite being tackled off of a cliff and disappearing into the cloudy, rapidly-steepening canyon, the Deathstalker was still pursuing them. Grimm had some semblance, for lack of a better word, of logic; vague inklings of survival instinct, but more than either of those things, they held an unrelenting grudge against mankind. The beast could still move, and it hadn't attempted to retreat, and the sinking feeling in Pyrrha's gut wouldn't go away...

"Well _I_ have a good feeling." Jaune replied. He turned around, walking backwards with outstretched arms and a smile. "I have a feeling we're about to pass this test! I mean, why else would this still be here?" He turned back around to gesture up to the central tower, along with the numerous connected bridges between it and the other structures. Overall, it seemed quite random, and Jaune slowed down to give the layout a better look. "What do you think this was used for? The Color Wars?" He called over his shoulder.

Pyrrha examined the stone, noting the odd intersection of bridges and towers, as well as how overly _exposed_ the whole thing was. She cautiously walked down the steps, standing at one end of the bridge as Jaune stood on the other. She gulped loudly. "Well… I do not believe so. If I were to guess, it was more than likely built for religious purposes. Being so far out in the wilderness, it may have served as a testing ground of some sort, perhaps as a place of ceremony and isolation from others."

"Cool." Jaune turned to face Pyrrha again, waving his arms as he spoke. "I'll check out the back, if you wanna see the upper floor of the tower! If we don't find anything, I'll take the left tower, you take the right!"

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle as she took a few cautious steps forward. "My left or your left?" She called out, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of dread.

"My left!" Jaune waved his left arm. "It's the way I'm facing, why would-" Jaune's exclamation was cut off by the sound of something huge slicing through the air, and a massive, black shadow fell over the two hunters.

Pyrrha stepped back with a startled gasp, Miló immediately in her hand as the largest Nevermore she'd ever seen beat the air with its enormous wings, pulling up at the very last second to perch at the top of the left tower, albeit unsteadily. Its tail feathers were gone, replaced by fading smoke, and possibly shame.

The raven Grimm stood on the tower on one foot, wings splayed and occasionally beating for balance, its enormity defying Pyrrha's belief. She had seen pictures of Nevermore that had dwarfed their prey before, but she always attributed it to fanciful over-exaggeration. No, the monster before her made the tower it stood on shake, dust billowing off with each steadying flap of its wings, turning a structure large enough for human habitation into a simple bird perch.

Jaune held Crocea Mors at a trembling ready, expecting the massive bird to immediately attack, but it merely stood in quiet contemplation. In the moment of confusion, Jaune began to carefully examine its shape to try and figure out what had happened. He had heard a little about Nevermores, about their sadistic streaks and surprise attacks, yet he knew next to nothing of their behavior and fighting ability. Where did one hit a bird to kill it? Jaune always assumed wherever you could, but Grimm were different...

His eyes reached the beast's left foot and his heart stopped. The vibrant red cloak, the black dress, the pale skin; _Ruby..._ The small figure was clutched precariously in the beast's claws, arms hanging limply, before the massive raven unceremoniously tossed her onto the tower's roof. The huge foot slammed down onto the tower, and the beast fluttered it's wings one last time before folding them against its side to leer down at it's catch. Jaune glanced at Pyrrha, and saw her weapon warp itself into a rifle.

Without a word–but with the beginnings of a half-dozen curses on the tip of his tongue–Jaune ran into the central tower, forcing his legs to carry him faster than he was used to. Power surged through him as strength he'd never felt before gave him the speed he needed. He twisted and slid, catching himself in order to run down the bridge towards the occupied tower. He looked up to the bird as it lifted its head, Ruby held in its beak by her stomach.

Sweat pouring down his forehead, Jaune felt his body moving faster than it ever had before as the bird lifted its head to open its esophagus and let the young woman slide in. Panic filled Jaune as he saw her begin to slip…

The Nevermore's head jerked as the side of its face exploded, the girl in its beak falling loose and landing on the roof as the Nevermore turned to glare at Pyrrha. Miló tracked the enraged bird's head before another explosive dust round filled its eyes with heat and pain.

The screaming beast threw its wings wide in an intimidating challenge, and leapt from its perch, using its dulled flight to bear down on the autumn-haired huntress. Akoúo̱ flew to Pyrrha's right arm, and she begged her legs to carry her to the central tower as fast as they could.

A white talon tussled the very tip of her ponytail as she avoided raking claws and an angry beak with a desperate diving forward roll that took her distressingly close to the edge of the stone walkway. The Nevermore turned awkwardly to roughly land against the right tower's side, talons and the proportionally tiny claws on its wings puncturing stone like damp cardboard to provide a solid grip. Bricks shifted, dust stirred, a dangerous rumble came from the ancient structure, but it held fast as the Nevermore crawled on top to watch for its attackers.

Jaune ran into the tower through a tall, skinny archway. He ignored the mauled, discarded papers and books, the snapped and rusted candelabras, and headed straight for the spiraling stairway. His heart pounded as his aura steadily depleted itself to empower his legs.

Jaune took the stairs two at a time until daylight broke through his dark ascent at the top of the tower where, resting on top of the shattered centerpiece, was Ruby Rose.

Jaune hauled himself onto the slanted, broken structure, crawling his way towards the unconscious girl. She lay still and silent, with only the gentle rising of her chest to suggest she was still alive. A dangerous tonic of fear and anger ran through Jaune's chest as he contemplated how close she'd come to death; if that birdy bastard had strangled his first Beacon friend...

His fingertips touched her cheek, and Ruby's brow wrinkled in quiet distress. Jaune couldn't imagine Ruby was awake, and was tempted to remove the goggles for the reassurance that her eyes would open as he gently slapped at her cheeks. Her breathing grew stressed and erratic, her fingers twitched, and Jaune gulped.

His fingers slipped underneath the tight rubber around her goggles to pull, but a hand wrapped around his wrist. " _Don't you dare..."_ She ordered weakly. Jaune felt relief flood through him as he lifted her head, cradling her in his arms as he stared into her eyes, or rather, her goggles. "Jaune?"

" _Are you okay?!"_ Jaune asked her, almost whimpering the words. She didn't _seem_ okay, but slowly she roused and pulled herself into a sitting position, using Jaune as a support to lean against as she examined herself, and worked her limbs slowly and stiffly.

"Um... better than I thought I'd be. You?" Ruby asked, looking into his wide, blue eyes. His breathing came in short, anxious pants, and he pulled Ruby close, holding her head to his chest with one hand as the other fumbled with his hip satchel. "Jaune?" Ruby murmured, quietly enjoying the physical affection. Her memory was reasserting itself; monsters were afoot.

"I'm fine." He held a granola bar to Ruby's lips, but they curled in disgust. "C'mon Ruby, your Aura-"

" _Nooooo…"_ She whined, pushing the bar away. Jaune's expression hardened in annoyance at her childishness, but she opened her own belt pouch. His annoyance turned to minor envy as Ruby pulled out two crumbly, slightly-crushed chocolate chip cookies. Ruby swallowed them both in the time Jaune would have taken to enjoy one bite, and with Jaune supporting her, she stared at her hands.

Jaune had just come to terms that aura came in different colors depending on its owner; Pyrrha was a piercing blood red, his own was a heavenly gold, but Ruby's aura, which surged to life around her as she digested her treat and enjoyed simple human contact, was black, like an ink stain spreading over her body. Jaune elected to ignore the ominous implications of what caused her soul light to look like damnation itself, deciding Ruby was too good of a girl to worry over it.

"Hee." She gave him a tiny, tired smile, "You look s-super worried."

"I thought you were gonna _die."_ Jaune couldn't help but smile as he stood and carefully balanced himself on the slanted ground. He lifted Ruby with him, helping her up as she shook her head.

"Not with you around, mister hero." She smacked his shoulder fondly, and the two shared a small smile. The moment was interrupted as several tons of enraged demon bird crashed into the tower they were both standing on, making them grab each other for balance as the Nevermore lifted its massive head, stared at the two in barely controlled rage, and _screamed._

Ruby reached behind her back and grabbed at the air, her body twitching in shock. She squeaked in terror as she realized she'd dropped her scythe, then screeched as Jaune hauled her out of the way of the Grimm's diving beak.

Jaune had learned something today that proved invaluable in this instance: retreat was totally the right thing to do sometimes. It was certainly a lot more noble if it was with a girl, or at least he assumed so; protect the ladies, right? That's why he came here? Something like that. Either way, with Ruby held bridal-style in his arms, Jaune's legs ached in protest as he fled down the staircase, the Nevermore's beak punching holes through the walls behind them. Outside the tower, the Nevermore clung to the sides using its talons and hooked wingtips, peering through windows and smashing its beak into the stone again and again, trying to impale them despite lacking a clean shot.

Ruby clung to the blonde, her lips peeled back in fright as they hit the ground floor and sped out onto the bridge. She glanced over Jaune's shoulder as the Nevermore descended upon them, squawking in its immense rage; clearly, this Nevermore was _not_ used to disappointment. As Jaune sprinted to the central tower, he heard the sharp crack of a rifle from up above.

Pyrrha knelt at the top of the tower, peppering the Nevermore with bullet after bullet as it flit around the left tower to avoid her shots. It was a tough bird, letting out tiny whines with each hit, but nothing dislodged it or dissuaded it. Pyrrha ejected an empty magazine and slapped in a new one. By the time she refocused her aim, the Nevermore had slipped off the building and was flying low, into the mists obscuring the canyon below.

Pyrrha let out a small sigh. It appeared that she had driven it away for the moment, but Nevermores were notoriously stubborn. She kept her rifle at the ready as she jogged to the stairs, eventually seeing Jaune and Ruby standing at the bottom floor at opposite ends of the room, scanning the mist below. "Anything?" Pyrrha asked, her voice tight.

"Nuh uh." Ruby shook her head. She looked back to Pyrrha as the redhead put her hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha very seriously inspected her face, her body, touching her arms as Ruby puffed up her cheeks in a kiddy pout. " _Heeey…"_

"It is important to check for breaks or over exhaustion. Do you feel well? Is your aura optimal?" Pyrrha looked into Ruby's goggles, ignoring the slight annoyance at the obscured view.

"It's coming back." Ruby murmured insistently.

"Good. Jaune?" Pyrrha turned to the blonde boy, who nodded his head.

"I think we're safe." He took a breath.

As one, he and Ruby both spoke up, "We should get outta here."

Pyrrha blinked at the two of them as they completely ignored their moment of accidental unity. The redhead sighed. She agreed, however, now that the idea was in her head; holding down the fort here was pointless.

The three of them stepped out onto the bridge, quickly looking into the mists below for any sign of the Nevermore, before jogging steadily towards the cliffside. Jaune had his sword and shield drawn, and Pyrrha kept Miló in its rifle form. The yawning stillness of the moment unsettled the three; Ruby especially as she fretted over her missing weapon.

Jaune was not a man who appreciated cruel irony, if that was what the following moment could be called; evil coincidence? A sadistic development? He was unsure, but his face slackened in disbelief as the three hunters slowed to a halt and stared.

The Nevermore emerged from the mists, its wings beating with powerful strokes as it rose with something in its talons. Somehow, someway, Pyrrha had been correct; held between its claws, its deadly stinger held far away from the bird, the ancient Deathstalker clicked its pincers in eager anticipation of the slaughter to come.

The Nevermore set the old Deathstalker on the cliff, and the scorpion rapidly crawled to the bridge's edge. Its enormous claws snapped and crushed the stone pillars marking the entrance to the pathway, its many unblinking red eyes boring through the three shocked hunters as it patiently waited. The three turned to flee back to the tower when the Nevermore landed on the other end of the bridge, sending the three to their knees as the worn old stone shuddered beneath them.

"Guys?" Jaune asked. He looked between the two massive, ancient Grimm with a stunned expression. "That's cheating, right?" He asked, his voice thick with fear.

Ruby and Pyrrha gave no answer. Grimm were not necessarily exclusionary creatures, but preferably stuck to their own kind. However, when humans came into the equation, anything resembling a territorial attitude was annihilated in favor for the mutual hatred spread across _all_ Grimmkind. They banded together against tougher prey, caring not that they were shaped differently, just that their desires aligned in the moment: kill the humans.

The two Grimm watched cautiously, knowing they had the advantage, but the precarious battlefield kept them on their proverbial toes. The three hunters looked to each other in distress.

"Ruby?!" Jaune looked to the younger girl in a panic.

"Pyrrha?!" Ruby looked to the warrior among them hopefully.

"Jaune?!" Pyrrha looked to the planner grimmly.

They looked between each other, then to the two Grimm that were waiting for the moment to strike. The Nevermore took its first step, enormous wings extended; the Deathstalker was not going to risk falling, and Jaune quickly realized they'd be pushed back into the waiting pincers if they didn't do _something._

With panic threatening to take over and send Ruby's mind into a downward spiral of self-destruction and bad decisions, she followed her uncle's advice and slowed her breathing, counted to five, and examined their surroundings. They weren't dead yet, but they pretty soon would be if they stayed like this, so their first step was to get out of the pincer attack.

The question was, how?...

Pyrrha brushed past her like a breeze, and Ruby fell back into Jaune's arms as Pyrrha struggled with all her might to keep the Nevermore from plucking the shield off her arm with its beak. The older girl wrenched her arm back and forth, her teeth grit and face pale in distress before she tossed her sword up, caught it in an underhanded grip, and brought it down between the Nevermore's eyes, only for it to clink off its skull plate like a toothpick.

Clearly, the Deathstalker was not the only Grimm that had grown far too old in this forest…

The spectacle had briefly enraptured Jaune as his hopes of Pyrrha somehow evolving into their Grimm-destroying hero fostered his inaction, when Ruby's shriek made his heart jump. The young huntress grabbed Jaune's shield arm and swung the two around, and his golden Aura sprang to life alongside her black Aura as the Deathstalker's enormous, yellow stinger tried to punch through the boy's shield.

" _Hah-"_ Jaune barely got the sound out as the stinger lunged again and again, the Deathstalker risking creeping further out onto the bridge to try and sting the hunters while the Nevermore distracted their third. Jaune's arm was moving robotically, catching the deadly stinger over and over again with Ruby's assistance, but their strength would dwindle rapidly if this kept up.

The two stumbled back, and Jaune jerked to a halt when he hit something behind him. He looked back quickly, his eyes meeting Pyrrha's, and the silent question passed between them: _would they die here?_ Neither could answer it, as Ruby pushed Jaune's shield against the deadly stinger, and Pyrrha had to deflect a volley of flying razor feathers before it could rip them apart.

They were trapped, and unless a miracle fell onto them from up above-

All five of the bridge's occupants came to a halt as something fell between the group of hunters and the Deathstalker, a reverberating, metallic ' _clang'_ replacing the heartbeats in their ears. The blade buried a foot deep into the stone, its bright red finish making Jaune and Pyrrha blink. With a low whirl of shifting gears and steel, Crescent Rose's handle shifted out towards them, almost in offering, as it switched from it's optional polearm configuration back to the more common scythe form.

The silent, uncomprehending staring was interrupted when Ruby suddenly burst from out of Jaune's grip, out of reach of his hand before he could even call her name, and Ruby quickly, skillfully leaped over the diving stinger to grab ahold of her beloved scythe.

The hiss the blade made as she spun through the air sent tremors down Jaune's spine, and Pyrrha turned her attention away from the Nevermore to watch as Ruby… _danced._ The Deathstalker was backpedalling with a series of aggressive chitters and growls, its massive pincers trying to snip Ruby in half while its stinger tried to track her movements, but she twirled from the left to the right, closer and further, all the while Crescent Rose whirled about her with a low, skin-crawling wail as she began her death spiral.

The blade, as massive and imposing as it was, seemed to disappear from sight as it spun around Ruby with increasing intensity, slicing the Deathstalker's tail away before it could pierce her defenses, smacking its claws back with an incredible strength, and unloading round after rifle round into its stone-like headplate.

Pyrrha's eyes quietly widened; she had been curious when Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose on the launch pads, but had thought little of it. Scythe-users were rare, and even more rarely talented, she'd assumed the young girl was in over her head trying to use it, but now there was a burning curiosity.

Before she had a chance to contemplate the matter, a beak snapped at her midsection, and Jaune's hand followed after her as she was abruptly pulled from her feet. The blonde boy's shouting went unheard as Pyrrha cried out, the massive bird's wings stirring the air as it lifted off its feet, and began to turn towards the sky.

Jaune stood still, frozen with ineffective horror as he watched the bird lift off out of his reach, when a rush of wind by his side nearly bowled him over. Ruby's war cry echoed across the canyon right as a cavalcade of explosions and gunfire lit up the now screaming Deathstalker from behind.

Ruby did not bother trying the stairs, her eyes quickly picking out jutting ledges and rough spots on the tower in front of her, and she jumped with all of her strength to reach them, one by one, appearing to be sprinting up the side of the tower as she charged up towards the bird's climb.

Jaune felt his jaw hanging in shock as the little girl he'd only barely roused back to consciousness threw herself off the tower, spinning to turn her scythe into a red buzzsaw before she fell onto the Nevermore, catching its neck under her scythe to make it squawk in pain and surprise and dive for the far cliff.

Pyrrha tumbled from the bird's mouth, flailing and twisting in the air to try and find her bearings before Miló jammed into the cliff, jerking her descent to a halt and leaving her hanging in place. She winced, her Aura's waning pain warning her that it could _not_ do that again, but she turned to watch Ruby work.

The Nevermore's flight was erratic as the young lady on top of it slashed again and again at its black feathers and exposed back, leaping to and fro as the bird tried to turn, spiral, and buck her off to little avail. The _balance_ on the young lady astonished Pyrrha; she opened multiple red lines across the Nevermore's immense bulk, most of them superficial, but damaging nonetheless, and even with the bird corkscrewing into the misty abyss Ruby kept her cool and found the right moment to kick off its back to land on a bridge before the Nevermore disappeared below.

How…? She was so _young,_ not that Pyrrha wasn't hypocritical in pondering the apparent talent of a little girl throwing herself into something adults often struggled against, but the moment her hands had been around her weapon, Ruby went from a damsel in distress to saving her from a grizzly fate.

Pyrrha winced as her shoulder sent a pang of warning to her, telling her she was getting tired. She needed to make her way up, or down, or across, and she silently cursed herself for not having the foresight to bring rope. She repositioned her hands to not strain herself so much when a gunshot made her glance back.

With that warning out of the way, Pyrrha's eyes widened as Ruby crashed into the stone wall by her side feet-first, the impact tremors making Pyrrha shake as spider webbing cracks appeared under Ruby's feet, and before her momentum could shift downwards, Ruby grabbed ahold of Pyrrha and kicked off the wall with enough force to create a rain of boulders behind them. The older huntress clung to Ruby tightly, her mind racing with a multitude of questions, thoughts, and sheer, jaw-dropped surprise at her continuing show of talent, and then they hit the floor of the central tower.

Pyrrha rolled away, flopping onto her back with a pant, the feeling of ground beneath her more welcoming than she could have ever imagined before she lurched up to her feet. Ruby was on her knees not too far away, pitched forward, barely holding herself up on her arms as she panted and dripped sweat all over the floor. She'd exhausted herself with that one last move, and Pyrrha felt a pit of guilt open in her stomach; if she hadn't been so distracted and allowed the Nevermore to snatch her up…

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, resting her hand on Ruby's back as she kept a careful eye out for any more danger. The Nevermore had retreated for the moment, and in the distance, across the bridge, she could see the other initiates that had been launched into the forest with her had dragged the Deathstalker off the bridge to fight it on even ground.

Several, however, were not engaged in the fight with the scorpion and were racing across the bridge. " _Ruby!"_ Yang shouted desperately, ending in a slide that would have made any baseball coach proud. Pyrrha blinked, hands up as the blonde swept the young girl up into her arms, and Ruby, despite her panting, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Don't you _dare_ scare me like that again! I was about to tear this whole forest a brand new one!"

"M'sorry…" Ruby murmured, her hands coming up to return the embrace. She was so tiny in the bigger blonde's grip, and Pyrrha glanced up as Weiss finally caught up, staring down at the two sisters with an expression of curiosity and some annoyance. "Is e'rryone safe?" Ruby asked, looking to Yang, then Pyrrha, then Weiss, "Weiss!" Ruby squeaked, struggling a bit in her sister's tight arms, "I-I'm sorry, I-I- I didn't r-realize a-and-"

A smack to the top of her head ended her babbling, and Weiss planted her hands on her hips in annoyance, ignoring Yang's glare. "Stop _apologizing,_ Ruby. You did _fine."_ Weiss spoke in a tone that was more aggressive than praising. "More importantly, are you okay?" Weiss knelt down, her hands gently taking Ruby's cheeks to inspect how pale they were, but before she could search her memory for medical instruction, Ruby threw herself from Yang's grip to Weiss's. The debutante's mind ground to a screeching halt as Ruby looked Weiss over carefully, hands roaming her face, shoulders, and arms, leaving the heiress frozen in abject offense.

"A-are you?! I-I'm sorry, I know I-I've been c-causing trouble b-but-" Ruby was cut short by Weiss's wild, furious flailing.

"Stop _touching me_ you little brat! Of course I'm _fine,_ look at me! I'm _better than ever! Can't you TELL?!"_ Weiss's voice rose angrily, her glare focused on Ruby's goggles… but rather than retreat, apologize, and whimper, Ruby broke out into a little smile, and a small giggle than made Weiss's eye spasm.

"I-I think I can, y-yeah." Ruby nodded.

Weiss's expression was hilariously fraught with outrage, confusion, and embarrassment, but rather than freak out into a series of wild attacks and insults, her hands stuffed themselves under her armpits, and she glanced away with her nose in the air. " _Good._ I'm _glad._ It's important that partners can read one another's mood." Weiss huffed, her aggression only barely masking her relief.

Yang and Pyrrha stared at the two in utter silence, with Yang's elbow gently tapping Pyrrha's like the gladiator hadn't just seen the awkward little blow up with her own two eyes.

* * *

Nora's meteoric fall ended with a triumphant roar, an overhead swing of her weapon, and a trembling shudder as the Deathstalker pushed its bulk against the hammer, tanking the blow on its armored back with little more than a small snarl of anger. Bony white chips flew from its already weakened carapace, but if Nora caused it any pain, the scorpion didn't show it as its pincers closed around her middle to keep her still.

Its stinger plunged towards the struggling girl's torso, but was stopped short by a black ribbon wrapping around the base of its bulb and snapping taut, making its angry hiss grow louder as it struggled to free itself. Blake buried her heels into the grass and grit her teeth, her arms, and especially her hands, screaming with sympathetic pain until Ren landed on the Deathstalker's head, pointed his pistols against the crack made by Nora's hammer, and unloaded while his lips twisted into a silent snarl.

Either in distraction or pain, the Deathstalker flung Nora aside and tried to snatch the martial artist off its head, and Blake freed its tail before the beast's thrashing could dislocate her shoulders. Jaune opened his arms as he ran to catch the airborne redhead, and both bowled over across the ground with a pair of pained squeaks.

"Jaune!" Ren landed by both the boy and his lover, and he pulled Nora off of Jaune's face a little more aggressively than he normally would, "We've made a few more dents, but I can't tell how substantial it is."

"It's still progress…" Jaune groaned, pushing himself up to observe as Blake took her turn playing distraction. She was slippery, easily passing between its claws like sand in water, but Gambol Shroud was just as ineffective as Ren's weapons and his own. The Deathstalker wasn't as mobile with its broken legs, but the fall and repeated strikes weren't making it any less durable. "As long as we can get everyone to safety, I don't think we gotta worry about killing it."

"Considering their persistence, that may be easier said than done." Ren noted, racing in alongside Nora with their weapons raised. Jaune glanced at the ruins to see the four girls gathered in the central tower, Ruby hanging off of Yang's shoulder as they ran across the bridge as a group. Jaune sprinted out to meet them, listening to his allies war cry's and knowing they were doing fine, and skid to a halt as something arose from the mists.

"Go back!" Jaune shouted frantically, waving his sword as a black shape flew up from the other side of the tower, the girls failing to notice as they focused on escape alone. "Go back! _GO BACK!"_ He shouted in a strained voice.

On the bridge, the four slowed as Jaune motioned frantically, his voice only just registering. "Go back?" Weiss murmured, only for Pyrrha to grab her shoulder and reverse their direction. "W-what's-"

Crescent Rose interrupted her with a loud, ear-piercing bark that left Weiss cringing by Ruby's side, but the quick shot flew over the Nevermore's head as it dove down onto the group with all the speed it could build up with such a short distance. Jaune could only watch as the four frantically sprinted to get out of the way as the massive bird crashed straight through the stone walkway. It's armored skull cracked from the impact, and it made an unhappy noise of pain, but two more pumps of its wings smoothed it's flight somewhat and it twirled around the central tower and out of sight.

The fragmented stone seemed to hang in the air, suspended briefly by their sudden separation, before everything began to fall. They weren't fast enough, that much was clear, Ruby was weighing them down with her exhaustion, but quick thinking on Yang's part saved them the obvious trouble; with a hard throw, Ruby flew through the archway marking the entrance of the central tower, and Yang's free arms went around the slower Weiss. Pyrrha threw herself off a dropping segment of walkway and into a roll to stand by Ruby as the two took aim at the circling Nevermore, peppering it with shots from above, while Weiss flailed in Yang's grip as the two fell with the rubble.

Flinging Weiss over her shoulder like a damp towel to free her hands, Yang's gauntlets fired as she kicked off the rapidly crumbling section of rock under her boots to propel them towards the side of the tower, and with a half-panicked roar and a swing so strong it nearly sent Weiss spinning into the abyss, one of Yang's fists buried wrist-deep into the stone to serve as an armhold for the both of them. Weiss was quickly hauled up, the shaking heiress barely able to grab onto Crescent Rose's shaft when its head was extended for her, and right as she was pulled up to safety, a rush of air buffeted her back, her ponytail dancing wildly and she looked back to find that Yang had disappeared off the side of the tower.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, her head swivelling to catch sight of the Nevermore trying to flee with a wriggling teenager in its beak, but several loud gunshots, followed by the bird's unhealthy decision to crash into the left tower, told them Yang still hadn't been rendered helpless.

Ancient ruins fell to pieces in the mid-air battle, with the Nevermore barely correcting itself to dig its claws into the remains of the collapsing tower, while Yang wrestled herself out with a punch to the side of its head. She hit the top of the tower to the west, now level with the bird's face, but before she could dig in with her fists the Nevermore released its grip and fell into the lazily shifting mist once more.

"Well _now_ what?!" Weiss demanded, pale as a ghost from the rapid change in emotion after being saved by some upstart hick who looked like she'd walked out of a girly magazine, to the very same girl nearly being eaten by the seemingly omnipresent Grimm.

"It is fighting evasively, we'll never pin it down long enough to make use of our superior numbers at this rate." Pyrrha noted, watching the chasm carefully as Yang brushed herself off while stomping into view in the archway opposite them. Ruby waved a signal to halt before Yang could run across the bridge to join their group again, and the younger girl chewed her lip aggressively as her mind raced while Yang planted her hands on her hips and started tapping one foot in exaggerated impatience.

"Then th-there's no point in us trying the same stuff that isn't working." Ruby said in a tight voicing, sharing a worried stare with Yang, then looking below as a black wing pierced the surface of the mists briefly, just waiting for the moment they slipped up. "N-none of us does enough damage to kill it in one shot and we're g-gonna run out of Aura before it gets tired enough to land…"

"And without a proper distraction, running is inadvisable." Pyrrha chewed her lip in thought, and Weiss huffed.

"So we have to find a way to hit _harder_. My fire Dust is nearly depleted, but I still have one canister of gravity Dust left, and one of ice... Pyrrha, you're a seasoned gladiator, if you have any finishing blows you'd like to try...?" Weiss asked, but Pyrrha's head shake dismayed her.

"I've not yet developed any such move that might be useful against a Nevermore, and even if I had, my sword or spear may not have the mass needed to harm a Grimm that size. _Ruby_ and her great scythe would be more suited to it."

"She can hardly stand, much less fight!" Weiss snapped in growing anxiousness, her fists balling at her sides as she made an expression somewhere between a scowl and a pout. Even if the bird was no longer visible, she doubted a creature known for its intelligence would just forget it had been in a major battle and fly away. It was still more likely to win even while outnumbered thanks to its superior maneuverability and sheer power, it just needed to remain patient and let the girls use up all of their options, or wait for just _one_ to make a mistake it could fly away with.

"I can fight." Ruby spoke softly, hefting Crescent Rose up, but even as she spoke she was sweating, and her knees trembled under the combined weight of her body and blade.

"Don't try and play tough, Ruby. You're in no state to do anything but _shoot,_ so don't you-"

"I can _fight."_ Ruby interrupted with a quick snap, making Weiss's lips tighten. Pyrrha shuffled in awkward discomfort as the two stared one another down, and she thought she may have heard Yang kick a rock off the edge of the bridge far behind her as she waited. Ruby relaxed after a moment, and with a loud swallow, repositioned her hands on her scythe. "I-I'm tired, b-but not _useless._ I c-can't just pack it in and r-run because I'm worn out, I c-came here to slay the Grimm." She looked back over at her sister, and set her jaw. "... And together, w-we can."

"How?!" Weiss demanded, while Pyrrha kept watch, her ear out for Ruby's voice.

"We need to hit it h-hard, so we will. Super-extra hard! Weiss, a-are you any good with Dust mixing?" Ruby asked, holding up a spare magazine of sniper bullets. There was a pause as Weiss stared at the offered munitions blankly, and Pyrrha fought an amused smile as she linked her fingers behind her back and waited for the inevitable eruption.

"Do…" Weiss's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?! I'm _Weiss Schnee,_ heiress to the Schnee _Dust_ Company. I have given lectures to _grown_ _scientists_ on Dust; if there's anything I don't know about Dust, it's because it hasn't been _discovered yet."_ Weiss stated, both proudly and defiantly, but rather than look annoyed or quelled, Ruby smiled in a way that both frightened and intrigued the heiress.

"So, like, passable…?" Ruby stepped back when Weiss stomped closer with a ragged, furious growl. "Okay, y-yes, you're good, got it!" She bobbed her head until Weiss crossed her arms and turned her nose up, mollified. Scratching her unruly hair a moment, Ruby handed the magazine over to Weiss, drawing a blank stare, then a curious scrunch of her eyebrows, "Y-you need to make a bomb."

"... Pardon?" Weiss's eyebrows slid up her forehead, nearly dropping the magazine as if it was about to explode. Pyrrha's chin moved the opposite direction, her jaw dropping until her mouth formed a small, round shape of vapid astonishment at such a sudden suggestion.

Ruby hummed her confirmation and made an explosion pantomime with her fingers, complete with a whispered sound effect, and Weiss's mind squealed to a halt just long enough to jump tracks and start racing along a whole new train of thought. Pyrrha spoke up as Weiss cupped her chin and remained silent, looking unsold on the idea, "A bomb would certainly cause plenty of damage, but considering our limited supplies, I have… _doubts."_

"It shouldn't be h-hard," Ruby stated, and Pyrrha's jaw cocked in even further disbelief, "we just need as much Dust as we can g-get our hands on, every bullet we have-"

"Not _every_ bullet," Weiss interrupted, her breathing slowed as she began to think, "we need just enough explosive Dust to create a small IED. With my ice Dust, I can immobilize it if we catch it off-guard _just_ right-"

"-and with your gravity Dust, we could make an escape." Ruby added on, earning a confirming nod as Pyrrha felt a bit of sweat bead on her forehead. She had heard good hunters often relied on spur of the moment planning and risky action, but this seemed a little extreme… and the growing expressions of interest on their faces was not comforting. "W-we just need to drop the bomb at the right instant and make sure it goes off."

" _And_ we need proper packaging. My Dust vials are too small to create the sort of explosion we need…" she trailed of, the two shorter women frowning a moment in thought. Weiss flicked her head, her ponytail sweeping back as she cocked her hips and hummed softly. "...That Nora girl... she uses a grenade launcher, correct?" Weiss glanced back and forth, and while Ruby shrugged, Pyrrha nodded slowly. "If I could get maybe… _five_ grenades- no, six, I'll have the right amount of explosive Dust and proper casings, but I still need fire Dust to act as ignition, or lightning Dust will do in a pinch. Then something to bind the grenades together, like rope or a _belt-"_

"Jaune has a belt." Pyrrha interrupted, blinking at her thoughtless intrusion. She decided that Weiss' smile was pretty, but made her deeply uneasy.

"Then in that case, all we need is _time."_ Weiss glanced between the two girls, the plan passing between the three of them with wordless confidence and fright in equal measure. "And a proper distraction."

Pyrrha felt a frown forming; she didn't have anything to contribute except for the latter part, and she honestly didn't know if this was a good idea, but Ruby and Weiss both seemed confident in their assessment…

"Pyrrha, y-you should go with Weiss to the cliff, use the gravity Dust if you have to." Ruby ordered, earning a pair of curious looks, "Weiss needs s-somewhere stable to work, a-and the Deathstalker is already distracted. Besides, she needs to get to Jaune and Nora anyway. I'm g-going to work with Yang to distract the Nevermore."

"You're tired." Weiss pointed out factually, only to grow an annoyed expression when Ruby smirkingly pulled a cookie out of her belt pouch, "... You are an idiot, but you'd better not _die."_ She huffed as Ruby unceremoniously crammed the treat into her face. Pyrrha shook her head, her long hair wagging in disapproval as Weiss squeezed the bridge of her nose and felt nothing but regret. "My student record is already going to be starting off poorly thanks to this fiasco."

"W-Weiss, you did fine." Ruby assured the debutante, already licking her fingers clean of crumbs, "Y-you're here because Beacon thinks you'll be one of the b-best someday. We'll either drive the N-Nevermore away and escape, blow it to itty-bitty Grimm-chunks o-or… well… kill ourselves… and it's on you t-to make sure it's not the last one! So trust us, like I trust you! W-with explosives!"

The encouraging speech was met by a blank, somewhat mollified stare from Weiss, and a tilted head complete with confused expression from Pyrrha. Yang fired into the mist from the other tower, punctuating the silence while trying to hit the elusive raven. Finally, the white-haired girl slowly nodded. "Thanks… and, seriously, _don't die."_ Weiss glanced to Pyrrha, who shuffled uncomfortably after the moment, and the two girls went to the archway of the tower where the bridge once laid. Ruby went to the bridge connected to the left tower, and threw her older sister a confident thumbs up.

The gesture could have meant a million things, but in that moment, Ruby intended for it to mean ' _we have a plan.'_ To Ruby's chagrin, it turned out Yang was not actually a mind reader, and took the prompt as an all clear. With a relieved grin, she began sprinting across the bridge towards her little sister, slowing halfway across when Ruby's expression turned to horror and frantic waving, her little sister's normally soft voice bellowing out a warning as the ancient Nevermore rose unseen from the depths behind her with its wings outspread, falling on Yang like the cloak of Death.

* * *

Just as he had seen Pyrrha do, Jaune caught the tip of the stinger on the breadth of his shield, his arm shaking from the force of the blow, but he threw the barrier out to open the stinger up for Blake to race out underneath his arm and leap, bringing Gambol Shroud's sharpened sheath straight down into the crack they had spent the last minute trying to widen.

The black-haired young woman sported a small smirk as she heard the beast screech beneath her, the crack in its armor widening enough to see she'd partially punctured through its black flesh, inky blood welling out to coat her weapon. Her triumph was cut short when the scorpion, flexing itself harder than ever, arched itself in a sharp buck, pincers snipping above Blake's hidden ears as she crouched down and held on as tightly as she could to avoid being thrown or crushed in its grip.

She kicked off its back just in time to avoid a thrust from the deadly stinger, ripping Shroud out of the opened wound with a wet squelch. She performed a backflip over an incoming claw, pushing off with one hand to land perfectly on her feet in front of the infuriated Deathstalker. Before it could close in, she heard the blonde boy shout out, "Blake! _Block left!"_

Blake had always been a follower, and no matter how insane it may have been in retrospect, Jaune had taken over calling the shots and her first instinct was to obey, not fact-check. She twisted to the left and thrust Shroud's sheath out to hold open the scorpion's claw, and Ren dove in behind her with his bare hands, his Aura-empowered strength letting him push the Grimm's other arm back, forcing its guard open while his back pressed to Blake's. Nora hopped over their heads with a joyous warcry, sparking like mad as lightning coursed through her veins, but before Magnhild could plunge onto the widened wound, the Deathstalker surged forward.

Its sheer bulk, even offset by its slower pace, caught Nora in the middle of her strike, its mandibles opening wide to reveal the innards of its mouth, miniaturized pincers jutting out of the opening to crush down on Nora's chest and neck as it snatched her out of the air and bowled Blake and Ren over in the process. Nora let out a pained cry as it bit down, but her screaming took on an agonized pitch when its massive, black pincers closed around her head and legs like twin industrial vices. The Deathstalker began to pull, slowly, and even with her Aura helping to hold her together, she felt her spine pop and stretch out as Magnhild desperately flung about in her hand, feebly clanking off bone-white armor in her panicked thrashing.

" _Nora!"_ Ren's horrified shout preceded his mad charge at the beast, Storm Flower escaping his sleeves as, with his teeth threatening to crack under the strain of his clenched jaw, he jumped at the Grimm's side. A gasp escaped him as the scorpion turned towards him, holding Nora out as a shield against his blow, and Ren tumbled to the ground roughly when he jerked his arms sharply to avoid impaling his beloved.

Something Jaune's grandfather had told him when talking about what it meant to be a hunter, a soldier, or even just a police officer resonated with Jaune in that moment: sometimes, even if your mind didn't know what to do, your body did, but a body moving without a mind was a very, _very_ stupid thing.

But, every so often, doing something stupid was better than wasting time overthinking.

Jaune's mind caught up to him while he was in midair, sailing over Ren, even over Nora thanks to the two-handed launchpad Blake had provided, bracing his shield against his chest and side as the stinger tried to spear him out of the air, then twisting to throw all his weight behind his sword as he crashed blade first onto the Deathstalker's head. Crocea Mors punched through the crack Blake had widened, and he felt the blade sink into flesh, and flesh give way to something softer underneath.

The Grimm's squeal made Jaune shiver, and he felt numb as he hung onto the hilt of his blade, kneeling on the beast's broken shell. He was frozen, both in awe and horror of what he'd done, and he glanced up in time to see the yellow tip of the scorpion's stinger bounce off his Aura-enhanced breastplate, unleashing an effluvial, black spray as soon as it was deflected that made his golden Aura flare up like an overcharged bulb. His temples suddenly began to pound, the radiance of his Aura scrambling all over his body as if it were confused, and as the black stain continued to spread across the light of his soul, the two merged and separated, collided and retreated… and finally, Jaune's aura seemed to decide all on it's own that it had lost and simply winked out.

Jaune didn't notice he'd been tossed off the Deathstalker until he hit the grass on his back, staring up at the gray sky, sounds and tremors happening all around him as he felt his consciousness waver. Strangely, he did not hurt. If anything, he felt… _less…_ his arms and legs wouldn't move, and when he _did_ see Ren standing over him, waving his arms at black things trying to hit them both, the normally quick boy seemed to be moving sluggishly.

Then Blake was leaning over him, her clothed breasts dominating his vision briefly as he pondered what she was doing taunting him so, and Jaune only realized she had moved him when her breasts went away. What a pity, they'd been nice looking, not like watching Ren slowly dance with a pile of wriggling black shapes… the world around him felt like it was vibrating, and everything began to glaze over as he stared up at the steadily darkening sky. He heard a ragged noise that simply wouldn't stop, and it took him a long moment to realize it was his own mouth as it desperately gulped down air.

Was he dying? He couldn't feel, he couldn't see well, everything moved so oddly… now Pyrrha was over him. Hello Pyrrha; wow her boobs were nice too but which pair looked better…? Why did she looked worried? Oh god, he _was_ dying, that was the only explanation. Or he'd thrown up on her. He hoped not, twice in as many days was more humiliation than any man should ever have to endure. And now she was… kissing him? He wished he could have felt it, or even make note of the scent of her hair as it caressed his cheek, it would have been a nice experience before he died. She blinked damp eyes and the world shook as she pulled at his sides, shaking him… no, wait, she'd unclasped and discarded his chest armor, and braced her hands against his chest, her hands running up his stomach to press firmly over his heart... _wow,_ she was making sure he died without any regrets… oh, it was just CPR. Less exciting. Still dying, and her stiff arms and the jerky motions of her torso combined with her outfit to make one hell of a view, but still less exciting.

Then Pyrrha turned away, and somebody else filled in her place as she disappeared. Now it was Ren; hi, Ren. Wait, was Ren going to kiss him?... Well, there were worse people who could kiss him, Ren was at least kinda pretty. The boy's grey eyes and grey hair hung over Jaune's face briefly, that ragged panting still going, and then Weiss was there; hi, Weiss! Back to exciting again, 'cuz that girl, even when she was grey, was gorgeous… Jaune kinda wished she'd do the CPR, but she was in rapid debate with Ren, and Jaune just kinda laid there, dying. Weiss didn't have as magnificent a pair of boobs as Blake or Pyrrha, but it was that face he'd fallen for… it was a nice sight to go out on.

Well, at least it didn't hurt. It wasn't really _anything,_ though, just… kind of annoying that so much was happening and he didn't know what was going on. Weiss laid a hand on his face, and then she made an expression like Jaune had let loose a really wet fart right at her, but Jaune couldn't ponder whether or not he had because she shoved four fingers into his mouth. Was this an Atlas thing? He wasn't sure he was into it...

She was squeezing his lower jaw, and Jaune kinda felt both violated and intrigued by it; he was pretty sure that wasn't how _anything_ was done, but what did he know? With Weiss's hand in his mouth, her other resting on top of Ren's, which was firmly planted on top of Jaune's armorless chest, and Jaune saw grey sparks dance along their arms, surging toward his chest, and then he felt... _them_ …

Weiss, cold and indomitable, blinded him as her Aura swelled inside of his chest, so hefty and tragic that Jaune felt his very being clench and shrink away, hiding itself in the very depths of all that was Jaune, when another presence pushed in; Ren, eerily calm, towering over Jaune as a lifetime of change, stillness, solitude, and togetherness intermixed and grasped at him. The grey palette that covered the world began to seep back, and Jaune snapped awake with a loud gasp, his hands feebly grasping their wrists.

"Jaune!" Ren sighed in relief, his pale hand caressing his cheek to inspect the blonde boy closely as Jaune glanced around at the blue sky, the black-haired boy, and the white-haired girl by his side. "How do you feel?" Ren asked quickly, their eyes focusing on each other's carefully.

"... You guys are so much hotter in color..." Jaune admitted, his heart hammering in his breast, his body feeling drained of all energy. Weiss blinked once and stared, but Ren just nodded sagely while hugging his stomach, as if feeling ill.

"Thanks, we try." He replied in forced coolness. Weiss shifted her incredulous look to him and he offered a one-shouldered shrug. " _I'm_ secure enough to just take the compliment." She pinched the bridge of her nose and mumbled something dark as her aura sputtered and sparked over her skin, her body wavering unsteadily while Jaune slowly found the strength to sit up.

"What did you two _do_?" He asked once he managed to get himself upright, his head swimming from the change in position. His fingers knotted around the grass, as if to remind him the ground wasn't going anywhere.

"V-venom d-dispersal…" Weiss muttered by his side, shivering in place, glaring at her own fists as her Aura flickered around her sporadically. The one that had been in Jaune's mouth was a worrying shade of _pitch black,_ but it was fading away as her white Aura kept popping in and out across her slender frame.

"We're each sharing one third of the Deathstalker venom's effects, so while you may feel exhausted, you should at least be… _aware."_ Ren weakly raised a hand, showing that the place Weiss' other hand had touched was also bearing a fading stain. Jaune could only quietly nod, cold sweat beading on his forehead as his stomach knotted in unhappy anxiety at how close to death he'd just come.

"... That _sucked."_ Jaune summarized succinctly.

"It still _does_ you _lunatic!"_ Weiss spoke through grit teeth, barely keeping herself up on her knees as sweat poured down her face. She wrapped her arms around her chest, as if trying to fight off a chill. "Do _not_ get _stung_ by giant glowing scorpion bits! How h-hard is that to understand?!" She groaned, and Ren, despite pursing his lips at her harshness, did not _dis_ agree with her.

"W-well… it's dead, right?" Jaune asked, barely hiding his embarrassment as Ren looked towards the colossal Grimm. Jaune's eyes followed, and he let out a deeply disappointed sigh as he saw it still standing, his sword jutting out of its head plate comically. However, his annoyance and despair drained away as he watched it stumble back and forth unsteadily, sputtering and gurgling as it snapped its pincers at empty air, its tail whipping about with no precision, acting more like an amateur swinging a flail about than the precision-spear it had been a minute before. "It's _brain-damaged?"_

"Looks that way." Ren nodded, watching as Nora broke away from the fight, leaving Pyrrha and Blake to plot how to permanently put down the damaged Deathstalker, and slid into place next to the three downed hunters. Ren and Nora shared a brief ' _happy you're alive'_ kiss, then Nora gave Jaune a much more sincere smile than her usual grin of audacity.

"Thanks for the save, blondie, even I'm not mean enough to make the world handle _two_ Noras." She patted her stomach, and Jaune's laugh was cut short by a small, pained wheeze. Ren bobbed his head in agreement, his normally relaxed expression broken with an equally gentle smile. With that, Nora turned to Weiss, and opened her pouches to start lining up her pink grenades. "Pyrrha said that you need a _lot_ of boom."

"Y-yes." Weiss focused her eyes and took ahold of one of the grenades. She began to try and unscrew one of the explosives, but her strength had depreciated. She clicked her teeth in frustration, glaring at the metal canister. " _Here."_ She shoved the grenade into Ren's hands, making him give an uncharacteristic squeak as he caught it.

With a bit of a struggle, Ren finally opened the container and disarmed the explosive while Nora hummed something cheerful and did the same. Weiss pulled a handkerchief out of her satchel and noted, with distaste, that Nora dyed her Dust. The dye was expensive… and for what? _Color?_ What was wrong with the color of an explosion? They didn't last all that long… it was sort of the _point_ of an explosion! She held her commentary with a sigh and, one by one, Weiss took the pink-tinted contents of each grenade and meticulously divided them up into equally proportioned piles on her hand cloth, along with the emptied custom mix extracted from Ruby's magazine. Weiss had no idea where Ruby got such an eclectic dust mixture to cram into her ammo, but the blend of gravity, explosive and wind forces would certainly add some punch to things. The pink-saturated dust would work fine for creating the boom, but the grenades used a physical device to agitate and trigger the explosion… fine and reliable for field work, but Weiss needed maximum yield, not reliable damage output over time. "Now I just need a sufficiently potent catalyst; is anyone carrying lightning or fire Dust?" Almost immediately, Ren presented her with two vials of lemon-yellow Dust, and Weiss grabbed one as Nora grabbed the other. Weiss and Ren pinned the redhead with a flat, unimpressed look that made her huff defensively.

"I need one!" Nora protested, "Shit doesn't just break _itself_ around me, okay?!" she snapped. Ren sighed and closed his eyes a moment, but Weiss was already, as swiftly as she dared, portioning out little piles of the sparking Dust into the now empty grenade containers. "So, you guys finally cooked up a plan against the Nevermore other than 'try not to die?'" Nora guessed, earning a weak smirk as Weiss used a pinch of ice Dust and a miniscule glyph to quickly chill the collected mounds she'd set aside.

"We're making a bomb." Was all Weiss explained, picking up one of the now frozen mounds of Dust to drop into a grenade casing. Then, of all things, she pulled out a lighter, keeping a careful watch on the concoction as Ren's eyes quickly widened.

"You're going to destabilize the Dust that way." He pointed out swiftly as Jaune… contemplated. The other three teens watched in tense fear as Weiss flicked the lighter on and tilted the canister to let the flame play against the now rapidly-thawing crystal particles inside. Sweat dotted her brow, and she refused to blink as she blackened the icy mass as much as she dared.

"That's the plan. A destabilized Dust-mixture will provide a much higher yield explosion, but it'll be harder to handle." A gentle hiss escaped the casing, and with a quick breath, Weiss blew the hissing out, and quickly resealed the grenade, glad her hands were now strong enough for the task. "By mixing the lightning and explosive Dust, then destabilizing it, it will create a significantly stronger reaction. The lightning Dust will activate first on impact, supercharging the explosive Dust a split second before it detonates."

"... Should we be anywhere _near_ that?" Ren asked, his eyes slightly widened as the prospect of being caught, unprotected, in what promised to be the most elaborate detonation he'd ever witnessed danced across his mind. Jaune's nervous swallow implied he shared Ren's concerns… Nora's mind had gone in a separate direction.

"Can I _watch?!"_ Nora asked, her eyes sparkling. A happy, almost scandalized gasp slipped her lips. "Wait, can I _shoot it?!"_ She squeaked.

" _No,_ the initial launch of the grenade would be more than enough to cause it to go off before it exited the barrel of your weapon. Besides…" Weiss grabbed one of Jaune's belts and, with a strangely elegant motion of her thumb and a flick of her wrist, pulled it off him with a motion like she was cracking a whip. He yelped, blushed, and pouted as Weiss made a small perimeter around her project with the accessory, and Nora patted his blonde hair comfortingly. "I'm making _several."_

Jaune stared at the circle, dumbfounded for a moment, then looked to Ren who was now, officially, as white as Weiss' jacket in silent terror. Jaune decided he was not one hundred percent sold on all this… "Do… do we have, like, a foolproof plan to blow the bird up once the bomb's ready?" He asked, watching Weiss repeat the delicate process.

"Not as of yet, but between my gravity Dust, Pyrrha's skill and… whatever the rest of you can do, I'm sure I'll come up with _something."_

"If you need someone to carry it~..." Nora purred as Jaune chewed his knuckle in thought, his eyes closing to focus as the two battles waged around them. There had to be something he could do to help… and to get that insane bomb far away from all of them as quickly as possible. He frowned to himself and glanced out at the canyon, where the Nevermore was waging its battle of attrition with the sisters, the gears in his head beginning to churn as he shifted his gaze from the swift raven to the stumbling arachnid.

* * *

Crescent Rose thundered loudly enough to drown out the Nevermore's screeching as it flew beneath bridges and around towers in an attempt to avoid the sniper rifle's bite. Each bullet shredded whatever piece of the ruins they struck, but without ever getting close to coinciding with the Nevermore's erratic path. The massive Grimm bird flew up when the hail of bullets subsided, encroaching on the tower with its lashing talons and a murderous rain of black feathers, sending Ruby scrambling for cover.

Cover presented itself when Yang threw herself in front of her little sister, her fists lashing out in quick jabs to intercept the falling feathers. With Ruby's shout, Yang ducked when the bladed shower ended, and a bullet flew true from Rose's barrel. The Nevermore's cry of pain accompanied its wild, agonized thrashing, the lower half of its left leg falling into the abyss with a trail of pitch black gore trailing behind it, leaving the Nevermore and its remaining leg to quickly duck into the mists below.

"Jeez, Rubes, why didn't you open with that one?" Yang teased as her little sister huffed, hugging her sniper scythe close to her breast.

"You're just jealous that I actually _hit it."_ Ruby accused, and Yang offered a dry smirk in response.

"At least we finally left a mark. Maybe it'll get the hell outta here now that-" Yang's voice was entirely eclipsed by a ferocious scream, the Nevermore flying at them at a blinding speed, sending the two scrambling out of the way, and nearly sliding off the old stone as the massive Grimm's wing smashed against the edge of the tower roof, its belly digging a shallow trench where it had failed to crush them, leaving the two girls to hang onto the ruin's remains while choking on dust. "Are we seriously going to need your's and Weiss' stupid _bomb_ for this thing?!" Yang demanded while waving the tainted air away from her face, scowling at the taste of it.

"I told you!" Ruby yipped, dragging herself to her feet as the tower shuddered underneath them. The entire structure made a mournful, crumbling wail that neither girl had ever heard before, and immediately took a dislike to. "W-we gotta go!" The stone began to vibrate under their boots, and both girls leapt away from the edge as the Nevermore rose up behind them, its remaining talon ripping chunks of the tower away where the girls had just been, spraying them with a hailstorm of shrapnel before clapping it's massive wings to add another volley of feathers to the mix. Ruby spun Crescent Rose to knock some of the black lances aside, while Yang simply _roared_ in frustration, a wall of heat and flame searing several of the feathers to ash while she glowered, her hair a blinding conflagration dancing in the wind made by the raven's attack as her blood-red eyes promised death to her tormentor.

Her entire body tensed to launch at the bird with the full measure of her Semblance-enhanced strength, consequences be damned, when the tower let out a violent crack, the roof splitting along a jagged line of formerly interlocked bricks. The fire of her wrath winked out as soon as she saw Ruby jump away from the jagged edge of the damage… Yang didn't wait to see just how much longer the tower would last beneath her feet; she sprinted to her sister and her arms encircled Ruby's waist before she fell back, ignoring her squeaking burden as they fell away from their shattered perch. Above them, the tower began to howl under the strain of its rapidly crumbling infrastructure, heavy chunks of the roof sagging and snapping off to chase the two towards the bridge below.

Twisting in midair, Yang tucked Ruby close and extended her long legs, spitting a curse of pain as she absorbed the impact for them both, her sunny yellow aura swirling along her lower body and throbbing in distress. She pushed past the pain, her throat bobbing as she choked it down and ignored the astonished look on Ruby's face. As soon as she put Ruby onto her own feet, they charged towards the middle tower with their arms pumping by their sides, avoiding the deadly rain hammering the bridge apart behind them. The run was cut short, however, when an immense black shape fell upon the path ahead of them, smashing the bridge to pieces, the surface under them unraveling like broken twine, and sending them falling into the foggy abyss below.

Even in freefall, Ruby and Yang's minds raced, refusing to accept defeat by the means of a long fall and a quick stop. Both halves of Ember Celica roared behind Yang to propel her towards the central tower, the rapid bark of Crescent Rose allowing Ruby to do the same. The advantage, however, was with the Nevermore, who rose from its dramatic, crushing fall to block the way to safety with its widespread wings. Both girls gawked, hanging helpless in the air as their own desperate response accelerated them toward their fate. The black monstrosity's remaining leg extended, talons outstretched towards Yang's torso, it's beak cracked open and eyes gleaming in what seemed like malicious delight, but it's hard-fought victory was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Blake on its shoulder.

Ruby and Yang both briefly forgot to keep firing when Blake appeared, flashing them a concerned look a split-second before she used both arms to hammer Gambol Shroud's katana point-first through the side of its neck in an attempt to slit it's massive throat. The huge raven screeched in pain and thrashed as it plummeted out of the sisters' way, taking Blake with it.

The sisters quickly shot their way back to the towering middle ruin, burying fist and blade into the stone for support, and glanced down into the mists with their breaths held in anticipation. " _BLAKE!"_ Yang shouted, her eyes frantically searching for a spot of black in the white vapor. As if in response, a black knife attached to a handgun spun end over end from below, puncturing the tower next to where Yang hung. A long, black ribbon attached to the weapon went taut, and the two could just barely make out somebody running up the wall, golden eyes flashing up at them as she scaled the vertical surface with amazing ease.

" _Start climbing! Go! GO!"_ Blake shouted as she pulled herself up, a trick of her Aura helping her boots stick to the ancient stone, while her arms and shoulders dully ached at the strain of helping rapidly haul her up by the ribbon.

Ruby's eyes met Yang, a silent, fearful conversation passing between them. Yang could feel her well of ideas drying up; punching the bird wasn't accomplishing much–even if she did get a few solid blows in, she'd botched the timing on her Semblance and it would exhaust her to try again so soon–running was rapidly proving to be more dangerous than holding down a position, and even if Ruby managed to take off a leg, one shot out of ten wasn't promising. However, meeting her unsure expression was a tiny, audacious grin, and Yang didn't know how to feel about _that._ "... You've got the _look,_ Ruby. That's the look when you're about to make my life _really_ complicated or _really_ awesome..."

Ruby's smile only grew, the briefest flicker of doubt crossing her expression as she looked downwards, "Complicated? Nah, see, this'll be easy." She said, her eyes narrowing behind her goggles as Blake stared up at them, frantically shouting for them to go as she closed the distance, "We _fall."_

A beat passed, and Yang's response was a disbelieving: " _What?!"_

"'Cuz Uncle Crow's going to give us a ride!" Ruby pointed downwards, making Blake increase her climbing speed.

"Uncle Qr-?" Yang stopped mid-word, stared at her little sister in silent awe, and let loose a small, loving sigh, "... Awesome it is; Ruby, even if we die, I am _so_ proud of you."

Ruby's smile turned into a beaming grin at the praise, and to Blake's mounting, confused terror, both girls let go at once. " _Heya cutie, wrong way!"_ Yang rushed out as one of her arms caught Blake by the middle, grabbing ahold of her as Ruby flipped in mid air, spinning to get Crescent Rose at just the right angle, and in the blink of an eye, the Nevermore crashed into the falling huntresses.

Blake found herself wide-eyed and pale, hanging onto Yang's midsection as tightly as she could while trying to ignore the mounds of _soft_ she'd found her face crammed into, feeling the fall cut short with a violent jerk, a demonic, pained screaming, and suddenly they were rising, and _fast._ She popped her head out of Yang's tits to see that her ass of a partner was hanging onto Ruby's ankle, while Ruby's hands clutched Crescent Rose's shaft in a death grip, while the scythe, in turn, was buried a solid foot into the Nevermore's shoulder. The same one Blake had landed on. She approved, even as she silently vowed to kill them both for this.

" _What now?!"_ Yang shouted upwards, their rapid ascent beginning to slow amidst the Nevermore's pained cries. Blake was either feeling very affectionate or was trying to crush Yang's ribs, the blond couldn't really tell.

" _I don't know!"_ Ruby shouted downwards, wringing the aura-enhanced steel in her grip as she glanced towards the sky, then back down, " _I've just been winging it!"_ Yang stared back blank faced and Blake's bow seemed to deflate, as if just realizing the wind was strong enough to lay it flat on top of her head.

" _Hah! But seriously! What now?!"_

" _I don't know! I've seriously been winging it!"_

"Oh." Yang blinked and looked down at Blake. "Ruby's running on empty." she explained to the perturbed catgirl, who was currently hiding everything below her glowering eyes in Yang's chest. "... Eh, we'll think of something." Yang assured her with a small shrug, and Blake found herself caught between her fear of the Nevermore, a growing phobia of falling, and the all-consuming need to kill the Xiao Longs before they killed her _._ Or reproduced.

Luck smiled on the sisters as Blake spotted something far more comforting than Yang's somewhat plastic and increasingly nervous smile: a pink explosion filled the sky above the cliff, visible as the Nevermore and its three passengers flew past the top of the central tower, and Blake's ears straightened unnoticed, " _The signal! They're ready with the bomb!"_ Blake shouted over the howling wind, and Yang's face split into a wide grin.

"This had _better_ be worth the wait; _Ruby! Weiss has big boom!"_ Yang called upwards, and with only a second of hesitation, Ruby nodded.

Ruby glanced downwards as the ruins began to shrink away, then she stared into the Grimm's red, glaring eye as it tried to drag them up as high as it could, and Ruby set her little jaw. They were going the wrong way and the bird was still far too quick… but she now had a new tool at her disposal! "Let's _tie it up!"_ Ruby suggested at the top of her voice. Yang nodded and, one hand at a time, moved her grip from Ruby's ankle to twin fistfulls of black plumage. Blake furrowed her brow, unsure what the two had somehow agreed on so quickly.

Crescent Rose's trigger was pulled, and the loud ' _crack'_ of its last bullet made the Nevermore hiss in surprise, then cry as the blade tore itself out of its shoulder. Its wing began to lose its power as most of its red muscles were cut loose, its flight slowing dramatically from pain and weakness. Blake yelped when a strong hand clamped onto her and Yang lifted her partner up by the hip with a grin as Ruby grabbed ahold of its tail feathers beneath them. A lavender eye winked, and Yang favored her partner with a dashing smile. "C'mon Blakey, let's put that ribbon of yours to good use!"

Blake blinked slowly, and a low groan escaped her as she realized exactly what the blonde was implying. Blake tied the very end of Shroud's ribbon to the wrist still being used to anchor Yang to the bird, and then the blonde shouted in exertion as Aura thundered down her right arm to fling Blake upwards and out. The thin strip of Aura-enhanced black cloth trailed behind the ninja as she found herself airborne, a queasy feeling hitting her stomach as Remnant spread out to infinity beneath her. She angled her arms and legs, directing herself as she descended upon the slowing Grimm, her ribbon draping over its still fully attached wing, letting her swing under it to then loop back over and ensnare it. Her feet hit it's side and she sprinted, lunging to Yang and passing the rest of the ribbon to the grinning blonde. Blake wrapped her arms around her partner's neck, holding on for dear life. "Don't say I never gave you anything!" Blake cried before burying her face in blonde curls. Yang _trilled_ in sadistic delight.

" _Ground floor,_ asshole, _chop-chop!"_ She heaved, the ribbon snapping taut, and jerking the massive black wing to a halt, instantly killing its stunted climb.

The Nevermore's confused squawk was both satisfying and horrifying, made all the worse as the four of them briefly hovered in midair, momentum and gravity having a short lived argument over who was in charge. Blake whimpered and wrapped her legs around Yang's hips, pressing herself flat against her back and feeling the blond's powerful shoulders shake with the strain of keeping the titanic avian from putting its wing to use. Blake's aura rapidly drained as it kept the thin ribbon as strong as high tensile cable, and Yang regretted she couldn't enjoy her first Blake-snuggle, which would totally count when she inevitably brought it up! .

" _I love being a huntress!"_ Ruby screamed from below as gravity, inevitably, won the argument, and floating transitioned smoothly into plummeting. The freefall was accompanied by Yang's wild, rebellious yell of delight, Ruby's nervouscited squealing, and Blake's rising scream as the Nevermore, along with its passengers, fell towards the canyon at rapidly escalating speeds.

* * *

Jaune shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun as he stared up at the sky, watching the dark shape rise higher and further, until something caused it to stop; stop, and then fall… _fast._ Despite his brush with venom-induced death, he realized he was very glad that he wasn't on team 'Catch The Nevermore'. Quickly, Jaune turned to Pyrrha while wringing his hands, pointing at the swiftly growing black speck in the sky. "Get ready! _Get ready!"_ His voice rose, reaching Weiss, Nora, and Ren.

"One more second!" Weiss shouted back, ensuring the belt of highly-reactive Dust grenades was as tight as it could be around the base of the Deathstalker's tail. The scorpion Grimm, still rendered an imbecile thanks to the sword stuck in its head, clicked its pincers violently at nothing. Nora and Ren both worked to keep its tail still for Weiss as the severed, venomous bulb dissolved into mist a dozen feet away, just in case the beast got lucky with it's flailing.

"It's happening _now!"_ Jaune shouted, the Nevermore's black shape growing larger as it uncontrollably descended with Ruby, Blake, and Yang still attached. "Get in position!" Jaune ordered. Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren quickly gathered around the Grimm's stunted tail, Nora giggling _madly_ as she crushed a vile of sparking, yellow Dust in her palm, the electrical charge driving her sweet laughter into full bellied cackling that left Weiss a little worried about the hammer-maiden's sanity.

They hefted the severed tail over their shoulders, marching in time to drag the oblivious Grimm towards the edge of the cliff, its pincers grabbing ahold of random nearby objects to crush. Once they were as close to the edge as they dared, Myrtenaster pointed at the ground beneath the Deathstalker, and a large, black glyph expanding outwards, encompassing its full width as it made another confused sound, bubbling foam sloshing off it's mouthparts. Weiss took a deep breath, nodded as the glyph began to spin, and the four teens looked to Jaune as the boy stared at the approaching Nevermore intently, his hand rising.

"Ready!" Jaune shouted, watching the mad fall with sweat beading on his brow. He didn't know _when_ they needed to move, he just knew the timing was going to be tight; if the three girls tangled up with the Nevermore weren't given the time to escape, the explosion had a good chance of killing them too… he chewed his lip in slow, careful thought, his gut tight in anticipation, the bird seeming to fall so much _slower_ now that he was in full worry-wart mode… " _SET!"_ Jaune growled.

The black glyph beneath the Deathstalker pulsated, dispensing its energy into the scorpion, causing its chittering to turn into fearful shrieking as it was levitated off the ground like it was a feather in the wind. Nora stepped up behind it, her smile a beacon of anticipatory joy to all who saw it. She spat into her palms, rubbed them together, and pulled her hammer back as she sunk into a low stance, her powerful little frame coiled with lethal power as she tittered and sparks danced along her body, makeing her look like some short circuiting toy. Ren knelt next to her, head ducked low, a hand on her bare leg to feed his aura into his lover, directly adding his strength to her own, while also adjusting her stance for the perfect swing. Pyrrha held out her hands, the canisters humming as she willed them to stay in place, to stick together… and, if possible, to not explode _right then..._

Jaune swallowed, wondering if he'd waited too long but... a flicker of inspiration passed through him, a brief, shining instance of instinct, allowing him to see the actions and result in his head right as it passed… and he quelled his fears; this was his plan, it would _work. "FIRE!"_ He roared. Nora's laugh was euphoric as she burned all the aura in her body, every volt of electricity dancing along her nerves, to deliver the single strongest swing of her entire life. The impact of reinforced steel to the bone armor of the scorpion's backside was like being at ground zero of a thunderclap, and the Deathstalker, for the second time today, was airborne. The massive, heavy bulk of the beast, compromised by its sudden reversal in gravity, flew through the air with the grace of a hastily discarded shoe. Jaune's expression turned into brief awe as he watched the gigantic thing get _golfed_ _away,_ and it flew over the canyon, smashing into the remains of the central tower to turn one of the remaining walls into rubble.

Then, whatever little bit was left standing was crushed to pieces when the Nevermore fell straight into the Deathstalker, striking a glyph that appeared in mid-air. The raven slipped right through it, but the three girls hovered in the air, their bodies glowing darkly as the glyph linked their auras to Weiss' gravity effect. Ruby, Blake, and Yang scrambled to keep their composure as their fall was abruptly stopped–with their breakfasts jumping up into their throats–and everything went still with anticipation.

There was a drawn out, awkward silence as the eight exhausted teenagers watched the two Grimm shift and struggle to rise; Weiss began to blush, Nora was scowling, Ren looked entirely unimpressed… Jaune sighed. "Pyrrha?"

"Hmmm? _OH!_ Um… _boom?"_ She shrugged and made a crushing motion with both hands. The canisters, still trapped in the magnetic grip of her semblance, imploded sharply.

The struggling black mass resting on top of the central tower's remains was suddenly swallowed in a cloud of hot–literally _hot_ –pink. The belt of destabilized Dust grenades went off with a series of pops, then a deafening explosion blew Jaune off his feet, his eyes filled with enough white and pink to satisfy his feminine side for the next decade, and the three girls hovering in the air were blown by the blast wave towards their waiting friends.

A rapidly expanding pink mushroom cloud, following a shockwave of stone-pulping force, hid the worst of the ruins' damage, a haze of boiling heat following that left the teenage hunters covering their bare skin to not burn.

It all happened in an instant, and it all passed in an instant, but the mark it left would remain for a long time to come.

Jaune blinked the spots out of his eyes, struggling for breath, and glanced up at Ruby, who he quickly realized was sitting on his chest with a stunned expression, her scythe gripped tightly in her hands. Their eyes met once they were both sound of mind again, and Jaune murmured, "Hi Ruby."

Through the ringing in her ears, Ruby responded, " _WHAT?!"_

" _What?!"_

" _WHAT?!"_

" _I said 'hi Ruby!'"_

" _HI JAUNE!"_

" _ARE YOU OKAY?!"_

" _I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY!"_

" _What?!"_

" _WHAT?!"_

The sound of steel cutting through bare earth made them both pause, and Ruby glanced back at Crocea Mors, smoking and dyed pink, patiently awaiting its master's touch, as well as punishing his abandonment by leaving a small cut in the undercarriage of his jean's crotch. Jaune swallowed loudly, and Ruby blinked. Then the heat of the blade caught his pants on fire, and Jaune thumped the back of his head against the dirt while Ruby debated trying to swat the flame out...

"... Okay, I'm done for the day." Jaune muttered, then yelped when Ruby's hand slammed against his groin to spare him from immolation.

" _WHAT?!"_

Yang rolled off of Blake, laughing like a madwoman as the disguised Faunus stared at the sky, her fingers tearing up grass as she sucked in a tight, hot breath, and quickly reaffirmed that she was alive by counting her limbs. Good, she was _not_ in paradise, though considering how she'd come to underneath a _lot_ of good-looking woman, it had been an easy mistake to make. "Yang? Yang, _I hate you._ I hate you, and your family, and everything you think is fun..."

"This is nothing, wait until I take you clubbing!"

"... Weiss? _Weiss, be my partner!"_ Blake's voice reached a screeching whine as Yang flopped down next to her and laughed.

Nora stood at the edge of the canyon, one foot propped up on what was once the entryway to an ancient structure, her hands on her hips, her chest swollen with awe and pride. There was not a single tower in sight, not a single piece of whole, carved stone. Everything was painted pink, herself included, the Dust's dye having splattered everything and everyone, leaving the canyon and the surviving hunters drenched in an eye-searing color that left Nora sighing with pleasure. Ren sidled up to her, trying to shake both his disjointment and the pink cowlick he was sporting off of his head, pleased that his lover was alive and happy. "Ren? You remember when we were on the train to Vale, you talked about wanting us to leave our mark on the world?"

"...This wasn-... ...Yes. Yes I do..." He sighed. Nora blinked back proud tears and looped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing firmly.

"I get it now. I really, _really_ do."

"You _really_ don't…"

" _Shhhhhh, no more brain stuff."_ Their heads bumped together, and Ren let out an amused little noise as he accepted the cuddle.

Pyrrha knelt in the dirt, her hair somehow freed by the explosion, every inch of her caked with soot, dirt, and pink, and she realized she'd been correct: Ruby's plan, and Jaune's additions to it, had been mad. Stark raving mad. Mad, utterly insane, and successful. She'd left the arena to pursue a higher purpose, to transition from a coveted source of entertainment into a guardian, a defender… a true hero. She'd expected rigorous training, disciplined battle tactics, carefully considered strategies that had withstood the test of time.

With a howling roar, the far side of the canyon collapsed, the damaged stone tumbling into the abyss and shaking the earth they all sat on. She'd risked her life to help an amateur and six lunatic strangers kill a pair of massive Grimm with an explosive that would have gotten its users slapped with a lifetime-ban from ever entering the MRT again, assuming they weren't arrested on the spot.

She looked around, soaking in the filthy, shouting, hugging, battered, pink mess that were her companions, each of them nothing like anyone she had ever known in her life, all of them their own brand of chaotic energy and ideas. This wasn't what she'd wanted...

This was so much _better_.

"... We should all get pizza when we get back!" She called, clapping. An excited cheer met the suggestion, and Pyrrha beamed as her companions limped towards her, before their excitement turned into heated arguments over their preferred toppings.

* * *

"Don't tell me you weren't recording that! There's eight of us, _somebody_ had to be!" Nora asked around incredulously, her expression a mixture of disappointment and fury.

"We weren't allowed to bring our scrolls." Pyrrha reminded her from behind. Yang had loaned her the orange cloth she normally kept tied around her leg, letting Pyrrha tie her hair back into a ponytail, her elastic apparently a casualty of battle.

"I was going to go to _bed_ with that! How can I get closure if I don't get to see it at least a dozen more times?!" Nora was a giddy, angry ball of energy as the eight teenagers walked, limped, or were dragged south, each of them looking like they'd returned from a neon paint rave somewhere deep in the forest. "Jaune!" The girl barked, making the blonde boy flinch and look back, leaning heavily against Pyrrha. "More explosions next time! Nora needs more boom! _More boom!"_ She gesticulated furiously, making Jaune snort.

"I'll try and keep that in mind." He stated dryly, Pyrrha giggling by his side. Behind them, Ren walked firmly, sipping from a thermos that smelled like a mixture of a vegetable garden and a compost heap, managing to keep most of his dignity intact despite his pants having been stained with his lover's favorite color.

"I would really like that we _never_ do _anything_ like _that_ again." Weiss grouched from Yang's back. The blonde was chipper as ever, hardly minding the extra weight–or extra color!–as Weiss piggybacked on her with a groan, the full day of exertion, falling, getting chewed on, and being envenomed having caught up to her in a bad way.

Blake was bleary-eyed and tired, preferring the solid ground to the branches above for the moment. She'd done her fair share of high-flying today, and even without danger present, she wanted to enjoy solid, firm, non-shaking, non-collapsing ground. She couldn't even enjoy the sounds of the forest, considering all four of her ears were still ringing...

Ruby and Nora walked side-by-side ahead of the group. Ruby… was full of energy. A tired energy to be sure, a second wind that was still keeping her going despite everything that had transpired. She was almost ready for a second round… not that she _wanted_ another round–quite the opposite, in fact–but she was pleased with her current accomplishment and felt ready for a big dinner and a long, hot bath… and laundry. She liked pink, but her hunter outfit had a specific look that Yang had been correct in saying did _not_ need pink. At least not to the excessive amount currently painting her gorgeous cloak.

"W-well, I'll try to make it a last resort in the future, but it _did_ work." Ruby pointed out. Nora cooed and hugged her, and Ruby could only giggle nervously and hope she'd stop on her own.

"At what cost?" Weiss whimpered, examining her stained clothing. Ruby hid a laugh as they crested a hill. Before them were the ruins containing the relics, and relief flooded her. She wasn't going to fail just yet! She sped forward, Nora close behind her demanding a guarantee on those explosions. She jumped up onto the raised platform and examined the remaining relics, and almost immediately her face fell.

Sitting by its lonesome was a single relic, a black rook. Not two relics, just _one._ Had… had she been right this entire time?! "Um…" Behind her, Pyrrha helped Jaune up, and the rest of the hunters joined her on top. "Jaune, Pyrrha, d-did you t-two happen to g-get a relic?" She asked. Pyrrha and Jaune both shook their heads.

"No, we took the scenic route to those ruins." Jaune answered, pulling his arm from Pyrrha's shoulders to walk forward. He grabbed the remaining relic with a small frown, idly tossing it up and down.

"Hey! Don't take it, we need to decide who's passing!" Weiss said in a flustered squirm, prompting Yang to dig her elbows into her passenger's hips in warning.

"This doesn't seem right." Blake squinted at the floor in a small scowl as she examined their surroundings, trying to see if one fell. "Why would they only have enough for all the teams but one?"

"Well, see—" Yang started, but Ruby interrupted.

"J-Jaune and Pyrrha sh-should get it."

"What?!" Weiss squirmed again. Yang rolled her eyes and dropped Weiss onto her butt to reach into her hip pouch. Weiss yelped indignantly, but her point would not go unmade. "After all the work we did?! Why shouldn't _we_ get it?!"

"Why shouldn't _we_ get it?" Pyrrha parroted, fixing Weiss with a bemused look that made the heiress feel very small. She extended her hand out to Jaune and he wordlessly passed his partner the relic. Pyrrha stared at the object thoughtfully… and snapped it in half. A low gasp rang out from the surrounding hunters as Pyrrha set the base of the chess piece in Jaune's hand, then put the head in Ruby's. "Either _both_ pairs pass or _both_ fail, fair is fair, and I think we can agree that we've been through far too much to fall into squabbling _now_." She decided sternly. Weiss sniffled indignantly as she rose from her place on the ground.

Ruby looked down to the piece in her hand with a tight smile, and didn't resist when Weiss picked up the broken relic piece in one hand. With a low sigh, the white-haired girl held it close to her heart. "Oh I hope it's enough." Her whisper carried a grieved tone, and Ruby quietly wondered what she had to be so dramatic over.

"Hey, uh, Pyrrha?" Yang waved her hand. The rest of the hunters looked to Yang as she pulled her hand out of her hip pouch, and very nervously presented two relics, one gold knight, one black knight. A slow, steady cloud of apprehension settled as everyone took the sight in…

"Oh." Pyrrha frowned, looking to the piece Jaune was holding. "Well... I suppose a little glue will be needed. Sorry..."

"Whoa, whoa, one sec." Jaune raised an eyebrow at Yang, giving her a questioning look. "You took _two?_ Why?"

"Err…" Yang scratched the back of her head as Blake gave her a curious look, Weiss turning to glare at her as she strutted over and picked the gold piece out of her hand and tossed it to Ruby. "See, I was… I mean," Yang ran her fingers through her golden hair nervously as they stared in a way she wasn't used to. "I was kinda worried because Ruby was taking so long, and, well, I thought, if they're gonna make four person teams, it's probably going to be matching pieces, right?" She held up the black knight as Weiss examined the gold one she'd passed off. "So, I thought…"

"You didn't think I'd m-make it." Ruby muttered bitterly.

"What?!" Yang flinched at the accusation, "Don't be _stupid,_ of _course_ I thought you'd make it!" She huffed indignantly, arms crossed her over her bust in a rare moment of shyness. "I just… I did some thinking, and if we weren't partners, I at least wanted us to be on the same team."

The two sisters' eyes met, and the rest of them could tell that a silent, possibly psychic sibling discussion went down. Though not a word was spoken, judging by the variety of faces they both made, what was being unsaid meant a lot to the two of them. However, Yang finally dropped her ' _cool-big-sister'_ act, cast off her indignity, and gave her sister the lavender-loaded puppy dog eyes. Ruby's jaw jut out, Yang's final weapon of sisterly war being deployed, and the little sister crossed her arms across her bust in more serious thought. After a few moments of considering Yang's words and actions, she finally came to an answer: "Well... okay then."

"No, _not_ 'okay then'! That's cheating, isn't it?" Weiss demanded with a scowl, holding the black rook's head out to Jaune. The boy took it and nervously clinked the two pieces together, as if it might have been magnetic. "Don't you have any _shame?"_

"In keeping my sister close? Hell no." Yang walked forward. No sway in her hips, shoulders firmly set, an unhappy tightness around her eyes. Weiss took a step back and felt the blonde's finger dig into her chest. "If _you're_ going to be her partner, then _I'm_ at least going to be on her team."

"Wh- what are you accusing me of?!" Weiss demanded.

"You may have been a pretty alright hunter out here in the forest, but I still don't like your attitude. Ruby needs somebody she can trust, who trusts her; you don't respect her or anyone else, _you-"_ A hand squeezed her shoulder, and Yang paused.

Ruby shot her a very awkward smile as she stepped around her sister and stood by Weiss's side. Weiss tensed as Ruby took her hand, giving it a squeeze, but she stopped herself from pulling away. "I-it's okay Yang. Weiss and I are partners n-now, we've come to an…" Ruby glanced to Weiss thoughtfully, "an understanding. I-..." Ruby gulped loudly. "I think I'll b-be okay."

"Are you sure?" Yang frowned, examining her sister carefully. "I mean, I don't want to be on your team just for _you_ , we'd work well together either way and I wouldn't mind having you sorta close, I mean I guess either way we'd be within walking distance of each other but… I'd just worry."

"I want to be on a team with you." Ruby bobbed her head. "But Weiss and I are partners, so w-we all kinda have to get along, right?"

After a very long moment of thought, Yang inclined her head in defeat. Weiss glanced at Ruby with an uncertain expression; after all their infighting, Weiss wasn't sure about being on the same team as Yang, and still wasn't sure about being Ruby's partner, but for all her silliness, brattiness, childishness, and awkwardness, she was an earnest young lady with a reasonable set of skills, as well as an utterly intriguing–and downright horrifying–power. Weiss let out a sigh. So, this was going to be her life for the next four years...

"Okay then." Jaune spoke up. He walked over, setting a hand on Ruby's and Yang's shoulders. "Look, a lot happened today. We all made some questionable decisions, fought some tough battles, destroyed some valuable objects, but we came out on top. We have everything we need to pass the test, so... let's just _go_. I could _really_ go for that pizza." Jaune put on a cheeky grin.

" _Sardines."_ Blake insisted firmly.

"Pepperoni is beloved by all." Ren countered.

"Yeah, I blew past my 'give a shit for others' quota right around the time I got stuck in a freefall with the walking airbags here…"

Yang's shoulders lifted, fell, and she let out a thick sigh, glaring at Blake. "Yeah, alright. C'mon everyone, we've got a nice, _long_ walk to slog through." She turned and headed south, the rest of the hunters followed behind, enjoying a much more leisurely stroll under the midday sun.

The journey was uneventful. Eight hunters, packed together, heavily armed and ready to exterminate their way to the other end of the forest made even over-eager juvenile Grimm hesitant. The only real danger was the heat, and canteens were passed around–or in the case of Ren's canteen, tossed at his head accompanied by the sounds of mild vomiting.

As they walked, Blake, recovered somewhat from her earlier exertion, trotted ahead to stand by Yang's side, glancing up to the taller girl with a frown and gently bumping their hips together to get her attention.. "So… nobody asked my opinion." Blake muttered quietly, gesturing to the pouch where Yang was keeping the black knight.

"Sorry Blake." Yang answered softly, "Just sisterly business is all. I-… I can't just leave her."

"I'm fine with Ruby, _you_ will take some work," Blake gave her a very pointed stare, which, counter to what Blake was trying to accomplish, made Yang smirk a bit, "but I'm not comfortable being around the Schnee. I know what her family's done." Both girls glanced over their shoulders. Weiss was walking between Ruby and Pyrrha. Pyrrha was examining Crescent Rose with an impressed expression as Ruby ooh'd and aah'd over Miló and Akoúo̱. Weiss was trying to wipe the pink dye off of her dress with little success, and, for all they could see, was being perfectly reasonable and non-hostile.

"Ruby's vouching for her." Yang stated with a small roll of her shoulders.

"And that's _good enough_ for you?" Blake hid a growl in her voice as she whispered. "Even after knowing they have years and _years_ of selfish business practices? Of lying through their teeth? Of screwing over _everyone_ and _everything_ that doesn't instantly line their pockets?"

" _Ruby's_ vouching for her." Yang said again, looking to Blake with a more stern stare. "Ruby's a good kid, and Weiss ran herself ragged trying to keep her from getting eaten; that doesn't scream ' _embezzlement and slave labor'_ to me. I get it, her family's done some bad crap, but, I dunno… she could be different." Yang let out a rather frustrated sigh, and Blake somehow felt uncomfortable with this cooler reception after half a day of endless flirting. "She's her own person, nobody is exactly like their parents."

"Are you _sure?"_ Blake snorted.

"I haven't run out on my family to prove how strong of a bitch I am, so I'm definitely not my mother." Yang grunted bitterly. Blake fell back a few paces as she stared at Yang, not sure whether that tidbit of personal information was purposefully or accidentally shared, but Yang didn't stop to answer the unasked question, moving on without a look back.

With a small frown, Blake caught up and kept pace, her eyes focused on the forest floor as she silently thought.

Remembering her father's broad shoulders slumped in tired defeat, Blake was quickly forced to admit to herself that the blonde wasn't entirely wrong, and that frustrated her immensely. Yang had proven herself to be a major pain-in-the-neck, a reckless wreckingball of a fighter, a tiresome lech… a warm friend, an attractive distraction, and a lovingly attentive sister. Nowhere in those two infuriatingly separate piles had she ever flagged Yang as being smart or insightful but… here it was. She felt her neck and cheeks heat up with an ashamed blush as she realized that she was treating her partner like some minor character in a novel, categorizing and assigning her a role and a storyline and… and it was terribly unfair. She cast a more sorrowful look at the frowning woman and felt her stomach clench as she realized she had been the tipping point that pushed Yang from being melancholic to upset. Despite her earlier words, a part of her yearned to earn her acceptance here, to see to it that her partner, a girl who walked free of the typical blonde bimbo stereotype with a thoughtful stride, could lift her chin and grin again. She swallowed and vowed to do better… Not that it would matter once she was gone...

Beacon was going to test her, Blake had figured as such before stepping foot in the place, but she wasn't expecting it to be like this. She'd been ready for the danger and action, but meeting bright, warm little Ruby, being partnered with the enigma that was Yang, watching Ren and Nora advertise their love to the world, finding _Jaune_ of all people to be an effective field commander, and learning that _Pyrrha Freaking Nikos_ was… was a sweetheart...? She ran both hands through her hair and took a shaky breath. She didn't come here to find herself endeared to a group of her peers. It was such a stupid goddamned trope, Blake had molded herself to be the distant, aloof loner that people would be surprised by when she spoke up. She wasn't supposed to be craving inclusion into a group of completely normal, or highly noble _humans._ She had to stay focused, to keep them at a distance so they wouldn't be hurt when she left.

Well, except for the queen bitch of the universe herself: Weiss Schnee. Blake snorted; she doubted they would ever find reason to get along, so at least one thing was working out the way it should.


	8. Team RWBY

"Well now," Professor Ozpin raised one silver eyebrow as he stared at the two pieces of broken black rook in his hands. He looked back up at Jaune, who looked ready to bolt but managed to put on his best smile, and Pyrrha, who had the posture of a tin soldier and the expression of somebody trying their hardest to not sneeze, the muscles of her bared shoulders and neck taut with tension. "I'm glad I didn't arrange for a hostage rescue if _this_ is the result." The headmaster chuckled. He decided it would have been more than a little rude to comment on the changes to their dress; namely the layer of hot pink dye that, in varying amounts, stained the both of them, as well as the other students waiting in line behind them.

" _Sir, excellent joke, sir!"_ Pyrrha barked like an Atlesian recruit, the color having long left her as Jaune winced at her overly loud declaration. Nora made a rude sound as she poorly suppressed her laughter, and Ozpin swore that Pyrrha's eye twitched… the poor dear really needed to relax.

"Well, you see, sir, we couldn't find one of the pieces, so we decided we'd split this one, an all-or-nothing sorta thing so nobody would be left behind, I mean it was _purely_ out of fairness!" Jaune insisted, laughing airily, his hand rubbing the sweat off the back of his neck. The headmaster hummed and his brow twitched, while the pair looked ready to pass out as he silently examined them.

Behind the two of them, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora, and Ren watched apprehensively as the headmaster hummed and hawed over the broken rook. Ruby stared at the pair with the unspoken fear that damaging the relic would turn out to be grounds for expulsion…

"No way he'd expel _Pyrrha Nikos,_ right?" Weiss whispered to nobody in particular. Ruby's head jerked toward her partner and she wondered if Weiss could somehow read her mind.

"I mean, once it made the news, they'd look like total idiots…" Yang still sounded genuinely worried, bouncing on her toes. Ruby and Blake both watched her wrestle with herself on whether or not to admit her trickery, both with very different opinions on what she should do. Ruby pursed her lip and felt a flash of annoyance that none of them thought to include Jaune in their worries; the boy was sweating bullets in front of them, and was more likely to be axed...

Sure, she'd failed to think of him until just now too, but she'd nearly been eaten an hour ago, she had an excuse!

The headmaster finally seemed to come to a decision. He took the two pieces of the rook in one hand, holding them back in their original positions. His free hand moved over the rook, hiding it from view briefly, flashing a grin and wiggling his digits as if performing a magic trick. He snapped his fingers and passed his hand back over the piece before, with a flick of his thumb, the solidly intact rook flew into Jaune's fumbling hands.

Jaune stared down at the chess piece in surprise, running the tip of his thumb along the tower's head to feel for the break, finding none, not even a welding point. He glanced up as Professor Ozpin tapped the ground with his cane. "And that's the whole truth? Nothing _else_ you'd like to add? Since you clearly found the missing piece…" His eyes scanned the other three pairs, each openly holding their relic. There was a collective gulp and much nervous shuffling. They seemed like nice children, but had terrible poker faces.

"W-well, we were tired, y'know?" Jaune's eyes slid to the right, _away_ from Yang. "We, er, we kinda stepped on the missing piece, y'know? Just 'oops it's on the floor!' Which I thought was ironic and Weiss said it wasn't and Ruby said it was kinda… a-anyway… So we, uh, kinda jumped the gun I guess, y'know? But that's why we're here, right? To learn to… survey the situation and like… take stock and stuff so we don't… split relics in half. Or people. No one got split in half! Honest!" He held his hands out in a helpless shrug. The headmaster blinked, wondering if there'd be any more, but Jaune appeared to be too busy stiffly pantomiming being nonchalant to do anymore talking.

Ozpin turned his appraising eye over his own shoulder, where his right-hand woman stood with an expression like the students had attempted to feed her some moldy bread after convincing her to pay a premium for it. " ...Well, Professor Goodwitch seems convinced." The headmaster smiled. Glynda's eyebrow twitched, but, other than a slight crinkle of her brow, she made no other movements. The icy dagger of her gaze digging into his spine was more effective than the rudest gesture would have been anyway. "Very well. Congratulations on passing your initiation. Take the path back to Beacon and turn left once inside, staff will be on hand to provide directions to the showers, laundry, and the cafeteria; you all must be hungry."

On cue, Pyrrha's stomach made the most gnarly growl Jaune had ever heard; his neck cracked as he twisted it to stare at his ashen partner in shock as Pyrrha whimpered in embarrassment, snapping into a rigid salute and puffing her chest out, like a cat raising its fur. " _Sir, thank you, sir!"_ She managed in a high, tight voice. Her hand wrapped around Jaune's wrist and she spun on her heel, marching away like an Atlesian Knight in parade mode while Jaune begged to be released and scrambled to keep pace. Glynda squeezed her eyes shut as they passed and silently grieved for the future.

Each of the remaining six teens had a moment of relief, then snapped to attention when the headmaster turned back with an amused look. "Next up?" He asked, holding out his hand. Nora skipped forward with a happy expression, slapping the golden rook into Ozpin's hand with a huge, toothy smile. Ren stepped up to her side, doing his best to project dignity despite looking like he was dragged through a pink mud puddle, as the headmaster gave them both a smile. "Congratulations Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Exceptional work."

"Thank you, headmaster." Ren politely inclined his head, and it was returned in kind. Nora made a move to race past the professor, but Ozpin raised his hand to stop them both.

"Pardon my prying, but I couldn't help but come to the conclusion, based on your interactions in the forest, that the two of you are more than simply partners?" He inquired. Ren went very still and Nora's smile dimmed. Ren's eyes hardened and he cleared his throat softly, then answered with a nod.

"Yes sir." Was all he offered, now internally fretting that the headmaster may have seen their usage of communicators. Of course, if he did, Ren would offer no apologies; Nora was _his,_ he was not keen on sharing her time and energy with another.

Nora, however, offered her own two cents with a twist of her fore and middle fingers, as well as a dominating smile, "Me 'n Ren are _tight."_ She explained with a fond look towards her better half. Ozpin nodded, his lips quirking in a gentle smile.

"I see." With a small nod of his head, he swept his hand towards the path to Beacon. "Romance among hunters is quite common, I would not be afraid of advertising your exclusivity." He was pleased to see the tension rapidly leak out of their frames. No one else had been smart enough to ignore instructions and sneak in some electronics, sadly… what was becoming of the world when teenagers did as told and abandoned potentially useful gear before going into monster-infested woods? "I wish you two the best as you strike out into the world together. Do _not,_ however, let it interfere with your studies here at Beacon. We're a school for hunters, _not_ for playing kissy-face in the broom closet." He waved his finger in warning.

Ren straightened his high collar and shifted uncomfortably at the warning, but was pulled into a tight, one-armed hug by Nora as the shorter girl saluted, "Heard ya loud and clear headmaster!" Then, conspiratorially, she leaned forward and stage-whispered to Ozpin, "Just between you 'n me, where _would_ be the best broom closets to play kissy-face?"

Ren was about to quickly shoot down Nora's inquiry and apologize to the Headmaster when the latter leaned down and joined her in not-whispering, "West wing, third floor, after six o' clock. It gets cleaned first so the closets are unlocked. _Do_ try to avoid knocking over any chemicals, they're expensive to replace." Professor Ozpin stood up straight and cleared his throat as he passed the golden rook back, while his deputy buried her face into her palms behind him.

Nora squeaked in delight and had the sheer audacity to pat the Headmaster's hair in thanks as Ren blinked owlishly, then yelped as he was dragged by the collar towards the school. Nora's joyful skipping contrasted nicely with Ren's lingering confusion over what had just happened.

That left the girls who collected the knights. Professor Ozpin turned to face the four of them, hiding his eyes behind the shade of his small glasses to appraise a most interesting batch of girls; the princess escaping her kingdom, the runaway fleeing her demons, the innocent child who summoned monsters… and…

"Boom!" The black knight was dropped into Professor Ozpin's hand by Yang, whose confident smile and relaxed posture easily masked her prior distress. The headmaster smirked and examined the piece carefully. Out of the four of them, she was by far the most normal. No buried secrets, no abuse, no criminal record worse than a dismissed DUI charge and a few records for vigilante assaults on criminal organizations and fellow students who had apparently earned her ire, yet she still melded into the group of runaways and rejects seamlessly.

"Well done, Yang Xiao Long." He then nodded towards Blake as she stepped up next to her partner, looking up at the headmaster curiously. "And Blake Belladonna, you have both performed most excellently out in the field."

"We _have_ to have beaten some kind of record, right? I mean, those Grimm were _huge!"_ Yang threw her arms out, bouncing on her heels with a grin to rival the sun's warmth. With the decades of practice Professor Ozpin had accumulated around risque dressed and curvy teenage girls, he managed to not look down. "You can't tell us that wasn't worth some extra points, eh?" Yang continued in a hammy tone.

An elbow to her side made her yelp and give Blake a pout as the more reserved girl took point in the conversation. "Ignore her. Thank you for the opportunity, headmaster." She spoke politely, _feeling_ his eyes on her ears, but electing to ignore it as long as he did the same.

"None of that now, your successes are your own. Your collaborative fight against the Grimm was indeed impressive, Miss Xiao Long, and _will_ be evaluated. There are more immediate concerns, however…" He slipped the black knight into Blake's hand and fixed her with a comforting expression, "After such an… _explosive_ fight, the both of you have more than earned a hot shower and a warm meal; go on ahead and follow the rest back to Beacon, I look forward to seeing how the eight of you do in class." Yang pumped an arm at the chance to go wash up, while Blake looked sincerely pleased at the idea of winding down for the afternoon.

Ruby watched with quiet anxiousness as Yang walked off with Blake, her sister briefly turning to wave at her, her glorious smile conveying both pride and joy as she wordlessly urged Ruby to catch up.

Ruby glanced to Weiss with a nervous little smile. Weiss didn't meet her gaze, but kept her passive, flat frown as she walked forward and placed the golden knight into Professor Ozpin's hand. Ruby moved to her side in a slow shuffle, glancing up at the headmaster curiously as he inspected their piece.

"While, normally, I'd offer you two congratulations for your exemplary performance, expedient planning, and the cunning you showed in improvising with your equipment…" He lifted the knight piece to his chest and squeezed it in his fist, obviously not ready to give it back. Ruby's heart sank, her frail smile wilted, and she swallowed loudly as she stared down at her feet. "...I believe there is something we need to address first."

"Ruby's a Grimm." Weiss said stiffly, her eyes wide and clear. She did not meet the headmaster's eyes, and Ruby whipped her head towards her partner in dismay at her conclusion. " _I haven't told anyone else."_ She added quickly, her pupils beginning to quiver.

Professor Ozpin eyed them both thoughtfully. Behind him, he sensed Glynda move to bar the way back to Beacon, though she kept her stance relaxed, even if her hard gaze focused on the two remaining girls. The four stood in a calm silence, though Ruby focused on her feet.

She was in trouble, she knew that much for sure. She'd failed, revealed her big secret, and was now standing in front of the person who'd told her ' _don't do that.'_ All the while, Weiss had privately come to the conclusion that Ruby as a _Grimm…_ a _monster…_ She clenched her hands into angry fists as she silently wondered what the punishment would be; would she be expelled? Would _Weiss_ be expelled? Would she be exposed, put in a lab somewhere?

A bit of panic hit Ruby's heart. She pictured Yang's beckoning smile shrinking in disappointment, though Ruby quickly fixated on the terrifying idea of never seeing her big sister again. Her eyes began to water…

"This is a situation I had been expecting…" Professor Ozpin interrupted Ruby's grieving, making the girl's mind ground to a halt, and anxiously glance up. "Just not so soon, of course. But, the circumstances _did_ permit drastic actions to be taken."

"Even if those actions are going berserk with _Grimm_ powers?" Weiss asked with a small voice. She glanced over at Ruby warrily, but when Ruby turned to meet her eyes, Weiss glanced back at the headmaster with an ashamed expression. "So, she's supposed to keep it a secret? Her eyes, her power, her…?" Weiss waved a hand towards Ruby.

Ruby looked to Weiss with a hidden expression of betrayal. Professor Ozpin cleared his throat and nodded slowly. "Correct. You-"

"So why is she _here?"_ Weiss asked, her cheeks tense with uncertainty. "Isn't she in danger here?" The question caused those present to pause. Ruby's jaw slackened as she focused on Weiss, the girl taking a few steps backwards to get some space. "She… she saved my _life,_ but I saw how she fought. _I_ owe her, but why is she here? Somebody could find out, and if they did, they could hurt her. _I_ could have hurt her—but of course I wouldn't have, I try to analyze any situation before I make such rash decisions." She concluded in a quick voice, looking at Ruby once more with an expression as if she was afraid… but, not afraid of _her,_ Weiss' eyes were too soft, she was afraid _for_ her.. Ruby squirmed in place and reminded herself that Weiss probably didn't want to get cuddles in front of the teachers.

"You most certainly did not; did she, Ruby?" Professor Ozpin asked. Things were silent for a second, and Weiss hesitantly looked to Ruby, who was still watching her with a quiet, hopeful look. Their eyes met, as best they could. In a way, they had a moment of understanding, and Ruby shook her head. "Then I don't see the issue."

" _I_ might be willing to make an effort to understand her abilities, but others won't possess my insight and compassion." She all but pouted. At that, Ruby had to keep a cough to herself and look the other way, lest she give Weiss a reason to be mad at her. "People panic, they get scared, they _attack_ what they don't understand. _We_ might know she's… she's _safe…_ but others…?"

Professor Ozpin held up a hand, slowing her train of thought to a halt. "Weiss, I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think you're giving your fellow hunters enough credit. I have _no_ intention of unveiling Ruby in front of everyone and letting her take their reactions in full, but I'm not afraid of her being attacked, or her attacking anyone. I don't want to reveal her to the public because it could potentially deny her her place here at Beacon. You should know as well as I do how quickly the media can be turned into a weapon to shunt perfectly fine people out of well-deserved positions over small mistakes; Ruby has shown me she has what it takes to be a huntress, and that she is more concerned about others than herself, Grimm summoning be damned." The headmaster looked between Ruby and Weiss carefully, then chuckled. "And, it seems to me, others are concerned with her as well. She is not alone, thanks to you."

At that, Weiss' cheeks turned red as the pout completely took over. "She's my _partner,_ it's not like I had a _choice._ It was pass together or fail alone." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Ozpin's eyebrow quirked, and with a coy lilt in his voice, he responded, "Well, you _can_ always submit an application to exchange partners…"

"That is _out of the question!"_ Weiss' tomato-faced embarrassment turned to anger at the suggestion, her hands tightening into fists and her chin rising, her posture truly projecting a warning; Glynda cocked her hip, impressed by the younger woman's command of body language. "Suggesting that I just leave her to put somebody who's unprepared in danger with her snivelling and… crazy grimm powers?! I couldn't call myself a huntress if I did something so… heinous!" She stomped her foot, looking exaggeratedly angry at the suggestion. Ozpin and Ruby both shared a mystified look as Weiss shuffled her feet furiously, her anger morphing into something closer to nervousness as everyone stared at her. "We're partners. I've agreed to give her a chance and she passed my expectations." Her voice then dropped low enough that it forced the headmaster and Ruby to strain their ears, "And... I still owe her."

"You really don't…" Ruby mumbled back.

" _Hush!_ This is a matter of _honor._ The nobility of the Schnee name can only be maintained through the repayment of the debts we have accrued, I don't expect a little girl–who probably thinks credit cards run off of _magic_ –to understand." Weiss retorted. Ruby watched Weiss with a confused expression, the girl in white acting high and mighty, indignant as she pleased, while still shooting Ruby small, curious looks.

Ruby worked her jaw slowly, then hummed before nodding and beaming at her partner. "Um… I-I like you too, Weiss!" Weiss devolved into embarrassed and enraged sputtering, fixing Ruby with a red-cheeked glare as she stomped her foot and rambled through a cliche list of 'how dare you!'s and 'I never!'s. Ruby giggled as Weiss' shoulders slumped, and she finally shut up on the matter.

" _Anyways,"_ Weiss returned to her polite, upright posture, "I will remain her partner, and… I'll keep her secret." Weiss didn't meet the headmaster's eyes, but Ozpin decided it was better than nothing.

"... Very well. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, you have both passed your initiation. Please, enjoy the rest of your day." He gestured to Glynda to step out of the way, then turned to look back at them both with a sharp, serious look while handing over the golden knight. "And remember, girls, discretion is key. I am especially looking forward to seeing both of you grow; I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, so please, _please_ do not make me second-guess myself."

Ruby and Weiss both glanced between Ozpin and Glynda, as if there may have been more for the two of them to say, but Ozpin motioned with his head for them to go, and the two girls hurried along down the path towards Beacon. The professors stared after them, but did not follow. Once the teenagers were out of sight, the professors looked over their collective scrollpads, watching Ruby's fight against the Ursa Major again, their faces carefully neutral as they studied what Ruby could become...

When they were well away from the cliffs, their hurried pace slowed to a casual walk. For once, Ruby actually used her goggles as cover to sneak a look at Weiss. The rich, noble, young woman intrigued Ruby; for all her anger and indignation, she turned out to be pretty compromising. Ruby's misgivings with Weiss from before their initiation was all but forgotten, and Ruby shyly spoke up, "Weiss?" Weiss turned to look at Ruby as the latter slowed to a stop in the middle of the dirt path. She gave Weiss a small, but happy smile. "Th-thank you. I-I know things started pretty badly, but I… I'm looking f-forward to having you as my partner." Ruby smiled wider as Weiss gave her an annoyed frown. "I really w-want to try and make you feel the same way."

Despite having made up, Ruby still had an unintentional grip on her emotions; it had started with that anger that, in hindsight, was foolish, but now there were different emotions: fear, loathing, worry, and respect. Fear for the girl's abilities, loathing for the girl's talents, worry for the girl's _existence,_ and respect for the very same talents she… she envied. She _envied_ Ruby. She had been enraged that the young girl so _easily_ drew warmth and helpfulness from total strangers, something Weiss saw as weakness, yet that same _weakness_ drew out the goodness and strength in everyone else. Weiss dreamt of being so inspiring, a charismatic figure others could rally around and follow into danger… and instead, she had been the follower… Weiss envied Ruby's strengths, and it galled her. Weiss found herself clenching up, examining the young lady's optimistic expression, and in all of her envy, couldn't find it within herself to loathe her. Of course people babied and coddled Ruby… she was… _nice._ Magnificently so. It was natural others would follow her lead, she spoke and fought with absolute conviction and radiated the sort of generosity and heroism that would have caused Nicholas Schnee to to sit with her and ask for her opinions, ideas, and wants...

Ruby was not somebody Weiss wanted to be… but nevertheless, Weiss was intrigued, craving to know more about the pretty young thing… who wasn't especially good looking or anything, it was just a very distinctive outfit and everyone looked good in a corset so— she brutally murdered the train of thought as she felt her ears begin to burn. Weiss sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as her wellspring of apprehensive thoughts and hopeful wishes stymied enough to let her act, "You know, this is a _huge_ mistake…"

"A mistake?" Ruby asked softly, her smile wavering, already tense from the long, awkward moment of silence that had transpired..

"A _huge_ one." Weiss corrected. She groomed her ponytail with her fingers and huffed, "You're a mess. A _dangerous_ mess; You're emotional, wield the very things we're supposed to hunt, and your great big plan turned me _pink."_ Weiss looked down at her still-stained dress.

She closed her eyes, remembering the stench of the Beowolf's breath, the teeth digging into her arm, the bellowing roar of the Ursa bearing down upon her with the intent to kill… so many chances for her to have failed because of her own inadequacies. Her family would have sneered; perhaps they'd believed she'd have deserved her death for fleeing her socialite lifestyle, her _cage..._ a part of her hated them for it. Hated their petty need to tear everyone around them down so they could feel bigger in comparison. But, Ruby's only attempt to admonish Weiss's attitude hadn't been _malicious,_ and many times she attempted to re engage Weiss, to create a new first impression...

"But, you're a good person. Far more forgiving than I could have asked for with the way I treated you, too." Weiss' arms slumped, eyes closed. "You saved my life, _despite_ the things I said…"

"They weren't _that_ big of a deal…"

"You exposed yourself to protect me…"

"Y-you did the same! The protecting not the e-exposing!"

" _And_ you keep _interrupting me!"_ Weiss snapped, making Ruby squeak and fall silent. Weiss took a deep breath and continued, "You keep acting like we're friends, telling people it'll be okay, that you _trust_ me. Do you… do you _actually_ trust me?" Weiss asked in a small, gentle voice, as if she was afraid of the answer.

Ruby stepped forward and put her hands on Weiss' shoulders. The heiress seemed much less imposing now that Ruby had gotten to know her, so she smiled, and gave Weiss an earnest nod. "You keep saying you owe me, that I saved your life, but we fought together, s-side-by-side! You came back to forgive me, and _you_ t-trusted _my_ plan. We have to believe in each other, or we won't accomplish anything." Ruby let her hands drop to her sides and shyly kicked the dirt, "And I was sorta hoping we _are_ friends. After all the butt-kicking and stuff, I thought… I dunno, i-isn't that how you become friends?"

"Not at all." Weiss answered dismissively, making Ruby go stiff, her stomach dropping a moment. Weiss swelled her chest and shoulders, removing the weakness from her expression, then refocused on Ruby seriously, " _This_ is how you become friends." She held out a hand, "Good afternoon, Ruby Rose. My name is Weiss Schnee."

Ruby stared at Weiss' hand, the sparkling in her eyes hidden from sight, and with a slight tremble, she hastily wiped her hand on a cleanish spot of her tights and took Weiss' hand, smiling, "H-hi Weiss!" Ruby squeaked in barely hidden joy, making the corner of Weiss' mouth quirk up in a small smirk. "I'm Ruby Rose! O-or, uh, Ruby Rose-Xiao Long, b-but I-I prefer just Rose. You d-don't really have to know the Xiao Long part but-"

"Uh-huh." Weiss huffed, narrowing her eyes at the young lady, "Do you always ramble?" Weiss asked, breaking the handshake and resuming her walk towards the school, Ruby moving quickly to catch up. Weiss ignored the bounce in Ruby's step in the name of team unity.

"I-I just never know what to say! I never left the house much. You're… kinda my first f-friend..." Ruby trailed off… wait, did Jaune count? He wiped puke off her boots. Or Blake? Neither of them had called her a friend _out loud,_ but Blake knew _books_ and gave scritches and walked like she was dancing and her eyes were mesmerizing and-

"That's… _really_ sad." Weiss' voice snatch Ruby out of her thoughts, and the younger girl squeaked an apology for whatever she'd done wrong this time! A note of amusement colored Weiss' tone. "It's good to meet you, Ruby." She smirked, skillfully hiding her own relief.

* * *

Blake idly leaned against one of the hotrod-red lockers lining the far walls of the girl's shower room. She blinked slowly, keeping her ears still as she tried to listen in on all the chatting going on around the room. She kept a relaxed posture, though anybody who looked too closely would notice she was moving her weight from one foot to the next every so often.

"So, one-to-ten, what are my chances?" Yang asked, elbowing her sister gently to get her attention.

The first person she pointed at was Nora. Blake watched as Ruby filled her eyes with Nora's physique: those thick, plump muscles along her limbs, her strong, bare back, and an undie-covered butt that shook teasingly when the hammer maiden realized she was being stared at. She was built like a brick house, compacted muscle dominating a short, girly frame, with some prominent hips and thighs. Her curves were delectable, her smile was adorable, and with a saucy wink and a blown kiss she managed to look alluring even standing next to Pyrrha.

"With Ren around?" Ruby hummed from where she sat next to Yang, and Blake subtly shifted one of her tall ears to listen as her voice lowered, "Like, maaaybe a one..." Ruby mumbled.

"A one? Damn, girl, I was thinking at _least_ a five." Yang rubbed her chin with an unhappy grunt. The older sister was in her yellow undershirt and black hotpants, which fit her figure like a _glove._ Yang's utterly unfair good looks radiated even from behind, where Blake valiantly convinced herself she was ignoring that strong, well-proportioned tush to stare at Ruby. _Just_ Ruby.

"She has a _boyfriend."_ Ruby deadpanned with a tone full of disapproval. Yang gave a small laugh, making Ruby stick her nose in the air. The younger of the two was wearing a small, gray tank top, as well as a pair of cute little red undies. Compared to Yang, Ruby didn't look quite as filled out–other than a _remarkable_ bottom that Blake found her eyes drifting to whenever she lost focus–bringing into question the two's shared genetics. The longer Blake stared, the more a little worry tinged her; Yang was _immediately_ gorgeous, sure, but the longer she looked at Ruby, the more she found herself admiring that rather amazing cut of two-toned hair, as well as how shapely her legs were. _Both_ of the Xiao Long girls looked damn good, but Yang's figure and attitude was far more in Blake's face, it took time and a bit more patience to notice how pretty Ruby was… it was kind of unfair, these women were something _else._

"Purely hypothetical, swear on my hair!" Yang brushed her glorious golden mane back over her shoulder, making her sister's pout turn into a struggling smile. "But, I mean, say I put on the moves; some looks, a little flirting, a wandering hand… she totally seems like she'd be into chicks. If she was single, I'd say a full on ten!"

"Maybe… _if_ she were single. But she's _not_ so the five is _purely_ hypothetical, right?" Ruby's tone had a commanding lilt, reminding Yang to behave. It was clear to Blake's ears that the two were close, not that she'd needed further proof after Yang all but rampaged her way across the forest to rescue Ruby. She imagined they snuck little moments alone and told each other everything, that there were no barriers or hypocritical judgement between them… no betrayals or regrets about their time together. Blake pursed her lips, feeling her heart twinge with envy and regret.

"One-hundred percent _not_ gonna happen without a threeso-" Ruby slugged Yang's unprotected arm, making the older girl yip in surprise and rub the area, guffawing at her sister's sudden ferocity.

Her golden eyes shifted to Weiss Schnee. In a pristine, silken white bra and matching panties, her long, silvery hair loose, Weiss was like a walking doll. A pretty kid's toy, her pale skin completely flawless, aside from the scar over her eye. She had a little muscle to her, but not a lot—again reminding Blake of a carefully sculpted figurine, like one of those expensive porcelain dolls, a piece of decoration, dressed to reflect her owners.

She was beautiful and graceful, looking more like a ballerina and not at all like a huntress. Had she not known better, Blake would have mistaken her as a lost guest at the school, rather than a likely team mate... Blake's fist unconsciously curled into a tight, tense ball, and then she slowly relaxed. With a silent flare of her nostrils, she turned to her locker and opened it up, intent on not letting the _sight_ of Weiss Schnee rile her up.

"Okay okay, how about her?" Blake's ear twitched at Yang's voice. She couldn't decide whether or not it was irritating. Glancing over at her partner for a second, Blake sighed. If Weiss was a toy, Yang was a dream. She was something out of one of her more... private novels; 'such supple, sensual curves, her skin glowed a flushed red like a ripened tomato, her heavy breasts heaving with each breath, threatening to spill out of her huntress's top; I could see her eyes blazing like the pyre of a mighty warrior…' Blake hid a chuckle. She was young when she picked up that particular piece of girl-appeasing trash, but even now, horrid prose or not, Blake still… _thought_ … about Krignor the Barbarian Prince in a questionable sense.

Yang was blessed with a mane of gold, a body molded by some sex-starved deity, and a fiery, hungry personality that would have made her irresistible to the opposite sex if she'd showed any interest in them. Yet, she was somehow related to shy, stammering little Ruby. She had no idea which of them had so badly screwed up in a previous life that this arrangement was the only way for karma to balance the scales...

"... Two." Ruby answered. Blake swore that her own and Yang's eyebrow inched up at the exact same time.

"Wow, really low-balling me with these numbers, sis."

"Pyrrha's straight, she said it herself!"

"So… then why a _two?"_

"Because you're the crazy woman who somehow got to _Rees."_

"Oh! ... Yeah, that was _awesome."_ Yang's tone took on shades of a purr as her eyes lost focus for a moment. Ruby's pout made Blake want to go play with her puffy cheeks.

"Shaddup…"

Blake smirked and decided she'd blame Yang, now and forever.

Ruby was nice. By no means perfect, and Blake barely knew the girl, but she at least had developed ideas on civil works in literature–something Blake could easily cultivate by loaning her a few of her more important philosophical works–she had the skill to fight through the forest and _keep_ fighting after her capture, and used a mixture of cunning and daring to somehow devise an utterly insane plan that hadn't killed the ever-loving hell out of all eight of them. She was like looking at the cute, cuddly little seed that would one day sprout into somebody like…

… like her father, before he grew old, tired, and defeated.

Blake silently dismissed the thought, a practiced measure that instantly suppressed the bubble of emotion forming in her belly. Sighing, she opened the locker she had been attempting to claim before getting lost in thought and began to undress.

"Waddabout her?" Yang asked as Blake peeled off her vest, a quick glance over her shoulder revealing Yang's chosen subject was also Blake's current source of distress: Weiss.

Ruby's answer was both harsh and definitive: "She's my partner, _zero."_

"Wha—? You think I can't—"

" _No."_

"Why not?! C'mon, she's loaded, she's adorable, she looks just so _mmph_ when she bends over..."

" _Yaaang!"_ Blake wondered how Ruby managed to combine a growl and a whine so effectively.

"Spoilsport! You want her to yourself!"

" _W-what?_ No! I'm not _like you."_

"Oh, Ruby, you _wound_ me. There's gotta be _some_ of my blood in ya! I bet you wanna get right up behind that li'l butt and-" Any further conversation was ended in a flurry of wimpy slaps and enraged wailing.

Blake pursed her lips a moment, dwelling on the idea that Weiss was attractive enough to fluster the sisters into a tiny spat… but the heiress wasn't the only girl the two had expressed an attraction to, and she quickly concluded that this might well be the most harmless revenge anyone had ever gotten.

Blake slowed her stripping as she reached behind her back and held the clasps of her bra. Silently glancing to the sisters, Blake felt a small pang of guilt for teasing them in the name of getting one over on Weiss… but to hell with it, she'd been wound up about the girl for hours and she was now desperate to see if the pair would react in as entertaining a way as she was imagining; she shrugged off her bra, kicked her panties up to her hand and put both of her undies into the locker, shutting it with a click, then touched her ribbon. She paused in thought, considering her options.

She'd be the first in, and make her way to the private stalls in the back. She could wash in peace there, so nobody would notice the obvious issue. Blake wasn't sure why she'd never thought a public shower would ever be an issue before coming to a school, but now it seemed blindingly obvious just how easy it would be to accidentally expose her true identity.

With that settled, she brushed her hair back, fought down a smug smirk and added the tiniest exaggeration to the roll of her hips as she headed toward Ruby and Yang, the siblings continuing their talk and oblivious to her approach.

"Okay okay, one more." Yang's tone was bubbling with mirth as she pointed and Blake rolled her eyes. Despite those annoying goggles, Ruby managed to look deeply unimpressed.

" _Zero."_ She grunted flatly.

"What, seriously?!"

"We're _related_ , Yang!" Blake paused mid-step to chew her smirk. Yang was not as subtle about her mirth.

Ruby squeaked when strong fingers scratched her scalp and she did her best to glare as Yang laughed. "Fine, break a girl's heart. You're not my type anyway." she chuckled and Ruby's expression melted into… _offense._ Blake paused to stare.

"What, I'm not pretty enough for you?" Ruby demanded with a hands-on-her-hips stubbornness that caused Blake to realize that, yes, these two _were_ related. Yang's smile withered and died as she took in her sister's tone and body language.

"No!" Yang yelped in obvious distress, then rushed to clarify as Ruby turned a deeper crimson, "You're cute, _and_ have a nice body, but we're _sisters._ As in _related._ As in _no goddamned way."_

"Didn't stop Atiom and Entyom…" Ruby sniffed indignantly, probably copying Weiss with that dramatic rise of her nose.

" _And it was a really uncomfortable part of the book."_

"So I really _am_ ugly…" Ruby let her shoulders fall and her lips quivered in what Blake now recognized as mock-distress. The faunus once again felt the urge to applaud Ruby as the smaller girl expertly, and ruthlessly, exploited Yang's nurturing drive.

"You're not ugly! Wh-what-" Yang fumbled in rising horror, looking desperate to escape as her need to help Ruby violently collided with her inability to view her sister in a… carnal way. "Why are you- what's wrong-" Ruby cut Yang off by placing a hand over her mouth. The two stared at one another in awkward silence as Ruby rose on her toes, bringing her face closer and closer to Yang's as the blonde went grey in sheer terror and disgust...

"Joking!" Ruby announced with a gleeful smile, standing back and bouncing on her heels triumphantly. Yang slumped back against her locker and groaned while she buried her face into her hands. "You d-didn't think I was serious, _did you?"_ Ruby was all but cooing, and Blake wished she'd recorded this to use against Yang when her partner inevitably pissed her off in the future.

"Of course not!" Yang threw her arms out, looking heavily annoyed. "You could have the nicest ass on Remnant and I'd rather jump into a Taijitu's mouth before I tapped it! Oh- oh god it's in my _head_ now _._ What did you do to me?!" Yang's voice rose as she trying to aggressively shake the disgust out, the rest of the locker room giving her amused or annoyed looks. Ruby's smile turned a tad evil and she laced her fingers behind her back as she feigned innocence.

"I don't know w-what you're talking about." Ruby sounded victorious. Blake hid a laugh, leaning against the wall behind them. "I mean, who else could you be talking about? Is this a-about Weiss' butt again? No is still _no."_

"Oh don't you play dumb, Ruby Rose!" Yang huffed, planting her hands on her hips as she stood straight once more. "You know _exactly_ who I'm talking about: little miss perfect butt on perfect legs with perfect hair and that stone-cold glare that just says ' _mrrroawr.'"_

"Stone-cold what that says what?"

Both girls whirled around on their heels, Yang's eyes wide, her smile nervous, and Ruby managing to look horribly embarrassed even with her headgear. They both stopped moving, looking like they were encased in ice as they stared at Blake, lounging against the wall with her body on brazen display.

Ruby's head tilted down, then up, and Blake could almost hear the creaking from her neck. Yang was totally silent, the gears in her head failing to turn as she tried to blankly take every detail of Blake's body in, but she was stuck in a perpetual moment of wonder. Blake was rarely one to flaunt her looks, even if she prided herself in good, daily maintenance and exercise, but it sent a tiny shiver of pleasure through her to have the two sisters so obviously enthralled with her. Weiss made them chat, _she_ left them too dumbfounded to speak… another mission accomplished.

She cleared her throat, fighting a blush but allowing herself the tiniest of pleased smiles. "Can I get by?" She forced her ears to stay still as she approached in a lazy strut, not wanting to give herself away while deliberately drawing their attention. A pair of gulps escaped the girls as they parted, their backs slamming against their lockers in their haste to allow Blake to walk between them. She felt their eyes immediately glue themselves to her passing rear, and her unseen smile turned in a pink-tinged grin just as she turned the corner into the shower area and made a beeline for the back wall.

She rested a hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat race as she walked past the rows of showerheads on the wall, between the columns in the middle of the room, and straight to the private stalls. While their reactions had been every bit as entertaining as she'd hoped, putting them both to silence and seeing the normally chatty Yang lose her attitude for just a second was far more rewarding and fulfilling than she could have dreamed. She bet they'd be thinking of her the rest of the day, and while that sort of thing was such a cliche that she tended to skip those paragraphs in her favorite books… it was a far more pleasant thought in real life.

Slipping into a stall and fiddling with the knobs, she hummed pleasantly, oblivious to the fact that someone else had been watching her little performance aside from her targets.

Weiss stayed utterly silent, her cheeks already a burning red as she struggled to focus solely on her locker. She let the straps of her bra slide down her arms, catching and folding it without really noticing as she evaluated what she had seen. A quick, almost shy, look back towards the showers confirmed Blake was hidden inside one of the stalls, but her… _majesty_ still lingered in her mind. Weiss knew a dozen girls back home who would trade away most of their fortunes to have legs like that...

Weiss shook her head and sighed thickly, slipping out of her underwear and immediately crossing an arm over her small bust, pressing her pale thighs together firmly. Her blush was starting to creep into her shoulders now as she nervously looked around, confirming that no one was staring at her. She had been naked around other women before, but in more… intimate settings. This was meant to be a casual, non-sexual shower, this wasn't a post-concert celebration in private with one of her roadies, surrounded by scented candles, with the light turned low, the shower slowly turning lukewarm as she worked off a week's worth of stress, success, and excitement in one slow, _warm_ moment…

She squeezed her eyes shut. Normal students didn't have their own private showers waiting after exercising. _Normal_ students would flock to their gender-specific locker rooms and _wouldn't_ feel ashamed of undressing and showering together. Weiss was a normal student now; she couldn't run to the dorm room's personal showers every time she wanted to wash up, she'd just have to suppress her embarrassment and be confident in her looks.

She worked out, she took care of herself, she was on magazines and the news! She squared her shoulders, took a bracing breath, and turned around to go clean up and _dear sweet god._

"Heya chicken legs." Yang winked, wearing only a smile, hands resting on the broad curve of her hips. Weiss gawped at the blonde's figure; forget legs, Weiss knew dozens of girls back home that would have fought each other to the bloody end if it meant the winner walked out looking like _Yang_. Blake may have been pure grace, smooth lines, and a few mysterious scars, but Yang was on a whole different plane of beauty. If 'audacious' could be personified, it would take the shape of _Yang._

"Ah-hah…" Was all Weiss managed in a strangled voice. From the powerfully built legs connecting to wide, curvy hips, dipping into the canyons of her exposed abdominal muscles and swelling into her downright jaw-dropping bust, all the way up to her broad, strong shoulders, and completing the whole package was the face of a young, beautiful woman with hair like strands of gold. Weiss grabbed her jaw and forced it up, her face briefly contorting into a number of expressions that left Yang snickering. Ultimately, Weiss decided to settle on an old standby: good old fashioned outrage! "Don't _brag!"_ Weiss ordered, turning her head away and crossing her arms over her chest to hide herself. "I don't know what they feed the girls in this kingdom but I _will_ find out!"

"No clue what you're talking about. You coming to the showers?" Yang asked, clearly enjoying the way Weiss squirmed in discomfort every time she peeked at the blonde.

"Yes! Shut up! G-go _away!"_ Weiss wilted the tiniest bit.

Yang didn't comply. She took in Weiss' posture and form, how she shrank in Yang's presence and seemed to tense up the idea of joining the rest of the girls, and in a moment of humility, covered her breasts by crossing her arms and leaning down to catch Weiss' eye. "Never showered with other people before?" She asked in a much less smug tone.

"That's none of your business!" Weiss snapped. She looked into Yang's eyes and found herself trembling; the young _woman_ before her was pure confidence and had a body like _whoa,_ and didn't seem intimidated in the slightest; either by Weiss or the thought of showering with her. Weiss frowned and tried to reign in her bratty attitude, "... No, not really… I-I've trained with private tutors, I haven't been in a situation like… this." Weiss waved her hand around. This seemed to catch the attention of Nora and Pyrrha, who both turned, revealing they were equally shameless in their nudity. Weiss tensed up, eyeing the two rounder, fuller girls–one built like an amazonian goddess, the other like a weightlifter with access to a bicycle pump. Nora winked and whistled at Yang, while Pyrrha's complete lack of embarrassment as she walked towards the showers left Weiss weak in the knees.

"Hurry up blondie, I've seen ya sweat, now I wanna see ya wet!" Nora spoke with a rumbling growl to her tone as she winked, then threw a none-too-innocent smack across Yang's bare ass, drawing both a snicker and an odd smirk from the gorgeous blonde.

"I'll be in in a minute, got some babes to mess with," Yang informed the shorter of the two redheads, "warm up the water for me, will ya?" Yang ordered, earning an almost sleazy wink from Nora. "And god _damn,_ Nikos." Yang's eyes went from the short nude cutie to the tall nude _hottie_ with wide-eyed appreciation, and a grin of intrigue.

Pyrrha, for her part, didn't seem embarrassed by the blonde shamelessly eye-humping her while Weiss struggled not to do the same and concocted excuses for if she failed and got caught doing so. "What?" Pyrrha asked, glancing down at herself where Yang was staring at her… _everything._ Pyrrha's beauty could not have gone understated, her magnificence wasn't as radiant as Yang, but she was composed of so many complimentary features–be they the plump breasts and womanly hips, to the musculature that in no way diminished how much of a _woman_ she was–that it was an exercise in frustration trying to look _away_ from her beauty.

That she was beginning to grow an adorable little pout only made her harder to ignore.

Yang, to her credit, seemed well-composed in the presence of the Mistralian wonder, and she offered a very simple little smile in response, "Nothin', just… _lamenting."_ Yang chuckled dryly, though her eyes unfocused as she examined Pyrrha once more, and the oblivious beauty simply shrugged.

"As you say, Yang." Pyrrha offered Weiss a small nod of her head, then a warm smile towards Ruby as the younger huntress watched with a flushed expression, and offered a tiny squeak and a shy wave in return. Weiss immediately felt that knot of envy tighten in her stomach when Pyrrha reacted with a smooth little chuckle; _she_ just got a nod, what had Ruby done to earn that sort of smile from _Pyrrha Nikos?_ Weiss wrestled with her emotions as Nora and Pyrrha entered the showers.

Not letting Weiss's own embarrassed examination of the women in the locker room slide, Yang piped up with a teasing lilt in her voice, "So new to the whole shower thing _and_ part of the seventy-four percent?" She asked with a wide grin. Reluctantly, Weiss stopped comparing redheaded derrieres and looked back up to Yang, her slender eyebrows bunching up a moment.

"Seventy-four percent?" Weiss repeated slowly in confusion.

"It's some stupid statistic." Ruby answered. Weiss leaned to the left to look past Yang, and spotted Ruby sitting on a bench, wearing just her panties and goggles while covering her small breasts. Weiss felt embarrassed, but immediately caught on that Ruby was far beyond embarrassed and well on her way to shame. Weiss pursed her lips quietly, catching herself from telling her to suck it up. It wasn't like she was handling this much better.

"It's not a stupid statistic! It's totally, probably, nearly, in-my-experience _true."_ Yang explained, stomping her foot. Ruby scoffed, which was so theatrically overdone that Weiss suspected it was rehearsed, and Yang fired back some obscure comment about toast, and the Schnee heiress spend some time utterly failing to follow a spat between the sisters. After a moment of confusion, Weiss shook her head.

"What are you two talking about? _What statistic?"_ Weiss asked with a grunt of growing irritation.

Yang forgot to cover her chest as she whirled around, the sniping match with Ruby forgotten and ensuring Weiss was unable to look Yang in the face as she went off in a factual tone, "A poll taken by the Weapons and Women's Magazine two years ago found that seventy-four-point-three percent of all polled female huntresses had positive lesbian experiences with fellow huntresses, with over _ninety_ percent of those polled having had a prior sexual relationship with a huntress, and just under forty percent having had or currently in a long term lesbian relationship with a huntress!"

Weiss' eyebrow twitched as she stared at Yang's proud expression and heroic posture as she spoke. "And this is something that you've gone to the effort to memorize verbatim." Weiss' tone carried only the slightest hint of irritation.

"Yup!" Yang bobbed her head, sending an indecent ripple through the softer parts of her anatomy. "Mama Yang likes to know her _chances._ Wanna know the boys'?" Yang offered giddily.

"I'll pass." Weiss stepped around Yang, leaving the blonde only slightly dismayed, but she watched as the Schnee heiress hesitantly walked over to Ruby. The two girls, both small, both soft, looked to each other. Weiss' blush filled her cheeks, "We should get you to a stall." She offered in a remarkably gentle, helpful tone.

Ruby slowly looked up to Weiss, and Weiss watched with embarrassment as Ruby not-so-subtly took in her nude body. Weiss tried to remain rigid and not cover herself, or yell, but she couldn't entirely shake the surge of paranoid indignation at being stared at and silently judged like a piece of meat. She had to remind herself that Ruby was her partner, not somebody who would take pictures to sell to a greasy tabloid, and she certainly hoped not somebody who would brag about having seen Weiss in the nude. Ruby wasn't one of the sleazy, silver-tongued socialites and paparazzi from Atlas, she was a shy, meek, monster of a girl.

Seventy-four percent was a stupid number... but even so, Weiss tried to keep her own inspection much more subtle as she examined her partner in return. Ruby was built more like Weiss, but with thicker shoulders and thighs, and a more motherly-width to her hips. Weiss was certainly _not_ irritated to find that she couldn't instantly tell who wore the larger bra, something she'd most likely find out when the laundry came in. "It's okay; your big sister's going to get all the attention anyways." Weiss surprised herself with the joke, and even drew a tiny laugh from Ruby.

Ruby stood slowly, conscious of the eyes on her, and hesitated as she slid her thumbs under the waist of her panties. There was a second where the younger girl hesitated, then swiftly tugged her undies down to her ankles. She lifted them like a piece of garbage she'd found on the floor and swiftly flung them into her locker, then slammed it shut. She looked to Weiss and unhappily adjusted her goggles. "... They'll think I'm weird for wearing these..."

"We'll just keep telling everyone you have an eye-condition; it's not like we're lying, not _completely,_ anyways." Weiss murmured, _trying_ to feel comfortable in the buff with her partner, as well as the blonde beauty behind her. It was harder than it seemed, since they both kept sneaking looks at each other, and Weiss began to dread that Ruby was _also_ part of the seventy-four percent… which was still a completely illogical, stupid, and inane statistic.

"Yeah…" Ruby trailed off, working her jaw slowly.

"Then it won't be a big deal, nobody can force you to take your goggles off." Weiss nodded. Ruby seemed somewhat pleased with that, though when Weiss turned, Yang's expression and posture were no longer playful.

Weiss met Yang's eyes, the two sharing a silent, comprehending moment, and Yang put on a smile that was so fake, Weiss felt her stomach drop from the sheer familiarity... "Ruby, go on ahead, I need to talk to Weiss for a minute." Yang ordered.

Ruby hesitantly got to her feet, her face focused solely on Yang, not even looking Weiss's direction. For a brief moment, Weiss felt hopeful that Ruby was about to jump to her defense and stop Yang from cornering her, "She's my p-partner." Ruby spoke tersely.

"I know Rubes, I just wanted to-"

" _No. Flirting."_ Ruby enunciated with a sudden lack of shyness, and Weiss's expression fell dramatically as she realized Ruby had no clue what sort of confrontation Yang was planning to have with her. However, Yang's sour mood briefly turned into a loud, amused snort. "I'm serious! Sh-she's _my_ partner, _no hitting on_ my _p-partner!"_ Ruby ordered, while Yang rolled her eyes.

"Not that it isn't tempting to try, but this isn't about dating her." Yang stated consolingly, and reared back with a squeak when Ruby got right into her face.

"I-I'm _watching you,_ Yang Xiao Long!" Ruby hissed, making the blonde blink in astonishment at Ruby's rather sudden intensity. Ruby punctuated her threat with a quick, two-fingered hand sign that copied what she'd said, "I-I don't want a repeat of Signal from you! You try any funny business with my partner-"

" _Chill,_ Ruby, I swear I'm just gonna talk, I'm not gonna do anything funny with her!" Yang began to sweat, her hands held up defensively as she stared into those pitch black goggle lenses. Ruby held her gaze for nearly half a minute before she shrank back down, stuck her tongue out in frustration, then nodded.

"Okay… I'm gonna shower now, a-and _you_ behave!" Ruby ordered, her hands moving to cover her bare breasts and genitals in unspoken shame as she edged around her sister, still glaring up at her like the blonde was going to pull something the moment she could. "Weiss, if she gets too close, y-you have my permission to glyph-freeze her or something."

Now Yang looked a bit worried as Weiss watched with a mixture of worry and open-mouthed surprise at how easily Ruby managed to cow the super-strong beauty in front of her, and even Yang seemed mildly impressed as she watched Ruby disappear around the corner. The older sister planted her hands on her hips in quiet thought, her head tilted to the side as her lips threatened to tug upwards in a smile, only shrinking when Ruby poked her head around the corner for one, final threatening stare, and then she was gone.

"... She certainly has _your_ number." Weiss noted casually, trying to ease her nerves as Yang inclined her head in agreement.

"You'd be surprised how feisty she can get; if Ruby decides she wants something, she'll drop the shakes and trembling to tell me what's what." Yang's tone was one of casual pride and admiration, something that Weiss caught onto immediately. Yang was _okay_ with being confronted like that by her little sister? She quietly recalled that Winter, despite her authoritarian attitude, seemed to grow more… _affectionate_ whenever Weiss was in the mood to squabble, but everyone else Weiss knew seemed to regard any sort of confrontation like it was a direct challenge to their authority and goals.

"It doesn't bother you?" Weiss asked in a carefully neutral tone, glancing up at Yang, watching the blonde's expression turn into a glowing fondness that left the debutante uncomfortable in its sincerity.

"Nah," Yang shrugged it off, releasing a quiet sigh, "nothing to get bothered about. But hey," Yang nudged Weiss sharply, making the smaller girl grab the battered arm with a wince, "somehow, you've gotten her to like you. Ruby cares about people, _a lot,_ and she _knows_ I'm a troublemaker. That said…" Yang rounded on Weiss, her smile shrinking, her brow knitting, her elation turning into a serious frown, "how much do _you_ know?"

At that, Weiss diminished the tiniest bit. She had utterly blown her chance to lie–though she hadn't decided she was going to to _Yang_ at least–with such a visible wince. She promised she would keep Ruby's secret to the headmaster, but it was illogical for the girl's _sister_ to be out of the loop, right? Weiss's lips pursed, and Yang's expression hardened until the heiress finally answered: "Enough."

"Enough _what?"_ Yang demanded in a tone approaching a snarl, getting another wince from Weiss.

"If you're seriously asking me what I think you're asking me, the answer is exactly that: _enough."_ Weiss broke eye contact with Yang, a shudder going down her spine from both the cold locker room air, and the memory of those _eyes…_ "Let's take this under the water, this room echoes too much."

There was a moment of stillness between the two girls, where Yang wondered if Weiss was going to flee the moment she turned away, and where Weiss felt a phantom ache as she imagined the bigger girl crushing her back into a locker to shake her down for an answer, but then Yang nodded. Side-by-side, the two girls entered the showers, a wave of warm mist splashing their bodies and hydrating their skin before they chose a set of shower heads far away from Nora and Pyrrha, who were so deep in a conversation that they hadn't noticed the two girls enter from behind.

Weiss let the stream of hot water splash her face and warm her body, purifying her of a day full of fear, anger, madness, and _pink._ Weiss loved the warmth, almost as much as she loved the cold; the extremes soothed her as they stole her mind away from mediocrity and discomfort. She thought more clearly when she was anything but lukewarm, and she hoped it would serve her well as Yang, her blonde hair now a long, straight, hay-yellow-and-bubblegum-pink sheet that clung to her back, took her attention off the water to acknowledge Weiss again. "So… _enough?"_

"Before she was captured, we got into a fight with an Ursa Major." Weiss continued, her voice low enough that it would not carry under the buffer of shower water storming around them, "We both would have died had she not- we _more than likely_ would have failed the initiation if she did not… _summon."_ Weiss spoke the word with plenty of trepidation in her voice, and it was enough to make Yang swallow thickly.

"I know how it looks, trust me, but she's a _good girl."_ Yang insisted, lowering herself to try and get eye-to-eye with Weiss, looking vulnerable now that she was soaked, "I can tell you how hard she's worked to get here, she _deserves_ this chance, you understand me? After all her training, after listening to her vow up and down how she wants to save the world, she's _deserves this."_

"Has she killed anyone?" Weiss suddenly asked, and Yang froze in place, forming worried fists at the harsh question. " _Well?"_ Weiss pushed, trembling in place at the implication behind her silence. She swore she could see a muscle in Yang's jaw jump from her tension.

"No." Yang finally answered, pulling her eyes from Weiss', "Not a _person._ A dog, but not _our_ dog." The blonde sighed heavily, crossing her arms again to keep them from flexing too hard. "It attacked her in the yard, and she lost control and… and just... tore it apart. She regretted it, _hard,_ and even before that, the worst that happened was she summoned an arm or something…" Yang pointed to a barely perceptible white line on her upper arm, an old, ragged scar that had healed well with time and care, "This is the worst it ever got, and this was six years ago."

Weiss inspected the scar… she could imagine a younger Ruby, in the middle of a fit of childlike anger, accidentally summoning the arm of a Grimm, white claws lashing out to tear open a hole in Yang's arm… and she could imagine the same girl now, scrambling to apologize, weep, and plead for forgiveness, promising to make up for it… Weiss sighed, the thought leaving her tight with conflicting ideologies and emotions, but she ultimately restrained herself from thinking like a frightened beast. "She saved my life." Weiss said, making Yang's lips tighten as the pretty young thing before she cast her eyes away in silent thought. Were it not for her nudity, Weiss's distant expression under the glimmer of water would have looked awfully poignant. "She killed the Ursa, she caught me as I was falling, she prioritized my safety before, during, and after the Ursa's death. I think I would have died without her… and besides all that, I promised the headmaster that I would keep her secret."

At that, Yang's tension evaporated like the rolling cloud of humidity billowing out into the locker room, and a small smile forced its way onto her face, "So… you're…?"

"I made my decision," Weiss said calmly, "She is my partner, I will tolerate her presence, I will repay the debt that I owe her, Grimm be damned. In the meantime, if I have to tolerate _you_ as well-" Weiss's mind flashed through the very brief window of time she knew Yang, recalling their shouting match, an unscheduled flight, Yang's attempt to strangle her, her begrudging willingness to let Weiss help her, the blonde repeatedly catching her from falling, and now this, "-well, then so be it. Ruby and I have decided to be friends, so I will do everything I _reasonably_ can to make peace with you too." Weiss spoke in a voice filled with a snobbish, faux-reluctance at the situation she found herself in.

She was surprised, to say the least, when she found herself pulled into the warmth and softness of Yang's chest, bounced around in arms she was fairly sure could crush her like a tube of toothpaste. Weiss didn't even have the ability to appreciate the moment; where did this family's women get the impression that it was _okay_ to randomly hug people for declaring a truce?! Despite her best attempts to cling to her wounded pride, Weiss found herself relaxing in Yang's body heat, her face turning a dangerous shade of red as she did everything in her power to keep her mouth shut, and she was caught up in trying to process this newest storm of emotions before Yang's words registered, "Good ta have ya on our side, Weiss."

Even if prior evidence suggested that Yang was nothing more than a tempermental, horny _brute,_ the way she held Weiss and pleaded for her to accept Ruby seemed genuine… so much _like_ Ruby as well. Both girls had come off as idiotic and uncontrolled on opposite ends of the spectrum, but Weiss found herself somewhat charmed by their frankness. She'd grown up having to _guess_ at the intentions of the people she'd only just met, wondering if they were starstruck or playing nice to try and gain some sort of advantage… Weiss didn't feel like she had to guess how either of these girls felt.

There were secrets, true, deep, dark horrible, and frightening, but the girl that held them was a genuinely good person, one with the headmaster's blessing. Weiss silently flared her nostrils and pinched Yang's hip to end the hug, the two separating with a pair of blushes and embarrassed reassertions of their casual stances. Yang was as bold as ever, even more so in the nude, especially compared to how reserved Weiss was.

"Y'know," Yang began, using a hand to try and dismiss the awkward tension that had grown in their emotional moment, "I didn't think a Schnee could actually _fight._ I figured you'd be trying to sue every Grimm that so much as looked at you." Yang snickered, alleviating the dramatic cloud that had settled over them.

Weiss stared, surprised at the complete one-eighty in mood, and found herself unable to control her mouth, "And I didn't know that a pair of blimps could fight." Weiss answered dismissively. Yang shot her a high-browed look, making Weiss briefly fear she'd gone too far, but then Yang let out a snort. Weiss joined in on the small laugh, though hers was significantly more uncomfortable. "I-I didn't mean it. You're pretty strong, I didn't expect a fist-fighter to hold their own against a Nevermore." Weiss corrected herself, trying to match Yang's level of earnesty.

"And you're pretty tricky, those glyphs pulled off the _craziest_ shit and I didn't expect the explosion to be so- so-... so _BLAMZO,_ y'know? It'll be awesome having somebody who knows their way around Dust nearby, I could use some pointers." Yang giggled to herself, recalling the aftermath of their fight with a fond expression, standing under a waterfall of hot water that washed the pink out of her hair. After a few minutes of silently enjoying the warmth and cleanliness, she extended a hand to Weiss and smiled, "Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's half-sister. I like chicks, fighting, pop, rock, and anything that can get my heart pumping."

Weiss stared at the hand as she ran her fingers through her curtain of snow-white hair, relieved to see all that _pink_ go down the drain. After a second of thought, she took Yang's hand with a warmth spreading across her cheeks. "Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. I like singing, dancing, studying, and fashion."

"Fashion, huh?" Yang asked as they shook, her grip light on Weiss' fingers. "We should go shopping together sometime, princess. I can show you a few good places around Vale." They both let go, and Weiss stared up at the ceiling so hot water could soothe her throat.

"I'd appreciate that… maybe grab something to eat? I haven't stayed in Vale for _too_ long, so…"

"I know the _best_ places to grab a bite. Mmm, not much of it's high-class though…"

"Please, if I want high-class I'll go home and ring up my cake butler. I-I'm curious about how…" Weiss tried to think of a word that wasn't immediately insulting, "About how non-Atlesians eat."

"Oh ho, so Weiss Schnee wants to bum around with the common folk?" Yang asked with a naughty smile, making Weiss pout. "Well lucky you, Mama Yang knows all the best dives, diners, and drive-throughs in town! We can take my bike! _I can dress you in biker gear_ ~ _!"_

"Hmm." Weiss acknowledged. She sighed in relief under the hot water and quietly looked at Yang out of the corner of her eye as the taller woman prattled about combinations of leather and denim. First Ruby, now Yang. She hadn't expected her first… _friends_ to be like this, but she didn't have any complaints…

Well… maybe one…

"Wait, with _boots?_ Xiao Long, let me _tell you_ something about style…"

* * *

Relief flooded Ruby as she stood underneath the hot shower, eyes closed, letting the heat and pressure soothe her aching muscles and irritated skin as her goggles hung from their strap from the hot water knob. She hadn't thought of how often she'd be wearing her goggles at school; when she was home she could get away with keeping them off all day, but here she didn't just have classes, she'd also have to worry about them in her own _dorm_ room.

Yang knew about it, so if it was just her around, maybe. Weiss… maybe if she asked? Weiss seemed to be on her side, and hadn't uttered a peep about what she'd seen to anybody. She also seemed fixated on returning her 'life debts' or whatever... Ruby pushed her jaw out. On one hand, having her in her debt could be helpful in keeping a secret, but on the other, it felt _scummy_ trying to enforce it.

Maybe some gentle suggestion to let it go…

She hoped Yang was right about having the same pieces would put them on the same team. She was putting up with so many new things left and right, she wanted something, _somebody,_ familiar. She rubbed her sore temples and suppressed a groan at how smug Yang would be if her theory panned out. Though, if Yang _was_ right, that meant Ruby would _also_ be on the same team as Miss Dark-Haired and Delicious…

Ruby's knees began to tremble a little remembering Blake strutting by; it only took a quick flash of her bare body and it completely derailed her and Yang's conversation. Who cared about bickering when there were shifting alabaster hips and lidded golden eyes… Ruby turned to wash her hair, scritching her scalp and working in shampoo to get out all of the pink dye out as she giggled softly and thought about how lucky she'd be to watch Blake walk in and out of the shower _regularly_ when a terrible thought struck: she was becoming like her sister. She looked at a pretty naked girl and inwardly _purred!_ She'd just been daydreaming about perving on a potential team mate! She had been unable to keep all of her dignity talking to Weiss who, despite not being as heart-stopping as Blake, was still mouth-watering in her own right. And now she was objectifying Weiss!

Ruby cursed her weakness and these weird new desires as she thought back on how she'd looked at her partner and soaked in every detail brazenly, like it was her right. She held her cheeks recalling how pure, pale, and pretty her partner was. She could feel herself blushing, and it took a stubborn bite down on her tongue to stop the image of Weiss' bare breasts from taking over her mind. It wasn't how you were supposed to treat your friends, Weiss was huge on respect, she'd be livid if she ever noticed that Ruby was enjoying the sight of her smooth, gentle curves and brilliant blue eyes…

… She was doing it again.

"Damnit Yang…" Ruby whispered under her breath.

"What'd she do this time?" Came an unsurprised voice from the other side of the stall wall.

Ruby slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, and then clapped her other hand onto her forehead just in case Blake could hear her thoughts too. "Nuffing!" Ruby mumbled from behind her hand.

"Uh huh." Came the unconvinced reply.

After enough time had passed for Ruby to realize Blake was not, in fact, reading her thoughts, she tried reinforcing normality by shakily washing her hair, subconsciously running her middle finger over one of the thick, black veins around her eyes, more aware of them than ever in the midst of her nudity. Underneath the thick, leathery tube she could feel the steady pulse of her blood being pumped through her body, and was annoyed at how rapid it was. She should _not_ be this embarrassed… or excited...

She glanced at the barrier separating her from Blake, and gave a tiny, inaudible whimper at her weakness… she had to stop acting so _cowardly._

"You know, Ruby…" Blake spoke again, sounding a little closer to the wall, making Ruby glance up to the gap above, fearing she'd find Blake's luminous eyes wide with surprise-turning-horror when their gazes met, but Blake kept out of sight. Ruby let out a small breath she didn't know she'd been holding and looked at the gap under the door, confirming Blake was standing nearby… purple toenails? Cute! "I gotta admit, you did pretty well for yourself in that fight."

"Oh, um, thanks. Which fight?" Ruby babbled and face palmed briefly, immediately chiding herself for acting like an idiot. "Th-the Nevermore fight! Right. I wasn't the only one fighting it…" She tapered off awkwardly, bridging her fingers in front of her chest nervously. She turned to face the shower head again, trying to hide the heat in her cheeks.

"I know, but you were especially surprising." Blake's tone turned from casual to praising, and Ruby gulped loudly. She flinched as she heard a thump against the wall, and briefly glanced toward the top and bottom of the stall wall again, the position of her feet telling Ruby that she was now leaning with her back against the wall. "You came up with a crazy plan, got everybody to buy into it… everything fell right into place, you were willing to put yourself in the firing line, things got loud and… messy _,_ but ended in success. I'm impressed, it's hard to believe you're a few years younger."

"Th-thanks…" Ruby replied meekly to the praise, shuffling in place awkwardly. Her whole body flushed with pleased heat, and she couldn't fight her growing smile to save her life. She'd impressed _Blake!_ Next came the love confession… or declaration of rivalry. Why did book characters have such conflicting reactions to events?!

"It's almost as impressive as how bad you are at keeping your eyes to yourself. The goggles don't hide everything, you know." Blake said with a teasing lilt in her voice, which was more than enough to cause Ruby's entire body to turn from a pleased pink to a heated shade of mortified red, a tremble starting from the bottoms of her feet to the top of her head.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm _really_ sorry!" Ruby squeaked, cursing her freshly discovered sexuality! It wasn't _her_ fault girls looked so yummy! If they all just stopped walking around looking so _amazing-_ was she blaming the victims!? This was worse than growing up with Yang, she was becoming a _politician!_ Ruby began to wobble in place at the realization… "I-... I didn't mean t-to, j-just- I-I-"

"It's okay." Was Blake's reply, accompanied by a gentle chuckle. Ruby looked back at the wall Blake was leaning against, unable to read the dark-haired dream's thoughts as, inwardly, Blake realized she truly didn't mind Ruby's staring as much as Yang's; it came without the hungry comments and wiggles of her eyebrows, it was as innocent as a girl getting her first… crush… Blake shook her head unseen, and tried to cut the tension with a joking tone, "I mean, 'when a woman finds herself faced with perfection...'"

"Oh, _please_ don't tell me Yang actually u-used that one...!" Ruby suddenly interrupted with an annoyed voice, and Blake had to actually hide a laugh at how openly dismayed the younger girl sounded. " _Ugh,_ d-dad used to use that line to bug mom whenever they were being all… _lovey-dovey…"_ Ruby huffed, sounding ready to wretch at the memory. Having walked in on her own parents getting… frisky… more than once, Blake fully understood the desire to scrub the image from her mind if at all possible.

"Hey, it's not a bad line, _however_ it ends. But yeah, Yang dropped that one on me. Were you aware that your older sister is _insufferable_ when she thinks she has a chance? I didn't know charm _came_ in a blunt-force variety until I met her." Blake asked, and Ruby rolled her eyes with a little smirk.

"Y-yeah. I think it sorta works for her? She, um… I-I don't wanna make her sound _bad,_ b-but she had a _lot_ of girlfriends at Signal. Like… _so many…"_ Ruby muttered to herself, finding herself a touch worried as she felt a drop of jealousy in her stomach. It had never bothered her before, but thinking about Blake, as well as _Weiss,_ imagining having to sit back and watch them look at Yang the way Yang looked at them… it made her stomach stir uncomfortably…

"So she's kinda… _that way?"_ Blake asked cautiously, unable to see Ruby's head snap upright as her shoulders straightened. She certainly heard the rumble of protective threat in her little friend's suddenly strong voice.

" _What_ way?" Ruby asked, the jealousy disappearing at the merest hint of an insult towards Yang. Wisely, Blake realized she'd taken a verbal misstep and, remembering how quickly Yang had spiraled into a bad mood, opted to soften her phrasing.

"Nothing really bad or anything she just seems like, you know… a bit of a troublemaker? Rabble-rouser? Making noise just to be heard, bouncing from bed to bed to prove she can?"

" _No!"_ Ruby answered immediately, her chest swelling with indignation. She paused, thought about it, then frowned as she recalled thinking something similar more than once, "A-a li'l… she's… _impatient,_ and, um, can get bored pretty easily. B-but I don't think she ever cheated on anyone. She's… she's pretty upfront about what she w-wants, I-I think… at least, none of her exes spread rumors or tried to get even o-or any of that stuff they pull in 'Truthful Lives of Liars'…"

"I hate that series and everything like it. Why does everyone think being between fourteen and twenty-one makes you a sociopath?" Blake groaned, not able to see Ruby rapidly nod in agreement. "So Yang likes fooling around and I'm officially on the list of potential conquests. And I have to share a room with her. Yay." She sighed.

"No!" Ruby retorted stubbornly. When seconds ticked by without a response, Ruby quietly went on, trying to placate Blake and be as honest as possible with how she thought of her sibling, "I know how she seems, like all she cares about is fighting and- and _fun,_ but there's a lot more to her. You're partners, she'll _care_ for you, _about_ you. S-sh-she'll try and bandage your wounds, and help you get better, and teach you everything she knows if she thinks it'd help. W-when you're scared she'll stay with you in bed, a-and when you're sick she'll bring you food and drinks and read to you… when things go too far, you can tell her to stop, a-and she will, she'll stop and do better next time. My big sister's not perfect…" Ruby trailed off for a moment, squeezing her hands together tightly, "but she's the closest thing I've had to it my whole life. She's the best part about being me… I'm… I'm really blessed to have her."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, the sound of the running showers drowning out any subtle noises either made as they dwelled on their thoughts. Ruby didn't follow up on that statement, which lingered in its uncomfortable sincerity, and for the sake of both privacy and secrecy, Blake had to suppress the desire to storm into Ruby's stall and demand to know exactly what she thought of _herself that she could say such a thing_. It wasn't her place to get involved in the girl's ego, but it went a long way to explaining her awkwardness. With a small sigh, Blake knew she needed to change course… "You know…" She began, trying to sound lazy and distant, "she was a total trainwreck when she found out you'd been birdnapped."

"Heh..." Ruby smiled a bit, "... did she explode?"

"I mean, practically." Blake chuckled, and Ruby followed suit, "She's scary when she thinks you're in danger."

"I guess she is. She's a total weirdo about it too, sh-she dates all these girls, but, like, when dad and I talk about introducing me to a nice boy, she's _super…_ I dunno, _weird_ about it, like-" Ruby paused and Blake cut in, her voice dropped an octave.

"' _If he lays a single goddamned finger on her-...'"_ she finished with an exaggerated growl. Ruby let out a wonderfully loud bark of laughter that made Blake grin to herself.

"I mean yeah, _exactly_ like that. Not that I've ever _met_ a boy by myself until yesterday, but Yang is all, like- _y'know."_

"Yeah." Blake answered, both girls oblivious to their matching smiles of relief at working past the awkward moment of conversation. "You do sound pretty lucky to have her."

"Mhmm… I couldn't have asked for a b-better sister, she's like my own guardian angel." Ruby spoke off-handedly, trying to picture a life without Yang… a life of not having her favorite confidant, or having a sun in human form burst into her room to talk about her day, or having somebody whose glare was enough to shut down any questions about Ruby's secrets or personality… Ruby shuddered, feeling suddenly cold, even under the hot water... Lost in her musings, she was oblivious to the silence that followed, and the curiosity furiously brewing within Blake.

"Are you religious, Ruby? You or your family?" Blake asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Shaken from her contemplation, Ruby thought about it; her mother owned both a Hinjan and a Holy Trilogy set, and Ruby distinctly remembered her voice when they read them together late at night… she remembered her mother's warmth, her fingers caressing the pages as she carefully turned them… But Ruby only remembered the 'cooler' stories from Yang the storyteller, who only told stories about the heroes as opposed to paying homage to the gods. "My mom was, I-I'm sure." Ruby spoke just loudly enough for Blake to hear, "I don't think the rest of us are. I-I'm not, at least."

Blake shifted against the wall, and Ruby ran her fingers through her hair as she waited for her reply. "Do you think we have a purpose?" Was Blake's next question, and it was a strange one, one that made Ruby furrow her brow in curiosity.

"As… as hunters?" Ruby asked.

"No… well, sort of. I mean in general. There's humans, faunus, animals, and Grimm, do you think we each have a role in life? A place? A station? Some predetermined purpose we're meant to fulfill?"

Ruby hung her head and closed her eyes, trying to squeeze some of the lingering stiffness out of her neck and think for a few seconds before she answered, "I think the Grimm do. Th-they're kind of the simple ones, right? Kill people, and that's it... I mean, there's so many questions about them…" Ruby stared at her shadow against the wall, imagining glowing red eyes within it, and pulling her eyes away from the spot before it could dare come to fruition, "But i-it seems like they exist for one thing, and that's it…"

"I guess so." Blake hummed out loud, and Ruby looked at the wall separating them curiously, "So what about the people, the humans and the faunus? What purpose do we have?"

"I dunno…" Ruby pursed her lips in thought, wondering where the question was coming from, "I think whatever we feel like."

"You don't think it's to answer all the great mysteries of our world? To, I dunno, _evolve_ to our next stage in life or some crap?"

"Well, that's not what _I_ want to do, so I don't think that's what people are _m-meant_ to do. I want to protect the people that do, and the people that don't, and just… give _everyone_ a chance." Ruby answered softly. She crossed her arms under her small bust and sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter to me if they're human or faunus, 'the Grimm should not be the judges of our worth nor existence, it is us and us alone that can decide our fate.'"

"Mmm, Elan. Highly underrated." Blake said warmly.

"It was the only passage I remembered because the rest was just… so… _bloated…"_ Ruby grunted. Blake's amused snicker put her at ease.

"Ruby, we really should read together sometime. I think it might be fun."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up, and despite having a stall between them, she nodded at Blake. "I'd _really_ like that."

* * *

Ren quietly prided himself on staying calm under pressure in even the most abnormal situations. He didn't stress when the Grimm were nearby, he didn't panic when their rancid breath blew in his face, and he hardly felt it when they dug fang or claw into his aura. Ren was a warrior, an ascetic when it came to his aura control, and cultivated a cool, calm confidence. He'd trained exhaustively to grant himself incredible reflexes and finely honed decision-making skills under fire, giving him options beyond a pair of SMGs most would scoff at for being 'underpowered.' He didn't have the build to be any kind of strong man, but the Arts of his people made it clear that the quality and skillful use of the blade had far wider reaching consequences than its size.

There were, however, three things that knocked him off kilter, caused him to bite his tongue, squint his eyes, sigh, smile, or scream: horses, Nora, and now Jaune's impressive manscaping job.

"It's, uh, hygienic." Jaune said in a small, embarrassed voice. Ren didn't crack a grin, but he at least lifted his eyes above his companion's waist.

"I've heard as much." Ren sat on the bench in just his white pants, turning away to hide his raised eyebrows. He used a relatively unknown aura technique to help heat his green shirt and flatten its wrinkles, making it look fresh and unworn by the day's trials. It had started off as an attempt by a Guru to make common cloth as hard as steel but it became entirely redundant once it became clear that the defensive barrier of aura was a default feature and not some one-off miracle that couldn't be relied upon. He glanced to Jaune again as the naked blonde walked to a nearby locker with shy steps.

The blonde had an odd physique. He clearly wasn't built to support a lot of muscle, yet Jaune's bulk pushed it to the edge, balancing on toe-tips, between being physically appealing and disgustingly swollen. His slender torso, hips, and legs made him a tad feminine, but he had prominent pectorals, defined abdominals, thick deltoids, and rounded biceps. They were offset by his slender, boyish face, though his thick, tough fingers suggested somebody who had worked difficult manual labor.

He was also quite the heroic boy, cutting a sincerely inspiring image with his stormy eyes and worn, but noble armor gleaming in the sun as he pointed with the nicked but lovingly polished blade of his sword to direct his allies into bold action...

Ren felt the coming blood rush and closed his eyes, clearing his mind in an instant to stop his cheeks from turning pink.

Jaune slipped on his Pumpkin Pete hoodie, letting out a relieved sigh as he covered himself up. He groaned a little as he sat down on the bench next to Ren, watching as he held up his stainless, flat shirt. The blonde boy was… surprising. He, at first, seemed lacking in skill or proper sense to do anything but flail on the battlefield, but push come to shove, Jaune had devised a plan to secure a double-kill, and had saved Nora beforehand with nothing but an outdated shield and sheer determination. It had been a spectacular moment that, while nearly ending in disaster, had given them the opening they'd needed to win.

Ren was impressed, and more than that, thrilled that Nora had come out unscathed and happier than ever… the sounds of her screaming as the Deathstalker tried to rip her apart still clung to the back of his mind, making his nose crinkle slightly in horror.

"I never thanked you." Ren suddenly spoke up, making Jaune shoot him a quick, surprised look.

"What for?" Jaune asked, glancing away from Ren to tie his shoes.

Ren looked at him, his eyes slightly widened. Jaune didn't notice until he saw a particular glint in those pink irises. "You… saved Nora." His eyes softened, and once again he had a passionless gaze that seemed to shoot straight through Jaune.

"Oh, yeah, I guess." Jaune mumbled, futzing with the loops in his shoelaces. "Any of us would have. I mean, what sorta hunter wouldn't? I had an opening, I had a sword, Blake has reflexes like a cat, badabing badaboom, she's okay and we won." Jaune shrugged.

Ren's puzzled frown was returned by Jaune. To Ren, saving a human life from certain death shouldn't have been treated so casually. Sure, in the moment Ren had tried to do the same, but wandering the wilds he'd seen plenty of people willing to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others in the name of self-interest or convenience. Could he not understand that in that moment, he'd gone beyond his duty as a hunter-in-training and become their hero? That he'd done on instinct what fully trained men twice his age refused to do when they were _paid_ to?

"She's more than okay." Ren looked down at his knees in thought, and he stopped a particularly powerful shudder from running up his spine. "It could have killed her. You heard her, Jaune, it was trying to tear her in half, and you stopped it. She's thirty pounds lighter than you, if it had stung her, Weiss and I never would have been able to extract the venom in time. My Nora was doomed twice over and you _saved_ her."

"I know, and it's okay. You're welcome." Jaune simply rolled his shoulders. Ren entertained the idea that Jaune was simply dense.

"Jaune." Their eyes met again. Jaune's were an innocent blue, alive with hopes and dreams, tinged with confusion at Ren's action, the most plainly human eyes Ren had ever seen. He… didn't see it. Jaune thought it was the job and no more. He was uncomfortable being praised. Ren swallowed, feeling his esteem for this stranger he'd had the privilege to meet rise yet higher. "If you ever need anything…" he began slowly, making sure there could be no room for misunderstanding. "Don't hesitate to come speak to me. Ever."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's only the first day." Jaune gave an anxious chuckle. "You'll probably save my butt enough times to make up for it and then some, so don't worry-"

"I _will_ worry." Ren's voice rose, just enough to make Jaune squirm in place at the sudden show of force. Ren softened, let his shoulders sag, and he let out a sigh, then immediately set himself up straight as if he hadn't slipped. "Nora and I are an… item."

" _No way."_ Jaune couldn't resist snarking.

"We have been since we were both ten."

"Oh." Jaune blinked in surprise, his wry smile fading as he began to count on his fingers. "So you two have been together for seven years?"

Ren did not smile, but his cheeks shifted ever so slightly in unspoken fondness. "Correct. We've been close for seven years, and have become official in the last two. Nora and I have shared everything, from the loss of our families to the dreams of… restoring them." At that, Ren crossed his legs and Jaune's eye widened. "She _is_ my family, I look into her eyes and see an ironclad destiny. Jaune, if she had died, a piece of me would have gone with her, and I don't know if I could have lived without it." He subtly shot a look to Jaune, his lips only marginally tighter.

A hand landed on his shoulder and shook him, making him instinctively rebalance so he wouldn't topple, and Jaune's eyes bored into Ren's seriously. "Look, I'm just doing what's right. So don't give me this whole 'if she died blah blah blah—' because she didn't, and she won't. Not while we're here. You, and her too, don't owe me anything… just cut me a little slack when I screw up in class and don't kick me between the legs in spars and we're more than even, okay?"

Jaune's smile was bright and lovely, though there was a tug of doubt at the corner of his lips, something in the back of his mind stopping him from fully believing in himself. Ren didn't notice that as he felt his heart soar, and he allowed himself a moment of silent, stone-faced elation before he clamped down on it. Ren simply looked back in dull surprise.

With another, softer pat to Ren's back, Jaune got to his feet with a wince. "Dude, I don't know about you, but I am _starving._ I'm gonna eat 'til I'm sick." He strapped on his armor and smacked his stomach, unaware of Ren's trembling hands. It was clear that Jaune considered the topic closed and, after a moment of reflection, Ren decided to accept that decision and let the topic go. He suspected there would be other opportunities in the years to come.

Red stood up, his stance slack and totally calm. "Jaune?" He called, causing the blonde to glance over his shoulder curiously. "Thank you. Nora and I have your back. That I promise you." Jaune adjusted his buckles and belts for a moment, his curiosity slipping into embarrassment once more. Ren walked past him, pausing at the locker room's exit. "In that spirit, we should really get going. There might not be much left to eat if Nora gets there first. She'll apologize, but that won't fill an empty stomach" His words carried just enough levity to avoid being an insult, and Jaune groaned with a small smirk, glad the heavier topics had been put aside.

"Okay, but no running, my knees are doing that popping thing…" He staggered forward, trying to walk straight as best as he could as he and Ren left. "How did you learn to sprint like that, anyway? You're like a bullhead taking off."

"I secluded myself in the darkest forests I could find at the edge of civilization and spent a week fleeing from Boarbatusk and Beowulves until my aura could accelerate me well beyond their average top speed."

"Ha! Nice… you're kidding, right? Ren? That's not how they do stuff here is it?! Slow down and answer, man!"

* * *

" _No…"_ A soft, mournful voice broke through the darkness. "No… no! No no no nononono! Bad! _Very_ _bad girls! VERY VERY BAD!"_ Oobleck roared, his misery turning to a screeching fury as he flailed in Port's grip to try and rush the holoscreen.

With the professors watching, the two massive Grimm disappeared in a hot pink cloud that took everything in the vicinity with it in a single earth-shaking display of force. The Deathstalker and the Nevermore, the oldest and second oldest Grimm in the forest, and by far its mightiest denizens, had been reduced to little more than black dust, bad memories, and what could have easily qualified the eight initiates involved in their destruction for a rank-six reward if they'd taken the task on as professionals.

The screen was mostly ash and flame as the hover drone flew to a new position to see past the smoke, just in time to capture the eight recouping on the cliffside. They were laughing or admiring their work, assuming they weren't quivering from the thunderous climax of their fight.

Ozpin silently looped the recording back to the beginning of the fight, where the present instructors could rewatch them gather together in time to stage a daring rescue on Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby, then turn it into an extermination that, while unneeded, would go a _long_ way to enhancing their student records.

Professor Peach rested her cheeks in her hands as her mouth hung slightly open throughout the viewing, as if this were the first showing and not the third. Port's only action was to open his eyes wide, and watch as the Deathstalker was deservedly lobotomized. The Nevermore, which held the upper-hand in the canyon where it could use the terrain and its speed to its advantage, was quickly picked apart once it found itself with a trio of passengers.

Glynda watched silently, her face slack, her arms crossed over her chest as she rewatched the fight. She'd had reservations about letting a majority of these initiates in, but as always, Ozpin proved to be correct: for every single one of their admittedly damning faults, they made up for it in lethality, talent, cooperation and sheer _daring_ in the face of the enemy.

The up-and-coming hunters who had finished before them had run into half as much trouble as these eight had; Cardin Winchester and his partner had taken down twelve ursa minors practically without pause with enough efficiency that neither seemed in much danger no matter the odds, which caused Glynda to offer a rare compliment at the impressive show of strength and skill, but watching these teams…

They hadn't started out impressively: half of them had little trouble reaching their goal, but the other half had run themselves ragged even before the fight by the canyon. The rather clever usage of the brain-damaged Deathstalker was enough to ease Glynda's worries about Jaune Arc's unsubstantiated records, but what truly worried her was Ruby.

She had broken a rule. Yes, it was in defense of her partner, somebody she had had nothing but troubles with, but no amount of lying could cover the truth about Ruby. Despite this, Weiss Schnee had shown considerable maturity and, Glynda dared to say, heroism in choosing to return to Ruby _and_ swear to secrecy.

Glynda didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she felt Ruby and Weiss both needed to be much more seriously talked to, perhaps made to sign a waiver to never bring it up again. Then again _,_ they had genuinely prevailed over their initially rocky meeting, overcome their obstacles as fellow hunters rather than as uneasy allies, and had taken down the goddamned _Nevermore._

More distressingly, Qrow Branwen's thorough documentation regarding Ruby's abilities never once mentioned anything like what Glynda had seen during her… _brutal_ butchering of the Ursa. The complete change in personality, the animalistic method of fighting, the black veins and growth of Grimm limbs across her body… it was as Glynda feared: the girl was an abomination, a _monster…_ one who completely threw aside her moment of triumph to catch Weiss Schnee out of a deadly free fall, and never raised her hand against her. Glynda winced, and released the tight grip she had around the stylus she'd been holding. She flexed her hand to ease the slight pains her unnoticed death grip had caused her, and sighed.

Ozpin merely looked pleased with himself as he re-watched the explosion, all present ignoring Oobleck's agonized wailing. The headmaster had been right, again; his ability to identify a hunter's potential was a greater asset to Beacon than all his clever words and organizational skills.

Silently, Glynda closed her eyes and let relief flood through her. Young Ruby still had a long way to go, but her promise was apparent. Perhaps she _could_ be a force of meaningful change…

She opened her eyes and snapped to attention as the video ended. Ozpin clicked a button on a remote control to turn the lights on, then bridged his fingers in front of his face. "The Knight team and the Rook team have proven themselves, I think." Ozpin said thoughtfully, looking between the four other professors curiously. "What are your thoughts?" He prompted.

Oobleck's shout made them all wince, " _The knight team is hereby disqualified from Beacon FOREVER!"_ The tall, wiry man's voice fell to sorrowful whimpers, "The Ignopolus, _gone!_ And for what?! One _measly_ dead Nevermore?! Those ruins were perfectly preserved pieces of Ignus history! _Priceless!_ The observation towers, the prayer hall behind it, collapsed! Destroyed! _Annihilated!"_

"While they had a clear grasp of improvisation and rudimentary tactics, I saw a powerful lack of understanding in Grimm anatomy!" Port tightened his grip around Oobleck as the taller professor went limp, nearly sliding to the floor in defeat. "The Deathstalker would have been more easily killed had they simply flipped it; their repeated attacks on its head brought tremendous risk, as miss Valkyrie and mister Arc surely understand now. If it had not fallen off the cliff earlier, I doubt it would have been such an easy fight; mister Arc's quick thinking gave them an extraordinary boon."

"And all that wasted _Dust."_ Peach sighed thickly, running her fingers through her dreadlocks. "Miss Schnee was _far_ too eager to slap that IED together; I mean, it's damn incredible what she did with as little as she had, but their overreliance on one tactic coulda spelt their deaths. _And_ that's not even mentioning that poor sword… if Mr. Arc comes into my class tomorrow with that sword unpolished, I am giving him a whupping like no other." Peach smacked her hands together in mock imitation of a slap, her brow furiously set.

"Miss Xiao Long should have been evacuated from the ruins the instant they had an opening; a fist fighter armed with shotgun-style ammunition has no business trying to fight a flying opponent in such unfavorable terrain, substituting her with Miss Valkyrie would have made all the difference in the world: a combination of a sniper rifle and a grenade launcher would have provided them with significantly more options against the Nevermore." Glynda added, drumming the table top with her fingers. "In addition, their final gambit was _terribly_ risky; that we aren't sending them home in _multiple_ coffins is a testament to their combined luck more than anything."

"Indeed, quite rough." Port frowned, nodding sagely.

"Horribly inefficient." Peach chimed in, crossing on leg over the other and bouncing her booted foot in aggravation.

" _Father Ignus forgive us…"_

Professor Ozpin looked between the four others silently, waiting for any additional comments, and when none came, he lifted his chin onto his bridged fingers. "All valid and valuable insights. Have they passed?"

"With _flying colors!"_ Port beamed, bobbing his head as his hands swept out in delight. "Such daring, such heroism, such excellent teamwork! It's hard enough coordinating four hunters, much less _eight!_ It was an absolutely inspiring moment for them, their seamless coordination and quick adaptation to one another's abilities was what truly stole the show."

"And they packed a _mean_ punch. I've seen far too many hunters underload their equipment and get mauled for it, seeing a boom _that_ size makes me wish I coulda been in a fight more often. Props to Ruby and Weiss for understanding Dust well enough to know _exactly_ how you're not supposed to tamper with it." Peach chuckled, while Glynda…

"Despite their risk-taking and their overall foolishness in getting themselves trapped in the first place, they did what few other students have: slay the ancient Grimm of the forest." Glynda quietly scanned her data presented on her scroll and checkmarked eight names. "I believe the Branwen twins were the last pair to make such a claim, and in far more favorable conditions. Grievances with professionalism and efficiency aside, they completed their mission in addition to making the Emerald Forest _far_ safer; these eight are hunters to their _cores."_

" _Ahem."_ Oobleck shot straight up, then settled into his chair with a stiff posture. "The _atrocities_ committed against the church of Ignus aside, I believe they've proven themselves; as Peter said, the quality of their teamwork at their age is, frankly, unheard of, it is _this_ display of cooperation that will bring the fates of humanity and Faunus into a golden age, restoring lost trust and furthering our common cause against the Grimm! As the educators of Beacon, it is our duty to refine them into _true_ protectors of humanity, and not simply wrecking balls with _little concern for the history of an ancient organization!"_

Oobleck's forehead hit the table, and a low, defeated moan escaped him as the others ignored him. Ozpin cleared his throat. "Excellent. Then it's agreed: team Knight and team Rook have earned their places here at Beacon Academy. Let's prepare their welcoming. Glynda?" He looked to his right hand woman with a small smile, and Glynda nodded.

"I'll have their leaders chosen and names given before the ceremony."

"Good. Dismissed, and if we don't meet again before then, good luck with the first day of classes." The headmaster announced. The five figures stood and walked single-file out the door. Ozpin, Port, and Peach turned right down the hallway, while Glynda and Oobleck turned left.

Glynda walked slowly, fingers toying with her scroll while she quietly mused over her options.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang... The knights of Beacon. Highly mobile, endlessly versatile, working in and around confusing and dangerous locations to achieve their goals, but far too easily trapping themselves in predicaments through short-sighted actions.

In the heat of the moment, Ruby Rose had shown a significant amount of maturity, charisma, and heroism, saving miss Nikos as well as creating the ultimate plan to kill the Grimm. She'd used her own skills, as well as her allies, to their fullest. Weiss Schnee's inexperience and self-focus, along with Blake Belladonna's antisocial attitude, and Yang's impulsiveness made _Ruby_ the best candidate for leader...

Then there was Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren, the Rooks of Beacon. Strong defensive capabilities, with an equally impressive offense. They'd be sturdy and trustworthy, but their straightforward combat skills left them predictable and easy to outmaneuver.

Jaune Arc's manuscripts were highly questionable, if not outright falsified, yet much like Ruby, he commanded easily and coordinated a secondary plan to deliver the explosive with the resources and hands around him. Despite lacking in overall combat experience, when sufficiently motivated he moved like water, created a fast and efficient plan, and did not hesitate to put himself into danger to rescue both a fellow hunter and a stranger. Despite her outstanding skill, Pyrrha had displayed an almost pathological aversion to the limelight and seemed entirely content to take orders rather than give them. Miss Valkyrie made Yang look reserved in comparison and while Ren had shown composure, intuition and skill, his manner was more of the trusted advisor than the inspiring leader.

Glynda paused mid-stride so she could re-check the notes she'd taken. What was the world coming to? Two amateurs like _them_ in charge of a pair of teams full of a dangerous mix of personality and skill? Yet, as Glynda glanced over her shoulder at Ozpin's retreating form, she reminded herself that it wasn't experience and intelligence alone that could lead. It took a certain character to do so, a willingness to make and execute plans as everyone shuffled their feet, afraid of the consequences of their next move.

Sometimes, a group of people just needed someone they trusted to point the way and spur them into action.

Glynda submitted her decision to the Beacon servers and continued her walk to her office.

This would be a most interesting semester…

* * *

"I can't believe you guys have enough room for _dessert."_ Jaune sighed heavily, rubbing his full, gurgling stomach. He slumped forward onto the table, wishing her had a chair to lounge in instead of the cafeteria's stupid benches, and watched Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha peel the tops off of their ice cream cups, while Ruby rubbed her hands together eagerly before digging into a plate stacked high with chocolate chip cookies. The eight of them had occupied two tables as far from the entrance as possible so that there was enough room for each of them. Jaune sat next to Pyrrha on one side, and the rest of them followed suit in sitting with their partner, Ruby by his left elbow ravenously stuffing the baked sweets into her mouth as Weiss ignored the bestial feasting with all of her willpower.

Blake and Yang sat across from Ruby, with Yang trying to teasingly feed the annoyed, gothy girl a spoonful of sweets, but Blake's only response was a glare, a burp, a blush of embarrassment, and a grumble at Yang's laugh.

Nora and Ren sat next to the totally-not-pouting Blake, looking utterly content. Nora seemed uncharacteristically calm, but, known only to the couple, Ren's hand was resting in his lover's lap. It was one of his few, private indulgences, and an innocent one. He liked his partner's body heat, and she liked to share it.

In the middle of the table sat a pile of emptied pizza boxes, each one special ordered with specific toppings that had been forced onto each other to try and prove each buyer's particular tastes. Unsurprisingly, Blake's love of sardines went unshared, so she had the opportunity to eat an entire pie by herself, while Ren only had to share his vegetarian pizza with Pyrrha and Weiss. The other five gorged themselves on a pile made of bread, meat, sauce, and assorted cheeses. A pile of uneaten crusts sat in front of Weiss, who defended her dislike of crunchy bread with a sneer and a rant that went ignored as everybody else ate.

The cafeteria was jam-packed with first year students eating, relaxing, and chatting. Many of them looked a little worn, some dog-tired, but none as so thoroughly beaten up as their new allies. The group had drawn curious stares and musings about their lateness, but it all went ignored thanks to the fantastical distraction of hot food.

All that was left was dessert, and the idle curiosities everyone had about everyone else.

Pyrrha was sizing her new… _friends_ up. Could they be called friends? She had only just met them, and they had certainly shared in a life or death situation, but she barely knew their names, she didn't know if any of them were secretly evil or something...

Her spoon dug into the soft, velvety surface of her vanilla ice cream and slowly stirred, turning the smooth, but solid treat into a goopy flurry. Jaune watched with a raised eyebrow as she sprinkled a few shakes of salt into the slurry to be mixed in by a slow, gentle stir.

"You are _such_ a pig…" Weiss muttered under her breath to her partner, whose hands and cheeks were stuffed with cookies, the latter of which disappeared with a loud, forced swallow that made Weiss's nose wrinkle in disgust.

"M'not a pig… I just like cookies." Ruby responded shyly, though for her part, she slowed down her eating to only one entire cookie at a time, as opposed to four. Weiss could only watch with bemusement as Ruby somehow defied known eating habits by seemingly sucking each sweet right down her throat. "Um… y-you want one?" Ruby asked, holding a cookie out to Weiss.

Weiss's lips tightened, and her stomach gave a small, ominous gurgle at the suggestion, "Even if I had _room,_ no, it's hard to mess up a pizza, but I don't trust cafeteria desserts; dessert is a delicate procedure, one that should only be trusted to artisans of their craft-"

"-and _moms!"_ Ruby bobbed her head, causing Weiss to work her jaw in thought. "L-like, my mom made the best cookies."

" _Highly_ doubtful. I'll have you know that, on multiple occasions, Roberto Juillien was hired to cater my birthdays with the _finest_ of confectionaries, including chocolate chip cookies that could only be crafted in an utterly silent, sterilized room, where not a puff nor spray of scented fragrance was allowed." Weiss spoke in a mixture of pride and factuality, before a small grimace crossed her face, "That reminds me, two of the guests from my last party had gotten into a fight over who got the last cookie, I should call and see if Gretta has awoken from her coma."

Weiss's musing was interrupted when half a cookie was presented to her, thrust toward her face so suddenly she all but lept back while choking down an undignified yelp. Her eyes almost crossed to focus on it, then focused passed it and onto the black lenses of her partner, scowling as if its proximity was as offensive as an insult towards her heritage. Ruby, however, simply smiled, "W-well, just because you had the best doesn't mean you can't enjoy the r-rest! Give it a try!"

The debutante's eyes narrowed, her expression one of extraordinary incredulity, but she delicately took the halved dessert between dainty fingers and examined it thoroughly. Her stomach swelled in ominous warning, but Weiss sighed, "Will _one_ bite satisfy you?" Ruby's enthused nod made Weiss roll her eyes. "These aren't even your mother's cookies, why are you even so eager…?" Weiss took a bite, closed her eyes, and concentrated as she chewed.

Ruby watched with a small smile as Weiss rolled the cookie mush around her tongue, passing from one side of her mouth to the other, than swallowed. Weiss's expression went from annoyance to quiet neutrality as she regarded the treat, then chanced a second bite. "G-good, right?!" Ruby asked sweetly.

"... This is Juillien's recipe." Weiss noted with a swallow, her eyes widening as her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Did a bunch of cafeteria workers seriously _buy_ his cookbook?!"

"I-is that weird? I-I mean, Yang and I have his cookbook at home…" Ruby squeezed her fingers, wondering if Weiss was upset as she took a third bite.

"The ratio of cinnamon to sugar is skewed, and the sugar is clearly _artificial,_ and the chocolate chips are cheap as can be…" Weiss muttered, getting a somewhat curious look from Ruby. "... I have a delicate palate, not as delicate as an old associate of mine's back in Atlas, but I have a taste for spices." Then, to punctuate her ramblings, her stomach gave a low growl, and Weiss realized she had eaten the entire, sugar-loaded treat...

Pyrrha smiled; they were already such a strange little group, she wasn't sure what to expect coming to Beacon. She had chosen Vale's historical academy not just for its history of successes, but because it meant she wouldn't go to Haven. Her rivals were gone, her enemies were gone, her old managers, coaches, nutritionists… _everyone_ was gone. Pyrrha regretted none of it; the only person she had felt sorry to leave was her old coach, a no-nonsense champion in his own right who had cried during their meeting with Ozpin, and pleaded with the headmaster to take care of his favorite pupil.

The tough old man showed a side that Pyrrha never saw during their work together, and though Pyrrha apologized to him, he'd refused it. According to him, he'd finished his work, he'd raised the greatest warrior in Mistral, he'd instilled her with his experience, wisdom, and knowledge, and she was moving onto greater things. More obscure things, certainly, but despite his casual disparagement of the average hunter, he told Pyrrha she would be _far_ from the average hunter.

Pyrrha slid her spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and savored the sweetness on her tongue while closing her eyes, letting out a slow breath. She was not the average hunter, she was _worse._ It was a conclusion she had come to with both dismay and relish, all because she looked at the seven people around her and realized how much they had done compared to her. Their cunning, their strength, their talent…

"Say 'aah!'" Yang ordered on the side opposite of Ruby and Weiss, and in a manner more befitting a stubborn child than a teenage ninja, Blake ducked, dodged, and narrowly avoided a jabbing spoon full of slowly melting ice cream.

"Stop. Stop! _Stop._ Seriously! Yang!" Blake punctuated each movement with a disobeyed command, while Yang laughed in delight. A drip of ice cream splattered Blake's lap, and the brooding beauty all but lept out of her seat, balancing on the edge with just her toes while furiously wiping her pant leg with one hand. " _Such_ a bitch." Blake sighed, though her voice lacked the conviction of true offense. "Do you, like, get _off_ on being a pain in the ass?"

"Kinda, yeah." Yang answered with a shrug of her shoulders, popping the spoonful of cold delight into her mouth, eliciting a small, but intriguing moan before she swallowed. "Better than doin' nothin', right? We gotta have _some_ fun!" Yang beamed, and though Blake looked unconvinced, she settled back into her seat now that she was no longer under sugary assault.

"And your definition of 'fun' is making a nuisance of yourself?" Blake asked with a small grunt, using a napkin to try and dry the remaining stain left on her pants.

Yang rolled her shoulders, side-eyeing Blake in a curious way, "Hey, we're in this for the long-haul, aren't we? You don't wanna speak up, I gotta do _somethin'."_ Yang pointed out, "And hey, it got your attention, so, now, tell me, what do you want out of life? What are Blake Belladonna's great apparitions?"

" _Aspirations."_ Blake corrected sternly, glaring at Yang's ceaseless smile. She was a ceaseless, endless, and belligerent annoyance, which was only compounded upon by the way she showed her teeth at Blake's decreasing tolerance. Blake dropped her forehead onto the table and simply mumbled to get the blonde out of her face, "Ugh… my greatest goal in life right now is to find a bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours."

"Dude, same, but I think we got classes tomorrow." Yang hummed around a bite of ice cream, grinning to herself at the taste, "Hey, y'know, it's gonna be new beds and a new room, think you're gonna be comfortable?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I've slept in tents and trees for the last five years of my life." Blake snorted, then paused as she realized where this was going.

"Well, I'm thinking, it's always more comfortable to sleep next to somebody… watcha say to the two of us sharing a blanket and pillow for the night?" Yang's little wink made Blake itch… and the suggestion made her quietly squeeze her thighs together. It felt like forever since Blake had comfortably slept with somebody cuddled up against her back, their gentle breath and the swell of their chest on the back of her neck…

Yang hid her excitement and intrigue as Blake didn't immediately shoot down the suggestion, and instead, turned a hot red and turned away from Yang to hide that quiet desire to trust somebody that much again. "Pass." Was all Blake said, reminding herself that it was foolish beyond foolish to get attached.

It felt… strangely normal. Like this was how it was always meant to be, there was no effort spent nor taken to just sit down with people and talk, listen, and enjoy their company. Pyrrha didn't know how to react, didn't know what to say, and nobody demanded anything of her… she just perked her ears and smiled to herself.

"- I mean there were like _eight_ of them."

"Three." Ren corrected.

Nora powered forward. "Me and Ren were all alone-"

"Backed by an armed task force…"

"And _boom._ The _biggest_ creep I had ever seen."

"It was a large man wearing just wolf skins… very creepy indeed."

"We were backed into a corner by the hippocampuses-eses, but I was like 'aww _hell_ no!'"

"You cried."

"I did _noooot!_ Ree _eeen!"_ Nora slapped at Ren's forearm as the boy nibbled at a greasy crust. "You're ruining my story!"

"Your fictitious recollection of actual events does _not_ make for a proper story…"

Nora's cheeks puffed up, her face scrunching in an over exaggerated scowl. "I can use big words too, Mr. Know-It-All!" She cleared her throat. "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia!"

Ren paused. He lowered his fork and looked Nora in the eye. "... Which means?"

Nora's ever bright and perky smile did not fade. "Not a clue!" She answered. Ren sighed thickly, and kissed Nora's forehead before returning to his last few bites of pizza.

Pyrrha just watched. By her side, Jaune stirred to a sitting position so he, Ruby, and Yang could talk about the Deathstalker and the Nevermore. Blake was quiet, listening in on all sides, but seemed perfectly comfortable not joining in. If anything, she seemed to blend in with those around her without contributing. Ren and Nora were playfully bantering once Ren finished his meal, while Weiss put on her best smile.

"It appears we weren't able to be partners." Weiss tried to sound natural, just like the first time she'd spoken. Pyrrha nodded, taking note of the lamentation in her voice.

"It seems so, not that I have much to complain about." Pyrrha shot Jaune a favorable smile, then turned back towards Weiss suspiciously, "You and Ruby also seem to have made up."

A bolt of irritation crossed Weiss' brow, but she nodded slowly. "We reached a compromise in the forest and have decided that our partnership will be, at the very least, beneficial to the both of us." Pyrrha recognized the clinical talk: Weiss didn't get her way. "And you're okay with, err, tall, blonde, and scraggly?" She shot Jaune a judgemental little look, and Pyrrha just gave a small smile.

"He possesses a lot of traits I find desirable in a teammate." Pyrrha matched the clinical talk, not willing to open up. It was embarrassing enough as it was to actually _feel_ herself melting like a schoolgirl around their crush… she didn't need other people to _know._ "I have no complaints."

Weiss simply nodded, though her pursed lips seemed to disagree. "Either way, as fellow hunters, we should still find the opportunity to train and study together! The best of Mistral and the best of Atlas working together could produce some," Weiss' finger twirled on the tabletop as Yang's had, "powerful results." She gave a small, coy giggle.

Pyrrha evaluated Weiss in front of her. She was clearly interested in Pyrrha's status and skill, but there was something… additional to it. What was this _intense_ look in her eyes? The utter sweetness of her smile? Was Weiss that good of a liar? No, it seemed genuine, but even her tone was honey-coated. Pyrrha chalked it up to Weiss just being friendly. "I wouldn't mind studying with you, and training will prove helpful, but for now, I'd like to relax. Today's events has taken quite a toll on us all." Pyrrha smiled warmly, and Weiss nodded while wilting with a sigh.

Conversation continued. Pyrrha chimed in when prompted, but a part of her was just happy to see everyone in such a relaxed state. It allowed her to think, and wonder, if maybe any of them could offer her a proper challenge. It would never hurt to ask, sparring would be very useful, but she secretly hoped that at least one of them would make her blood run hot and her heart pound…

Her eyes settled once more on Ruby, who had so skillfully fended off the Deathstalker with her scythe. A _great scythe._ A weapon of extraordinary complexity yet devastating results, and this girl, who seemed so _young,_ worked it unlike anybody Pyrrha had ever seen. It wouldn't hurt to ask if she wanted to spar, so Pyrrha could see how a scythe fought person-to-person...

"A _hem!"_ Pyrrha's concentration broke at the loud, obnoxious cough, and she joined the rest in staring up at Yang. The blonde was standing, holding her can of sparkling lemonade at chest level, a cheerful smile on her face, "So, like, I know we've only just met and haven't _really_ gotten to know each other, but it was good hunting with all of you." She held her can out, prompting seven drinks to clink against hers, and a small round of excited cheers escaped them. "I know I have a preference whose team I'm on, but if Blake and I end up with _any_ of you, I won't bitch."

"Though if any of _us_ end up with you, I'm sure there will be plenty to report to the headmaster." Weiss gave Yang a playful smirk, which was returned heartily.

"Imagine how I feel." Blake said in dry amusement, earning a few snickers.

"Just keep on killin' my mood…" Yang shook her head, but kept a peppy expression. "So here's to us rockin' our initiation, here's to us being a team, and here's to the future of eight badass hunters!" She stuck her can out again, and the next clatter of drinks was much more enthusiastic, as was the spillage, though even Ren wore a hopeful smile as they settled back down.

"Speaking of teams…" Pyrrha spoke up. She wordlessly set the black rook in the middle of the table, drawing everyone's eyes. "I'm sure our team naming ceremony will also involve someone taking on the leadership role." At that, the table fell silent. Each of the eight students looked between each other…

"Well it's obvious, isn't it?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. The expressions she got implied that it wasn't. "Pyrrha and I have the most formal and extensive training. I believe our transcripts speak for themselves, we will most likely get the leadership role."

" _You?"_ Blake retorted instantly, her bow giving an unnoticed twitch.

"Of _course_ me; I had personal lessons from some of the greatest tutors in Atlas, Pyrrha is a combat _expert,_ anybody would benefit from her leading the charge." Weiss pointed out with a factual tone, though Blake and Pyrrha both crinkled their noses.

"I-I would very much rather not." Pyrrha rubbed her palms together nervously at the thought. "I have been a lone wolf in the ring for much of my schooling, I don't believe I have the mindset to lead a team."

Jaune, however, smacked her back, making her shoot up straight with a squeak. "C'mon Pyrrha, you were great out there! I bet you'd be a great leader!" His encouraging grin made Pyrrha shrink in on herself like a turtle, and her mutter was only barely heard above the cafeteria's chatter.

"A-all I could think to do was tell you two to run while I stayed behind…"

"And you're thinking for your team! That's leaderly and stuff!"

"Hm, but self-sacrifice is not necessarily a good thing for a team leader to have." Ren spoke up. "The point of a leader is to manage their teammates, not expose their bellies the moment danger presents itself."

"Ren could be a team leader!" Nora offered brightly, making Ren pause and consider his personal qualities.

"Either way, I believe _I_ am a shoe-in." Weiss nodded promptly.

"Hey, you know, I could go for team leader. Commander Xiao Long..." Yang hummed as she leaned back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling as her feet crossed lazily under the table. "I know a thing or two about exercise and nutrition, and I passed all my battlefield tactics tests. Oooh, I could implement a uniform…" She snickered mischievously while rubbing her hands together.

"Do we all get to wear thongs?" Ruby asked in a flat voice, leading to a few surprised giggles, as well as some red faces at the thought.

"Except _you,_ obviously." Yang stuck her tongue out as her younger sister growled in protest, "Mmm, I'm thinking loose little short skirts and long, long stockings…"

"Vetoed." Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha all said at once. Yang huffed loudly, and the eight of them fell into a contemplative silence.

In the meantime, Ruby was more than happy enough to let somebody else lead. She still felt so small compared to the rest of them, and still had so much to do, so much to _learn._ The idea of being the leader of a team made her sweat; how could she _possibly_ inspire and educate a group of people when she was already so full of doubts and secrets?

She let out a slow, happy breath. She was young, she was dumb, there was no way she could even be on the docket…

* * *

The door opened without a sound, letting Yang peer into the dark room curiously. She flipped on a light switch, revealing a comfortable, if barren bedroom. There were four normal spring mattress beds with a few feet of space between each one, two study desks in opposite corners, trunks at the foot of each bed, and a wall mirror. There was also two other doors to be opened and explored, but for the moment…

"Aww, lame, looks like we each get our own beds." Yang glanced over her shoulder with a toothy smile. Blake snorted, swat at her shoulder, but gave her a small smirk as she brushed past the blonde into the dorm room. She walked straight to the windows above the bed, playing with the curtains curiously for a moment before she plopped onto the bed in the furthest corner from them. "Hey, don't get too comfy, team leader gets first dibs."

"Says who?" Blake asked with playful defiance, kicking off her shoes before she laid back.

"Says me!" Yang countered, reaching behind herself to carefully push Ruby into the room. The smaller, younger girl looked half dead, quietly swaying in place, her mouth a small, shocked 'o', only Yang's grip around her cloak stopping her from toppling over onto her front. "C'mon Ruby, we're all shocked and proud."

Ruby simply made a distressed noise.

"Yes." Weiss muttered as she stiffly closed the door behind herself, one eyebrow twitching noticeably enough that she had to periodically press her finger to her cheek to stop the spasms. "Shocked."

Yang made sure Ruby was sitting at the end of a bed before letting her fall bonelessly onto her back with a loud plop. The elder sister went through every drawer and door in the room as Ruby stared at the ceiling in silent horror.

 _Team leader._ She was a fifteen year old girl put in charge of three seventeen year old girls, one of whom was her older sister. How in all things good and logical had the headmaster deemed the most dangerous, least experienced one of them as _team leader?_ She wasn't smart, she wasn't talented, she wasn't strong, all three of her teammates were better than her in _all_ those fields, and she was expected to be in charge of them?

Team RWBY… even their team was named after her.

She barely remembered anything after she was named team leader, as she had sunk into such a deep, dark pit of self-doubt that everything around her seemed murky and intangible. Only her sister's steadying hand kept her from collapsing the whole walk up to their room, all while she could feel a frosty chill from nearby with Weiss constantly… _staring_ at her.

Was this some sort of punishment? A test?

"Ah, cool!" Yang announced, poking her head out of one of the doors. "So the bathroom's, like, _eh,_ but, more importantly, all our stuff is in the closet." She stepped out holding a box. Blake sat up to watch as Yang opened it up and pulled out a stack of clothes.

"All our things?" Weiss asked, now seated at a desk, tiredly slumped, eyes faintly watching Ruby's prone form.

"Yeah. Clothes, school stuff, equipment, even my makeup made it." Yang held up a red tube top. Weiss and Blake both stared at the tiny garment, then Yang, and looked away in embarrassment, trying to picture the amount of jiggle that went into putting the garment _on._ "Classes are at, like, ten tomorrow, right?" Yang asked, ignorant to their embarrassment.

"Nine." Blake corrected, sliding off the bed. As she walked, she removed her black bustier and tossed it into a plastic laundry hamper by the door. Wearing just her white, plain clothes and stockings, Weiss and Yang both watched her disappear into the closet. She exited soon after with a pleased smile and a box in her arms.

The bedsprings _squealed_ when the box was dropped onto it, though Blake ignored it to pull a book out. She dropped onto the bed to kick off her stockings and crack open the book, her legs up on the box as she relaxed.

Weiss was silent, then flared her nostrils and roused herself. She kicked her heels off and tossed her jacket over the chair's back, then stepped into the closet. She walked out tossing aside her waist ribbon and undoing her long ponytail, her other arm holding a long black case over her shoulder.

Yang locked onto it immediately, "Whatcha got princess?" She asked, brimming with curiosity. Her bomber's jacket lay on the bed, where all her accessories and wear other than her black shorts and yellow shirt joined it. Blake tossed an idle, curious look from her book.

"What had _better_ be Lucille, intact, untouched, and undamaged…" Weiss grunted as she dropped the case on the free bed next to Ruby's and opened it up. She examined the contents with an approving look, a low sigh escaping her as she pulled 'Lucille' out.

"Whoa _whoa,_ is that a guitar?" Yang walked over, bending over to inspect the pristine, white-wood acoustic guitar that Weiss comfortingly cradled in a playing position. "Holy shit." Yang's eyes widened, "You… you _play?"_

Weiss gave Yang a bemused look as she plucked a string with her long nails, creating a high, pretty note. Blake's attention had fully drifted away from her book as Weiss strummed her way up the scale. "Of course I play. I'm a _singer._ Don't…" Weiss frowned. "Don't tell me you didn't _know?"_

"Like, I think I knew, but never connected the dots that _you're_ Weiss Schnee." Yang murmured, sitting down on Ruby's bed, making her sister lift her head up to stare. "I mean, you sing, but you also _play guitar?"_ Yang's purple eyes were wide with tantalized joy, as if Weiss was a wholly different person, one Yang very much approved of.

"It makes it easier to write songs if you have a tune to sing along with." Weiss shrugged, seeming embarrassed as Yang plopped her chin into her hands. "I should also have a drum set, a keyboard, a bass guitar-"

" _Aa~aaa~aahhh…"_ Yang moaned, making Weiss flinch in shy surprise as Yang eyed her up. "Play for me?" The blonde asked in a small coo, making Weiss squirm nervously as the blonde all but caressed Weiss with her eyes.

"... Not too much, we should get ready for tomorrow." Weiss mumbled. She stared down at Lucille thoughtfully, her fingers primed. She cleared her mind and let lyrics and setlists flow through, and after some deliberation, decided she would entertain with a classic: " _Come at me, and you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye..."_ She sang slowly, not with the power she'd give on stage; her tone was almost sad, even as the bragging lyrics left her lips. Yang watched in silent awe, comprehension dawning on her as Weiss sang. Blake had closed her book, staring at Weiss' back with a small frown, trying to slow the pleasurable adrenaline flowing from her ears to her heart.

The song lasted only a few minutes, from start to finish, but in those moments, Weiss seemed like a different person. Her voice chimed like a bell in their ears, her guitar helping carry her words on soft, but confident notes. It was a version of the song Yang had never heard, coming from somebody who, early on, she had written off as nothing more than a walking lawsuit.

She knew the lyrics well, as she often worked out to the song. She'd heard many versions, from Weiss' original to the tributes from male singers with more powerful, confident voices, down to the remixed club version Yang was so fond of. It was a popular song among hunters and gym rats, especially the underdogs and the students heading towards their future career.

It was a song that Yang felt like described her perfectly, not knowing Weiss had written it for herself.

Ruby sat up to watch as Weiss closed her eyes and sang. Blake fidgeted in place, trying to not groove to the music, trying to remind herself of the family Weiss came from, but even at its quietest, ' _I Burn'_ was a song of self-empowerment and overcoming the odds, one that resonated across the youth of Remnant, the Faunus included.

As much as she hated it, she _couldn't_ stop herself from enjoying Weiss' songs.

The song ended in a triumphant note, and Weiss cocked her jaw as the other three stared. After several seconds of silence, Weiss let loose a whine: "I was flat!" Ruby, Blake, and Yang watched in surprise as the heiress walked to the mirror and played back, singing, adjusting her voice at certain parts of the song. She pouted, only stopping her practicing as Yang's hand settled on her shoulder.

"Flat or not, that was amazing." Yang said with a beaming smile. Weiss snorted, clearly not of the same mind, but stopped herself when she noticed Yang's sudden blush, the shy way she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "So, like, I have no clue if this is flattering or not, but I have so many of your shirts. Not in a weird way! Just… I'm a huge fan of that song."

"It's true." Ruby added, sitting at the end of the bed, finally contributing. "She has gym shirts and tank tops and stuff."

"Oh. Well, thank you." Weiss hugged Lucille closer, her cheeks reddening a bit. "' _I Burn'_ is probably the most successful song I've ever written. I closed every show with it while I was touring." She pouted heavily. "I kinda wrote it for… a lot of reasons I won't go into, but eventually it just got overplayed and overplayed and remixed and overplayed _more…"_

"I remember I couldn't go a whole three months without hearing it at least once per day." Blake spoke up, an unease washing over her as she spoke casually with the Schnee. "It's… a good song. It just got old after a while."

"Yeah, no kidding, when you get sick of your own voice, there's a problem." Weiss chuckled, giving Blake a friendly smile. Blake found herself returning it. " _Anyways…"_ Weiss slid her guitar off her shoulders and carefully placed it in its case. She set it to the side of the bed she'd taken over and stretched, looking remarkably elegant for an exhausted, overstuffed teenager, "I'm going to go find my alarm clock, we should prepare ourselves for tomorrow morning."

"What time are we getting up?" Blake asked.

"Seven o'clock." Weiss said confidently.

"Five-thirty." Ruby and Yang both countered.

Blake's eyebrows rose to the top of her forehead at the sisters, and Weiss twitched before piping up in disbelief, " _Five-thirty?_ We won't normally have class until nine!" She reminded them roughly.

"Ruby and I get up early to work out!" Yang said with a big grin. "Gives you the energy and limberness to get through the rest of the day, especially for, like, PE class and stuff. Y'all wanna join?" She offered brightly.

"I will _pass,_ thank you, while I do believe in 'early to bed, early to rise', that is a little _too_ early for my tastes." Weiss sighed, while Blake winced at the thought of _regularly_ getting up before sunrise.

"Uh, yeah, same. No offense, but getting up that early everyday sounds like hell."

"You and Blake can sleep in if you'd like." Ruby offered gently. "We won't turn on any music while we exercise or anything, but it's a good routine to get into, s-so if you two wanna join us..."

Weiss considered it for a second, then sighed. "We'll see. Just don't make a lot of noise, I really would like to get as much rest as possible after today."

"Sleep is appreciated." Blake added dryly.

After that, the four girls alternated between relaxing on their chosen beds and wandering into the closet to look for something. Ruby found her pens and stationery in one box, and Blake took her two other boxes out to join her book box. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had significantly more things with them than Blake, and Blake had been nosey enough to find Ruby had apparently brought her entire personal library with her, including some books she didn't even recognize. A naughty thrill shot through her at the thought of taking one or two and seeing what Ruby's tastes were, seeing if the younger girl had a racey side…

The night eventually wound down. The sun had finally settled beyond the horizon, darkness sweeping the land causing a wave of lethargy for the student body of Beacon. Weiss had lit a vanilla-scented candle, making Blake's eyes flutter as the relaxing scent hit her like a tranquilizer. She laid her heavy body onto the bed, book held to her chest as she closed her eyes.

Seeing Weiss prepping for bed and Blake already knocked out in hers, Yang switched the lights off, and Ruby took the candle to a desk. Yang flopped onto her back, squirming under the sheets after kicking away her pants. Weiss used the closet light to find her personal boxes, separating them from the rest. With half the boxes sorted out, and the other half belonging to her teammates, she nodded in satisfaction and stepped into the dark room.

The only sounds were Blake's gentle breathing, Yang shuffling to get comfortable, and then gentle scratch of Ruby's pen. Weiss stared around the dark, hardly furnished room, at the three girls she'd be sharing it with.

There'd be no true privacy, really. She'd be sharing her space with three people. No privacy to read, to write, to sing, to dance, to flip through books and magazines, to stare out the window and brood on a mixture of retribution and revenge… she'd be around girls her age at all times of the day, more than likely. Weiss allowed herself a small smile. She looked from Ruby, writing at a desk by scented candlelight, to Blake and Yang knocked out in their beds.

She was free. Free to be Weiss, with three people she never knew but had treated her like an equal. Free from the high-society constraints of Atlas and her family, she didn't _have_ to be afraid of a single slip up.

As quietly as she could, she opened a box with her clothes in it. With red creeping into her skin all over, she undressed, feeling a little thrill as she briefly went nude before sliding on her nightgown. It wasn't the thought of being seen that excited her, but the thought that she might be seen and it wouldn't matter. She wouldn't be hiding herself from the world for fear of embarrassing her father, she would confidently strut in whatever amount of clothing she desired in her new room, unafraid of being judged, or having pictures taken of her for some gross tabloid, or being laugh at on some trashy talk show… of course, she had to be mindful of her three roommates, one of whom was openly perverted, another of whom was less aggressive about her interests, but still...

As she felt her hips slide through her thin, cool dress, she curiously glanced to Ruby. The younger girl immediately turned away, sinking her head into her writing, and Weiss suppressed the need to hide herself. It was _okay_ if they looked. Seventy-four percent of them would look, it didn't mean they'd act. Weiss wanted to feel proud of her body, not embarrassed, and it wasn't as if Ruby was whistling at her, nor trying anything untoward.

Ruby had looked, more than once, and it was a good thing, it meant Weiss was worth looking at. With a small, steadying breath, Weiss quietly walked over to her partner. Ruby was hunched over the desk, having filled out one piece of paper, the other slowly being filled by her pen. Two envelopes lay open and waiting, and Weiss set a hand on the desk to get her attention.

Ruby looked up, her eyes immediately catching Weiss' gentle, if unsure expression, and she resisted the need to look at Weiss' opaque figure through her thin gown. "You should get to bed soon if you want to wake up so early." Weiss' nose crinkled at the thought, but she dismissed her unease with a small smile.

"I know, I just wanted to let my dad and uncle know h-how initiation went." Ruby swept a hand over her letters, blushing. "I know it's silly, but I promised to keep in touch. I h-haven't left home before, and it's a lot to adjust to, so… I want them to know I'm okay."

"Please, you'll be _more_ than okay." Weiss said in what sounded like annoyance, "You passed initiation, you're with a team with your older sister and _me…"_ Weiss' voice dropped very low, "... and you're team leader." The statement hung over them both for a second as Weiss fell silent, but before Ruby could squirm, Weiss shook herself out of her funk, hiding her disappointment, "Which means you need to set a good example; finish up and go to bed."

Ruby tapped her paper with her pen, then nodded, smiling quietly. "Okay. It's gunna be weird sleeping with my goggles on though." She said idly, continuing to write.

Weiss looked at Ruby's goggles, recalling the eyes underneath… how _terrifying_ they were, and idly considered how detrimental it would be for the girl's health and sanity to be wearing them _all the time_ at Beacon. Weiss wasn't sure if it was acceptable to tell Blake or not, so she wasn't even fully at peace inside her own room. Though, if she did take her goggles off, it would have been difficult for the rest of them to be at peace as well...

"We'll figure something out." Weiss shrugged, her brain too muddled to find an immediate solution. Ruby gave her a quick, curious look, but Weiss was already walking back to bed. "Don't stay up too long." She said warningly before sliding under the covers.

Ruby nodded, and focused back on her letter to Uncle Qrow, and finished the day's story. It took the front and the back to describe everyone she'd met and everything she'd done, but left just enough room to leave a big, looping: ' _Love, Ruby.'_ at the bottom. She smiled, folded the letters, and snuck over to the mail slot in the wall by the door. She slid the two letters, listened to them fall down the chute to be taken and sorted by Beacon's mailing system.

She blew out the candle and finally undressed.

Wearing only a little black tanktop and a heart-pattern pair of pajama bottoms, Ruby slid into bed, turning over repeatedly to figure out how to lay on her goggles comfortably. It took a few minutes to settle, but when she did, she closed her eyes and drifted off immediately.

The room was quiet, the four teammates momentarily at peace, the first day of their shared future together ending with a single loud, obnoxious snore from their leader.


	9. Trials in Partnership

Weiss cringed, awakened by an irritating beeping. Her eye cracked open, unfocused and roaming the shadowed room dully before an annoyed slap stopped the noise and she was finally able to make out distinct shapes. In the bed within her view, Ruby stirred awake, sat up with her head hanging limply to contemplate her lap for a second, before letting out a soft but distinct sigh and kicking the blankets off her body. Ruby slid out of bed and stretched with a small grunt of exertion, rising up on her toes as her curled fists strove to hit the ceiling.

Far too groggy to care about the way Ruby's pajamas bunched and moved as she stretched, Weiss shifted her one working eye to the window and judged that, by the darkness outside, the sun wasn't even up yet. She sighed and heard a thud from behind her, prompting her to roll tiredly onto her other side to get an eyeful of Yang's muscled tummy; she also found that the blonde's hair was spiky and askew, looking brilliant yet horrible all at once. Weiss smirked a tiny bit and closed her eye, trying to let her mind drift back into the haze clinging to it as Ruby and Yang's footsteps provided some ambience.

They moved as quietly as they could, bless their hearts, but Weiss's eye cracked open once more as they began to mumble. She rolled her eyes in a private moment of irritation and caught Blake's golden yellow eyes peering at her from the corner bed, both sharing a tired, annoyed moment as Ruby and Yang got dressed and exited the room.

Shifting in place and nuzzling into her pillow, Weiss closed her eyes and listened carefully as her teammates walked down the hall and out of earshot. She managed to count sixteen of their steps before she fell asleep again.

Ten minutes later, she was stirred awake by a smell. She squirmed under her covers, but the heady aroma called to her… she rolled onto her back to glare at the ceiling, _not_ pouting, experiencing a mixture of envy and exasperation as she smelled _coffee._

"Don't drink _all_ of it." Yang chided in a whisper. Ruby made a quiet, unhappy noise, and Weiss rubbed her tired eyes and shifted her gaze in time to see her partner pass Yang the cup, letting the blonde chug down the rest. Sitting on a desk was a tray full of hearty breakfast foods and, sticking out like a sore thumb, was a chocolate chip cookie. Weiss's eyebrow twitched at the sight of the dessert, and she draped her arm over her eyes to try and drift off for a _third_ time.

Gentle clinking and swallowing kept Weiss awake. It wasn't loud enough to get angry over—there was a very clear, conscious effort from the sisters to give herself and Blake some peace and quiet—but Weiss was used to her utterly silent, dark room. Nobody entered her room before she was alert enough to greet them except for Klein, and even then only on days she needed to be up early and he made sure she was awake with the pretense of bringing her breakfast in bed. Weiss was fairly rigorous in being up on time as a matter of principle… unless she was nursing a champagne-induced hangover.

Then her schedule could go jump off a cliff.

She let out a soft sigh, rolling her head and shifting her arm to uncover her eye and see how the final occupant of the room was doing.

Two beds over, Blake was fast asleep. After the alarm clock, nothing disturbed her. Having spent most of her teenage years in a tent, surrounded by noisy, active Faunus, this was heaven; she had a nice comfy mattress, with a fresh, clean pillow, and her two awake colleagues were trying hard to be stealthy. It was a courtesy she would have appreciated more if she wasn't unconscious. Weiss had no clue how the dark haired girl could just ignore all this, but she felt a stab of genuine envy as Blake gently snored… hopefully, with practice, Weiss could master the same skill.

However Blake had managed to tune out reality in its entirety, it seemed that routine and ritual caught up to her half an hour later with the first peeking rays of sunlight. She woke herself up, feeling wonderfully loose and calm, her hair bent and poofy around her head as she sat up. She smacked her dry lips, tugged at her shirt, and frowned as she realized she'd failed to change the night before. Her nose crinkled and her ears swiveled— _tried_ to swivel, but the ribbon was a bit tangled and pulled fiercely. She hiccuped softly in distress and hastily corrected her headgear, reducing the tension on her poor, trapped extremities.

The pain atop her head lessened and her disgust in herself for not changing suppressed, she looked around the room; Weiss sat at a desk, trying to not drink _all_ the orange juice and eat _all_ the eggs under the lamplight–at least that had better have been her plan because Blake immediately wanted some of both–while Ruby held her sister's feet. Yang was doing push-ups, with Ruby counting each motion for her. Both wore running shorts and tank tops, each with their respective color scheme. Blake paused, taking a moment to admire Ruby's lithe, pretty form in her tight clothing, but her eyes then fell on Yang.

She licked her dry lips again. Her partner had strong legs, of course, but that _butt_ was something _else_. Blake shook her head, removing all those idle, early-morning thoughts. She got to her feet and stepped past Ruby and Yang, taking the milk off the tray. "Cafeteria's open this early?" She asked, hiding a yawn.

"Thirty-six—opens at five AM!—thirty-seven—breakfast foods only though—thirty-eight…" Ruby answered.

"Cool… and the cookie?" Blake muttered, sipping the milk, then cringed; _skim milk._ "Tell me they have whole milk." Blake set the glass down and pushed it away with one finger, as if it had insulted her ears.

"Forty-two—specially ordered—forty-three—and yes—forty-four…"

"Good." Blake went and tossed on the rest of her clothes from the night before, pausing to stare at her pink-stained vest before pulling it on and buttoning up. It was still far too early to pretend she cared. Weiss stared after her, setting the orange juice down as Blake combed her fingers through her long tresses to work out some of the knots and kinks while heading for the door. "I'm going to grab some breakfast."

"I'll join you!" Weiss announced as she stood up with a sudden enthusiasm, much to Blake's chagrin. With a defeated sigh, she resisted the impulse to deny the girl outright or just march out the door and pretend she hadn't heard anything. This was nothing to get upset about, it was her new life, fighting and eating and living with her partner and Ruby and… ugh _._ She nodded to Weiss, and silently vowed that she would do her best to tolerate the Schnee for the sake of the team, and for the sake of staying incognito…

"Might wanna get dressed before we go." Blake commented dryly, making a point to stare at Weiss' stomach. Weiss glanced down at herself and realized that with the lamp behind her, the sheer material of her gown was doing less to conceal her modesty and more to project a perfect silhouette of her curves to the world. Blake's eyebrow slowly rose as she made out the details of Weiss's shadowed hips, and Weiss made a mortified little sound of distress. Now wearing a cute blush, the heiress hugged her chest and scrambled to a box of her clothes. She quickly foraged through the immaculately folded garments until she pulled out her school uniform and promptly ran into the bathroom. Blake smirked when she heard the lock click.

Glancing back down, she noticed that Ruby and Yang had switched places, and Yang's focus was broken with a pout. "Had to say—seven—something, didn't you? Eight." Yang counted, staring at the bathroom door with a small, nostalgic sigh. "Nine—girl's got some _grace_ —ten."

"I'm sure the whole school would have loved to see it." Blake pointed out, pushing out any hint of agreement in favor of watching Ruby's perfect form; her small, thin muscles flexing and turning red as she exercised with smooth, quick pushups. Blake leaned back against the door and checked the clock on her scroll impatiently, wondering if she could justify going without Weiss, but decided that it would be asking for trouble. Weiss seemed like the sort who would get all offended if left behind, and she was sure Yang, at least, would call her out for ditching after agreeing to the company.

Ruby probably had one of those 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' tones that she hadn't heard since her last talk with her Mom… Blake stuffed her scroll back into her pocket and distracted herself by analyzing the sister's workout routine.

This was clearly a well-practiced convention; despite her smaller frame, Ruby wasn't straining to match her big sister's efforts, only taking a brief break to sip some OJ before getting right back into it. Yang was encouraging, and when it was time for sit-ups, they did them side-by-side. Blake noted the difference between the two activities: push-ups they did separately, sit-ups they did together, possibly just how they'd always done it. As the time and exertions ticked past, Blake began to tilt her head, wondering when they were planning to stop. It wouldn't do to have them too exhausted to function in class, training was important but so was pacing yourself...

Blake quietly recalled when she had been the drill instructor for her camp in the Fang, barking out numbers and orders, shouting out names and allowing for breaks. She wished more of her recruits had been as dedicated as these two, looking back. It was an informal position but had a sense of power; the older, often male resistance members listened to and respected her, and some even sought to impress her, especially after a failure. Blake was always stingy with the compliments, but wasn't afraid to acknowledge when they were performing better. The hidden-Faunus was mildly impressed with Ruby and Yang's perfect forms, considering she had to correct men who were twice their age.

That was all before Adam decided she needed to do more front-line work, and, despite her repeated insistence, refused to believe that the camp morale had tanked without Blake to provide a steady stream of motivation and consideration. Yes, she'd trained them because she was one of their best fighters, but it meant so much to her to nurture their strength and build them up from the often skinny, malnourished rookies they'd arrived as. But, Blake had played the perfect soldier and partner, always listening, always complacent, never willing to argue too deeply… Blake squeezed her eyes shut, silently counting to fourteen and vowing to just go get some food at twenty before the door to the bathroom open.

Weiss walked out in her school uniform and heels, looking natural in both. She briefly glanced down at Yang and Ruby curling on the floor, and stepped around them. "Let's go." She said with a smile.

Blake straightened, stretched, and popped her neck before nodding, "Sure."

"Do you want to comb your hair first?" Weiss asked, pointing to Blake's still messy locks. A quick workover with her hands had only reduced, not negated, the disaster that was her bedhead.

Blake thought about it as she swept her fingers through her hair once more, then shrugged it off, "Nah, I'll be fine. It's just breakfast." Despite her casual tone, she was watching Weiss like a hawk.

"It'll only take a minute, I promise." Weiss said. Blake frowned and flattened her back against the door as Weiss pulled a comb out of her purse. "Here, let me—" She reached up, and Blake grabbed her wrist tightly. Weiss stopped, startled, and finally seemed to look Blake in the eye, confused and a touch put out by the sudden anger burning in those golden orbs. Weiss's wrist went loose and her brow gently knit as she struggled to figure out how she'd offended her teammate. "I-I just-"

"Just… don't push it." Blake ordered in a terse tone, making Weiss frown. Blake let her hand go, and Weiss reluctantly put her comb away while Blake spun on her heel and opened the door. "Let's go." Blake grunted while slipping out, her cat ears feeling itchy and exposed from their close encounter with Weiss's hand.

Blake all but marched down the hall, Weiss rushing out to follow after exchanging a confused glance with the two sisters. Ruby and Yang were both sprawled on the floor, panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "... What was her deal?" Yang asked, staring at the door upside down, her mouth somewhat pinched in thought while her nostrils flared to keep her lungs pumping.

"What? What'd I miss?" Ruby asked, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath. Yang glanced at her sister and debated accusing her of looking up Weiss' fetching new skirt but… nah. It was still too early for that.

"Nevermind." Yang sat up, stretching her legs out so she could lean way forward and pinch her big toe, a few vertebrae popping and making her purr contently. "You ready to go running?" Yang asked with a grin before switching to her other arm and its opposing foot.

"What, giving me a choice?" Ruby smirked as she stood up, pressing her hands to her lower back and arching backwards, grumbling unhappily when she failed to draw a 'pop' as loud and satisfying as Yang's had been.

" _Hell_ no." Yang grinned brightly.

* * *

As it turned out, very few students were awake around this time. It seemed plenty opted to stay in bed, and Blake certainly didn't blame them; there hadn't been a precedent set, so nobody wanted to be awake if they didn't have to be, and Blake silently envied them. She hit the call button for the dorm-wing lift, and did her damndest to wait patiently.

By her side, Weiss had her arms crossed and eyes closed. She didn't seem irritated, just tired, and Blake didn't blame her either. At the same time, Blake wondered if she should have been so quick to dismiss the offered comb, considering her scalp itched a bit, and there was a curl trying its best to leap into her view at the slightest twitch of her brow.

Pride alone, however, did not keep her from sheepishly reneging on her denial as she watched Weiss from the corners of her eyes.

Blake had nursed a grudge against the Schnee family from the moment she could understand the plight of her people. There were hundreds of individuals deserving of the White Fang's attention–many who showed a significantly more open hostility and attempt to quash any hopes for equality–but the Schnees took precedence for their long-standing business practices that essentially turned the Faunus into slaves, as well as fostering a strong, anti-Faunus sentiment with the elected officials they supported, and the basic workers' rights that were denied. It had taken nearly ten years after the Color Wars for Faunus to finally gain something resembling equal rights in all four kingdoms, and even then, were often paid less and regarded as more expendable. Laws, in turn, weren't always obeyed in private, and attitudes towards a 'lesser race' didn't disappear with any legal decree.

The Schnee Dust mines were notoriously harsh for Faunus during that period of time. Slim rations, poor equipment, low wages, abysmal safety standards, and perhaps most tellingly, lax security against Grimm attacks. Numerous Faunus families to this day dreaded receiving a white envelope with the Schnee Dust Company stamp, which opened on the infamous: ' _We here at the Schnee Dust Company must inform you with tremendous sorrow of the passing of your kin…'_ Sometimes, the bodies weren't even sent back home, and simply put into a grave with a wooden marker with no name, somewhere deep in the woods that scavengers could easily dig up.

After being brought under equal and fair employee laws, the Schnees exploited every possible loophole, cut every corner they could, abused every technicality there was, and used Faunus prejudice at the time to ensure they could get away with it without so much as a slap on the Faunus workers still suffered from diseases and conditions they'd been afflicted with before those ironclad laws had been placed throughout the four kingdoms. Working conditions in the mines were better, but still heinous, and many faunus still had difficulties getting access to Dust as 'Dust licenses' were introduced, essentially forcing the Faunus communities to become literate overnight and prove they were 'safe' in using Dust. It was all an attempt to ensure the Faunus couldn't catch up, especially now that they had their own continent and a popular civil rights group… well, most of the White Fang was still about civil rights.

Standing next to Blake was the public face of those oppressors. Blake shot Weiss a look hovering near a glare as the white-haired girl looked ready to go back to bed, but kept herself roused with a pinch to her wrist. Weiss was featured on numerous posters and talk shows to discuss her family's newest business ventures and inspire a sense of Schnee 'purity' in the public eye. She had a beautiful face, a lovely voice, was a talented performer, and was well-read, but Blake picked up from a few interviews that perhaps Weiss didn't understand–or possibly didn't _know_ –the conditions the Faunus were kept in. She was quick to defend her family and company, giving good sound bites for the media, and using the same defenses her family had always used.

She had always held an almost personal grudge against Weiss as a person–and privately stole from Weiss the songstress–until yesterday. Weiss had emerged from the Emerald Forest with somebody else's interests in mind, somebody whom she had shown pure antipathy towards only a few hours before. She wasn't acting like a spoiled brat, or some alpha bitch with a chip on her shoulder, but like a huntress. From that, she'd transitioned into a pretty, rich, noble young lady who, while deeply confident in herself, remained level-headed, and even approachable. She was still a bit of a naggy, know-it-all perfectionist, but Blake had known far stupider people with much longer monologues.

Blake still did not like being on a team with her, but at the same time, her traitorous curiosity begged her to watch and learn. It troubled her that some small part of her wanted to connect with Weiss, to understand how she could put on her fancy jewelry and get in front of a live studio audience to try and downplay the suffering of thousands.

"Sorry." The voice broke Blake from her thoughts, and she turned swiftly to face Weiss as the heiress let out a haggard breathe and lifted her chin to look at Blake, her eyes bright and clear, but her frown filled with an unsure remorse, "I didn't mean to bother you earlier." She sighed. "I just thought, you know, we should look our best and—"

Blake waved her hand idly, dismissing the apology. "It's nothing." She insisted, knowing full well it was anything but, "I just don't like people touching my hair." She looked away from Weiss, mentally kicking herself for feeling an ember of pride when her companion's expression brightened... after all, Weiss was still a Schnee.

"Then I won't, but if you want a borrow a comb…" Weiss trailed off and patted her purse. Blake resisted a theatrical roll of her eyes. On top of advertising for the enemy, it seemed Weiss also never learned how to quit while she was ahead.

"Sure, Weiss. Thanks." Despite herself, she meant it. She could have been more dismissive, but this was her new life, she would have to treat Weiss like a person, at least until she did something publically to justify that sort of thing. Blake shivered when she realized the thought of catching Weiss hurting someone was putting her into the mood to sing. She would _not_ be petty, being wary was fine but actively rooting for someone to give her an excuse to get angry was… terrifyingly familiar and nothing she wanted to be a part of ever again.

The two fell silent, Weiss unaware of the storm of emotions coursing through Blake. Blake thought she'd have every reason to hate Weiss Schnee just from watching her treatment of Ruby, but then she started acting like a _human being;_ showing _concern_ and _thoughtfulness._ Or had she? Surely some fancy rich school or another drilled the ideas of manners and public relations into all their little Atlas drones… who knew what Weiss really felt and what was a committee approved checklist of platitudes designed to make her and her company look good? Blake frowned…

"This elevator is taking _forever."_ Weiss snarled, and Blake felt a flutter of a smile as she imagined some stuffed-shirt acting coach helping Weiss learn how to deliver that sentence in that exact inflection of impatient aggravation. "Let's just take the stairs."

"Mmm, alright." Blake and Weiss both turned, scanning the hall for a stairway access, but they barely took two steps when the doors opened with what felt like a mockingly cheerful bell-chime; they _both_ sighed in annoyance and turned back, ready to stomp inside and press every single button on their way out to punish it.

Ren and Nora both stepped out, or, rather, Ren stepped out, holding a plate of fresh greens, while Nora staggered and sagged against him tiredly, eyes barely open as she drooled against his black nightshirt shamelessly. "Hello Blake, Weiss." Ren nodded to them both. The two girls greeted him in return before he hooked an arm around Nora's waist and guided her to their room.

After staring into the empty elevator a moment, half expecting someone else to emerge, Weiss and Blake quickly stepped in once the doors began to slide shut and descended, prompting Weiss to give a small 'hmph', "It's simply unbelievable how inconsiderate those two are with their PDA."

"Hm?" Blake queried, her mind stirring, searching the past minute or so for an answer, "Oh, Nora and Ren?"

"Yes!" Weiss answered with her arms crossed, a pout forming on her face. "It's unprofessional the way that girl hangs off of him, they should really show more consideration for others around them. Not everyone wants to see them… _snuggle."_ her lip peeled back, baring one canine in distaste.

Blake rolled her eyes; there it was, the Schnee bitchiness Blake had expected. Not that she completely disagreed, the two lovebirds practically never broke contact with each other, and it often left Blake feeling… envious. Not that Weiss would be allowed to know. "I thought you princess-types were all over fairytale romances like theirs." Blake prodded. Weiss let out a rather impolite little grunt.

"Let me tell you what a 'fairytale romance' is: it's some shameful tale of failure and willful _impotence_ where I'm stuck in a tower, awaiting a prince to defeat my evil stepmother-slash-nightmare dragon and rescue me so that I don't have to lift a finger to help myself." Weiss's annoyance turned to grumbling, "I wonder if he'll rape me in my sleep too, my _favorite_ fairytale romance trope."

Blake stared at the shorter girl as she crossed her arms and fumed softly, mumbling fragmented sentences about perverts, impalements, and litigation. She hid a smile with a small cough.

"I mean, to be fair, all the old, original fairy tales involved gross crap like that." Blake rolled her shoulder, stepping out with Weiss once they were on the ground floor. She paused long enough to help the Heiress press every single one of the elevator's buttons… let it run for the next half hour, it deserved it. The silly moment of rebellion struck Blake as odd; it was so _immature_ compared to what she'd expected of the heiress' idea of revenge. "At least you don't have to make out with a frog. Though, out of everyone in the world, _you_ seem the most likely to be trapped in a tower somewhere. Schnee Manor has… three of them?"

"You're thinking of our company headquarters, each tower was meant to represent a fundamental pillar of our business philosophy…" Weiss trailed off and swallowed, clearly pushing down some memory or another. "And if you must know, being trapped in a castle isn't as horrible as you'd think; my father confined me to my room when I was fourteen for pouring punch on my brother's lap an hour before." Weiss clarified in a dry tone a moment later, prompting a raised eyebrow from the dark-haired girl that was, currently, growing more and more annoyed at the ease of the conversation they were sharing, "One advantage to living in a mansion? I had more than enough linens in the closet to make a long enough rope substitute and _leave._ I didn't need my latest suitor barging into my room to 'rescue me' to escape. Not that the drug-addled buffoon could have defeated my _maids_ to get to me, nevermind the actual guards..."

Blake felt her mind grind to a halt, and a small laugh threatened to leave her belly, "... You seriously _bedsheet roped_ your way out of your own room because your stoner boyfriend couldn't sneak into your bedroom?" Blake asked with wide, golden eyes, staring at the girl whom she had long presumed was nothing more than a complacent puppet to the Schnee family.

"The party downstairs had a chocolate fountain." Weiss answered in such underwhelmed dryness that Blake snorted, the two walking down the large, empty halls towards the cafeteria, "I was _not_ going to miss out on it, nor was I going to fall for my father's stupid ploy to try and trick me into swooning over some slow-talking, smoky-breathed, idly rich moron. It was well worth the reprimand and the stomach ache later; that fool decided _I_ wasn't worth the trouble because he was _not_ comfortable with the idea of a free-roaming girlfriend who wouldn't await his arrival into the wee hours of the morning. I was devastated, of course." The distaste in Weiss's voice grew until it was practically oozing out of her pores, and Blake blinked slowly.

"Wow." Was all Blake said, drawing a curious glance from Weiss.

"'Wow' what? You'd be surprised how many rich, young nobles expect utter compliance."

"It's not that, I'm just…" Blake trailed off, and her voice fell to a near whisper, " _relating…"_

* * *

Yang threw the dorm room's door open with a happy, "We're _back!"_ that was barely audible over the sound of the door crashing into, and bouncing off off, the wall. The sudden, peace shattering noise made Weiss slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from spitting out her orange juice as Yang strode in, a thin sheen of sweat staining her clothes and making her skin glimmer.

"Could- _hack! Cough!—_ couldn't you have knocked first?!" Weiss whimpered, rubbing her throat. "You are su— _hcchk!—_ such a—" Weiss couldn't finish the statement amidst a sudden coughing fit.

"Ah, you'll be fine." Yang slapped Weiss's back, making the heiress double over with a yelp. "Sides, it's my room too, princess. So... how's breakfast?" Yang snagged a half-eaten muffin off Weiss's plate and finished it for her in three large bites, despite the rather shrill cry of indignation.

"They have _fish tacos."_ Was the only thing Blake said between bites, while Yang ignored the pale fists banging on her shoulder in outrage. Blake had a small ball of tinfoil on her plate, along with two more foil-wrapped tacos ready to be chowed down upon.

"Mmm, Nice… Fish tacos…" Yang just gave an infuriating smile until Blake rolled her eyes in annoyance. Yang barked out a laugh and stepped away from Weiss' ineffectual revenge and into the closet.

Blake ate and Weiss mourned the loss of her muffin as Ruby walked in, looking more exhausted than Yang, but not anywhere near to the extent they were the day before. She was equally sweaty, and added to the stench of body odor slowly choking the room. Weiss may have said something about it between sips of her juice, but Ruby didn't notice as she plopped onto her bed with a groan.

"You alright?" Blake asked, walking over with her breakfast. She watched the younger girl groan, and force herself to roll onto her stomach and wiggle to the far side of the bed so she could dig through a box and pull out her school uniform, which was vastly smaller than Blake's own. Ruby laid it out and dug out fresh undies while Blake silently admired Ruby's musculature; most girls her size relied almost entirely on Aura to do the heavy lifting, but Ruby probably had more raw strength than Blake, despite her shorter size. The addition of Aura would only exacerbate the difference between them, but Blake was willing to bet her little leader wasn't quite as light or sure on her feet.

"I'm fine, this is normal for me. I'll just need something to eat." Ruby rolled her shoulders, wiping her sweat stained hair off her brow and leaving her with a cowlick. Blake hid a chuckle. "They have a really n-nice track out there, and the gym is like a _gym_ -gym, with weights and stuff."

"I'd hope so." Blake cocked her head in thought, glancing at the half-eaten item in her hand, and held the taco out to the tired girl. Ruby sniffed it curiously, then took a bite. Blake suppressed a pleased grin as she hand fed her team leader, and Ruby seemed relieved as she chewed and swallowed, licking her lips with a pleased hum; good, Blake often had difficulties getting along with fish-haters. "You and Yang should probably shower before me 'n Weiss. It'll help clear out the air a bit." She furthered her point by waving her hand front of her nose with a small smile.

"Sorry." Ruby mumbled, then stole one more bite from Blake's breakfast, earning a playful swipe at her messy hair as Blake accused her of theft, then stood with her clothes folded in her arms. "I won't be long!" She promised, then slipped into the bathroom as Weiss finally seemed to recover.

"Ugh…" She grunted, while Yang stepped out of the closet with her own clothes. Blake had returned to her seat and was watching as Yang sorted out her uniform, taking note of the color of the underwear she set aside for the day: black with a flame pattern. Blake itched to complain about cliche, but decided it wasn't worth giving Yang another reason to try and brag...

Ruby was honest about not taking long, she was dressed and in her uniform–with the addition of her goggles and cloak–not too long later in time for Weiss to finish lecturing an entirely unconcerned Yang about table manners and food-sharing etiquette. Yang went in next, and Blake suspected there would be a much longer wait for Yang, but the blonde was out in a surprisingly timely manner. Her hair was still a drenched mess as she plopped herself onto her bed, but without saying a word, Ruby sat behind her and helped her groom. Blake couldn't decide who she was more envious of: the sister under the comb, or the sister that got to manage those glorious locks. It was doubly adorable when Yang would shift to whap Ruby's face with her hair, drawing an angry stammer and a smack to the back that left Yang giggling.

Weiss went in next. Blake kept track of the time, and noted Weiss took quite a bit longer than Yang had. Weiss _did,_ however, come out with a fetching mask of makeup to accentuate the best parts of her face, while also smelling like the good part of a perfume store; the subtle mixture of shampoos, body wash, lotions, and scented sprays making Weiss smell… dreamy. Blake stopped herself from chasing Weiss with her nose, and focused on gathering her clothing while listening in behind her.

"C'mere Princess, sit." Yang ordered.

"Why? What do you _want?"_ Weiss pouted, just starting to put up her familiar side-fixed ponytail.

"Just do it!" Yang responded with a mix of command and confidence, her blonde mane now a more orderly mass of chaotic curls from Ruby's touch. Reluctantly, Weiss obeyed and sat in a chair as Yang pulled the heiress's hair over the back.

Blake ducked into the bathroom before she could see Yang get to work, wanting to avoid the inevitable temper tantrum.

She locked the door, stripped off her stained clothes from last night and tossed them into the hamper with the rest of the discarded garments. Examining her reflection in the mirror,she let out a small, relieved sigh as she undid her ribbon and freed her ears. Neither the Nevermore nor the Deathstalker had broken her aura, so the fight, chaotic as it was, left no lasting marks, but Blake quietly counted the little off-colored lines left on her body from her time with the White Fang.

Her ribbon sat on her clean school clothes, her large, black cat ears twitching in the mirror. Blake turned the shower on and stroked her Faunus ears, massaging away the discomfort of being bound all night with a sigh. As much as she hated the idea of hiding who she was, she was terrified of revealing herself to the Schnee. Yang was a loudmouth; there was no way she could keep a secret, and Ruby had mysteriously bonded with the heiress, so she couldn't tell her without good reason.

Blake closed her eyes and reaffirmed her mission: she would not reveal herself to anyone, she would take classes, grow stronger, cultivate her skills, and stay far away from Adam's reach.

She quietly inspected a miniscule white scar just above her left nipple, wincing at the memory of a night gone horribly wrong. _His_ anger had carried over into their shared sleeping bag after a day filled with failure, and it was the first time she had to stop him and order him out. He was simply too furious, too rough, too much like…

… like an _animal._

It was the first time Blake had felt like just a piece of meat. It was a far worse feeling than being called a traitor, or being kicked in the ribs by some snickering anti-Faunus thug. A friend, a close ally, somebody whose ideas made the world seem so much more malleable had hurt her when her defenses were down. Blake had never had to use her aura when she and Adam were alone before, but those furious, grabbing hands, pulling at the delicate spots of her body…

She understood he was angry, but she was _not_ his stress-relief toy. She would have gladly massaged his feet and kissed his pains better if he had just kept _some_ sense of self-control…

Blake dismissed her idle musings with a sniff and slipped into the shower, trying to enjoy the hot water, trying to forget a worse time. She quietly thought of Ruby; she was young, true, but seemed sympathetic and well-read. She lead with her words and her actions, much as had Adam had done, and both had carried a sense of righteous fury when at the intersection of victory or defeat. However, Ruby had directed her fury towards the Grimm, whereas Adam had directed his rage towards the humans. It was a much less difficult moral quandary when the Grimm were involved…

She let her eyes roam the shower as she worked the hot water into her hair and paused; hanging on the wall were four small, wire cages. Three of them had beauty products in them for hair-care, skin care, and more. Only one cage was empty, and Blake realized she hadn't brought her own cleaners. She glanced down in the corner of the shower, and sitting on the edge were a few off-brand products that would certainly get the job done, but…

Blake got nosey and poked through the shampoos and lotions curiously, able to determine who owned which product: Ruby had the fewest products, with two bottles of moisturizer specifically for the eyes. Yang favored lustrous shampoos for blondes, and apparently liked the smell of cinnamon. Finally, Weiss owned dozens of tiny bottles of many scented oils, creams, and soaps, with two large, very expensive bottles as her primary cleaners. Blake grumbled in bemusement as she found that Weiss apparently shared in her tastes in hair-care, while Ruby had the right moisturizing body wash. Was it right to ask them…?

"It couldn't hurt, right…?" Blake whispered to herself. It wasn't as if cosmetics were at a premium, they were right next to a city they could shop in freely without the authorities swarming them. Blake laid her ears flat as she could as she crept out of the shower and cracked the door just enough to speak. "Hey! I… I sorta forgot my shower stuff, could I borrow some of yours?" She asked loudly, feeling utterly ridiculous despite knowing it wasn't really a big deal.

"Go ahead!" Ruby chirped.

"Yeah, knock yourself out." Yang added.

"I don't mind, but try not to make a habit of it." Weiss cautioned, as if this were all some elaborate plot to use up her shampoo.

Blake shut the door and felt her cheeks redden. Well that had been easy...

She made sure to use as little as she could of what was available to get the job done. She avoided citrus-y smells as much as she could, and sighed when she finally convinced herself to use _Weiss's_ product. Schnee-brand Snow-scented shampoo... How did one even capture the smell of _snow_? It was ice formed around dirt, did it smell like a waterlogged room in need of sweeping? She popped the cap open and sniffed curiously, blinking at the surprisingly alluring scent. It seemed like a thin mixture of vanilla, cocoa, and mint, giving it a sharp iciness amidst an enchanting sweetness...

It was nice. _Really_ nice. Blake glared at the bottle the entire time she used it.

She stepped out of the shower, dried, and dressed. She checked herself in the mirror, twisting her hips to swirl her new skirt, and her reflection granted her a small smile. She looked good, she looked _ready._ She smelled _amazing._ She was a student now. What a strange change in her life's direction, from freedom fighter to student…

She sighed and pushed her reflections aside for now. She had a team to learn how to cope with a new, normal school life, brooding could wait. She wrapped her ribbon carefully around her ears to hide them and stepped out of the restroom.

Weiss stood in front of the full-body mirror, looking pleasantly surprised at how well she pulled off a Vale braid. She lifted and delicately spun the two, thick tendrils of hair tightly wrapped around one another, held in place by a white scrunchie at the very end, her cheeks turning pink as a smile overtook her. She twirled, watching her hair swirl around her. Blake blinked in dull surprise, but Weiss was too interested in her own hair to pay her any mind.

Yang pet the chair she had tended to Weiss in, smiling promisingly at Blake. "C'mon partner, lemme make you pretty… er." She threw in a playful wink.

"Oh, uh…" Blake tensed nervously. "I think I'll pass, I like my hair loose-"

"C'mon, it's our first day! Let's start this whole school thing off with a _Yang!"_ Yang fired a pair of cocky finger guns at Blake, making her look left and right for a way out of this. She did _not_ expect Weiss to slide up by her side and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Blake doesn't like people touching her hair." Weiss said firmly while warmly stroking Blake's shoulder. Blake had never felt so conflicted in her _life…_ except two other times she was trying to repress with all of her might at all hours of the day.

"Wha'? Not even a little? C'mon Blakey, I'll be _real_ nice." Yang held her hands up pleadingly, and Blake shook her head.

"Uh uh. Sorry Yang, just got a thing against it." She tugged one of her long, ebony locks, and Yang pouted loudly.

"Fiiiiine. Jeez, I was just gonna do pigtails…" The blonde whined. Blake's eyebrow twitched. She turned to give Weiss a blank stare, and the heiress seemed to get the point and withdrew her hand, but still flashed a victorious little smirk before going back to her seat. Blake throttled the urge to scratch at her shoulder nervously.

"What time is it anyways?" She asked, brushing the conversation aside.

"Seven fifty-five." Ruby answered, putting together her school supplies in a little mailbag. She smiled over her shoulder at her teammates, and Blake could see her all but quivering in place as she packed. Blake hid a smile; their little leader was all excited to go to class.

"Man, we still got an hour." Yang plopped into the chair with a grunt, arm hanging over the backrest, "We should go explore!" She offered with sudden enthusiasm. "Check out everything on campus! There's gotta be some cool places to just hang out and chill."

"If we check the syllabus we could get a head start on our lessons." Weiss offered, looking _excited_ at the prospect. Yang couldn't have been _less_ impressed by the idea.

"Boring!" Yang huffed.

"Why don't we just relax? It's only our first day." Blake added.

"It's school, we can't just sit around all day! We should get busy early and get used to the hustle and bustle of a normal school life." Weiss eagerly opened her scroll to access Beacon's database.

Yang let out an aggravated groan. "I wanna _do_ something."

"Studying _is_ doing something!" Weiss shot back.

"We have nothing to study _for_." Blake reminded her.

"Not unless we dig a bit! See, period one, History of Remnant with Dr. Oobleck." Weiss was going through a box of textbooks, and the other two twitched… "It's _school,_ what, did you think we'd spend all day just… _carousing?"_

"I thought I'd get to meet babes. At least ones who are _fun._ " Yang snorted, and Weiss planted her hands on her hips.

"School is not just for fun and _definitely_ not for 'meeting babes.' We have to get serious, so stop lazing around!" Weiss huffed.

Blake watched the two go back and forth with a small pout, then glanced to Ruby. Ruby seemed generally distant from the conversation, though she was listening in. She offered no opinions, no options, nothing…

"I think we're missing a very important detail here." Blake spoke up, a hint of conspiracy and betrayal in her eyes, and Weiss turned on her with a small, curious frown. Yang was silent, eyebrow raised, interested in what Blake had to say, "Ruby is team leader, _she_ should decide what we do."

At that, Ruby sat up straight like an iron bar had replaced her spine. She whirled to face the three, looking pale and panicky as she suddenly gained all of their attention. Weiss was frowning silently at her, Blake was curiously staring, and Yang let out a chuckle.

"Know what? Sure. What are your orders, sis?" Yang asked with a confident urge in her tone.

"We should study." Weiss said immediately, staring into Ruby's goggles.

Ruby froze up as she stared at the three of them. Explore, study, or relax? She trembled a tiny bit, then slowly looked away from them. She looked out the window, at the beds, at the boxes… they were already looking to _her_ for answers and direction, Ruby was content to let them sort it out democratically!

"Well, uh…" Ruby said with cotton tongue, her brow wrinkling in distress.

"Come on Ruby, what is team RWBY going to do? We have an hour, we should prepare." Weiss said firmly. Yang made an unhappy grunt.

"Don't _push_ her, let her decide." Yang ordered.

Ruby winced. She had _no_ clue _._ She tapped her fingertips together anxiously. "I, uh, I-I dunno, but, well…" Ruby froze up as the girls began to lose interest, Weiss openly sighing in dismay. "N-no no-no… okay, um…" Ruby glanced to the boxes at her feet, the boxes around the beds… "W-we should, uh…" The barren walls, the empty bookshelf between the beds… "Um…" And the room was so cramped with four beds… "Decorate."

"... Decorate?" Weiss's eyebrow raised.

"Y-yeah, we should decorate." Ruby swept her hands out, as if presenting the room to them for the first time. Weiss's frown deepened. "No no! Don't—it's important!" Ruby felt her knees knock. "We need to decorate! And-and unpack all of these boxes. They're everywhere, and, l-like, we should make the room feel, uh, _lived in._ Make it homey! So let's, uh, let's unpack." She offered. After a second of thought, Blake and Yang both moved to their beds to grab their boxes while Weiss looked at the floor, hands on her hips.

"Well… fine. Okay." Weiss said with slight disappointment, but then she knelt down to start sorting out her luggage.

Ruby trembled a tiny bit, this time in relief, and bobbed her head. "I don't want to see a single box in the room or in the closet by the time classes start, s-so… let's get moving!" She tacked on. She chided herself as she went to grab her other things… they were _already_ moving…

Boxes were opened and emptied to be sorted. Ruby and Blake took over one bed to sort through their collection of books, and had to be snapped at by Weiss on several occasions to return to actually sorting and shelving rather than just chatting about their literature.

Weiss made repeated trips into the closet to get personal items together and Ruby, Blake, and Yang paused to watch with increasing worry as the mountain of clothing and shoes around Weiss's bed steadily grew larger and larger. Then the jewelry boxes opened...

"—genuine Vacuan royal sapphires, all set in solid gold. It's probably worth more than this entire room." Weiss bobbed her head, smiling in great pride as Blake, nearly afraid to touch the necklace she was trying on, tried to oh-so-carefully remove it.

"And you _brought_ it?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow, numbers racing through her head.

"Of course." Weiss's expression shifted to confusion. "Why wouldn't I? It's one of my favorite necklaces." Blake's response was an impartial hum as Weiss returned the necklace to the jewelry box she'd brought.

"I'm a princess!" Ruby announced enthusiastically. Weiss glanced at her partner, currently adorned with Weiss's graduation tiara, and her eyebrow twitched. "Kneel before me, _peasants!"_ Ruby ordered, hands on her hips. Blake blinked, and noted that for _this_ silliness Ruby could suppress her stutter.

Weiss groaned and took the tiara, leaving Ruby whining like a kicked puppy. "If you want to try anything on, just ask and be _super_ careful. Most of this is _very_ expensive."

"Wow, and boys always told me pearl necklaces were easy to get." Yang indelicately flicked the pearls hanging around her neck, making Weiss screech in horror. Needless to say, the jewelry was put back into safety and locked away tightly.

Blake set the last of her books on the room's small bookshelf. She frowned. She had brought her whole personal library of twenty-two novels with her, and Ruby still had her massive pile of reading material to shelve. _Then_ there would be their collected textbooks… they really needed more places to put books. Actually, as she maneuvered around a pile Yang's clothes dumped on the floor and nearly tripped on Ruby's action figures, she realized they needed a lot more room period.

They also needed to empty the closet first.

Boxes lined the room, every flat surface was covered in clothing, magazines, books, and little personal items of traditional, historical, or entertainment value. Yang was busy trying to figure out a twisting cube puzzle Blake had brought while Ruby anxiously looked over Weiss's entire makeup collection. Blake had finished unpacking well before the other three, but they needed a place for Ruby's Heroic Hunters model collection, somewhere for Yang's weights…

… and that wasn't getting into what they'd need for Weiss.

"... This would be way easier with bunk beds." Blake said absentmindedly as she stared at the mess of a room, prodding one of Yang's skirts with her toe.

"That's crazy, besides the fact that buying bunk beds and relocating the old beds would be horribly expensive, what would be the point? The only thing we could do now is make our own... and I don't see how would we could make bunk beds out of these." Weiss asked with a crinkle of her nose, patting one of the springy mattresses testingly. "They'd need to be tall _and_ stable."

"W-what if we got rope?" Ruby offered from the floor, flipping through one of Weiss's fashion magazines. Weiss and Blake looked from her to each other with contemplative looks.

"None of us have rope." Weiss concluded, shaking her head. "We're just going to have to—"

"I can get us rope." Blake piped up.

"—live with—wait, how can you _possibly_ get us rope?" Weiss asked in exasperation, her fists on her hips as she scowled up at the taller young woman.

The dark-haired beauty shrugged as her entire team stared at her for an answer. "Gotta be _some_ rope in the school. I'll go dig through some supply closets, try to scrounge some up."

"Oh! See if they have any screws and hooks and stuff too!" Yang called from the other side of the room, hefting a big, heavy box over one shoulder with incredible ease.

"We are _not_ stealing from the school!" Weiss put on a firm expression, and one of her feet began to tap, like a bomb ticking to go off in a movie.

"Teeeechnically all facilities are open to students, including equipment for modifying the room, so if, theoretically, a student needed rope, who are they to complain if it improves the quality of our homelives?" Yang offered with a cheeky grin. Weiss's eyebrow twitched and she turned to try and talk Blake out of this anyway, only to find the door open and Blake already gone.

"If you get caught, do _not_ make me an accessory to your criminal activities!" Weiss huffed at the world in general as she began to move her clothing to the closet, tuning out Ruby and Yang's poorly suppressed snickering.

By the time Blake got back with armfuls of rope, a box of screws, and some wall hooks, the clothes had been moved into their single, shared closet. Ruby, Blake, and Yang shared one side of the space, their outfits loosely pressing together. The other side was dedicated solely to Weiss's outfits, wall-to-wall with everything from gorgeous dresses to casual, lay-about clothing. Yang was briefly awe-struck by the sheer amount of quality threads Weiss had on hand.

When all the materials were dumped onto the floor, Blake shot Yang a curious look as the blonde smiled in pure delight; it was time for some good old-fashioned elbow-grease and improv!

When all was said and done, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "... _Please_ tell me we aren't keeping it like this." One of the middle beds precariously hung over a corner bed. Ruby, Blake, and Yang crossed their arms as they admired their work, and Weiss just groaned as they gave each other a thumbs up. "This is _so_ going to backfire."

"I call dibs!" Ruby waved her arms madly as she began to climb, the creaking ropes making Weiss whimper.

"I want a top bunk!" Blake moved to the remaining two beds with a nearly gleeful expression, causing Yang to snicker and Weiss to sigh.

"We _are_ out of rope though." Yang pointed out.

"... Still dibs…" Blake mumbled, crossing her arms and looking stubborn.

"Well… We have a l-lot of books." Ruby pointed out from the bed she had taken over. The other three looked to her with quizzical expressions as she hopped down. "Look," She held up one of her hardcovers, " _Fellowship of the Twelve."_

Weiss and Yang both gave the book a confused glance, neither having read the novel, but… "Garbage bin." Blake nodded slowly, drawing quick, surprisingly looks from the other two. Ruby tossed Blake the book, and it was balanced on one of the four bedposts.

"Books hold a valuable wealth of information or offer hours of entertainment! I thought you two were bibliophiles?!" Weiss insisted with a scandalized expression, watching in fury as Ruby and Blake ignored her and went through their collections.

" _Yipperman and the Froggy Bog?"_ Ruby held up a thick hardback.

"Ugh." Blake sneered, and Yang caught the book with a grin as she added it to the stack. "Wait, you have a _signed_ copy of _Love in the Wilds?"_ Blake waved the old, dark book. Yang pulled it out of Blake's hand and added it to the stack.

"N-not mine, it was my… um… a-aunt's." Ruby glanced to Yang, but the blonde remained calm. " _Mantle of Summer?"_ She waved the book as Weiss finally seemed to get past her outrage enough to creep closer and look over the assorted novels.

"Trash. How about _Beyond Belief?"_

"Keep it! Oh, my Holy Trilogy set!" Ruby held up a trio of leather bound tomes, worn and faded with age and travel.

"Anyone going to read it?" Blake asked, looking around. No response. "Stack it!"

"Is this an original copy of _Blind Hunters?"_ Weiss asked, flipping through one book.

"Nah, it's j-just printed to look old, try bending a page." Ruby advised. Weiss did so, feeling this springy, plastic quality of the page, making her nose crinkle.

"... Ew. Add it."

Blake obliged.

"What about _Saint Monia's Siesta?"_ Yang asked, holding one up.

"It's garbage, but it's _sexy_ garbage." Blake shrugged. Yang blinked and stared at the cover.

"Eh, keep it…"

The process continued until Ruby and Yang successfully stacked the final two beds. They shot each other a thumbs up and a smile, and Weiss and Blake tested it for balance. "This is _seriously_ an awful idea." Weiss muttered under her breath.

"You aren't doing anything to stop them," Blake countered, stepping back with a nod. "And everything's stable."

"If you don't rock it too hard, that is." Weiss sighed. She silently pulled and squeezed her braid as she stared around the room like it was brand new. There was plenty more room between the beds, the boxes had been reduced to a bare minimum and mostly consisted of the extra things Weiss couldn't find a place for, so they were stacked at the foot of the bottom bunk Ruby had claimed the top of.

Weiss looked up to Ruby's bed thoughtfully, examining the ropes with worry as an idea occurred to her. Without a word, she stepped out of the room amidst her teammates' curious looks and walked past rows of dorm rooms. In short order, she found a supply closet.

She returned to the dorm with two bedsheets in her arms, handing them to a confused Yang. "I think if we tied the ends around the ropes and hooks, we might be able to give Ruby a privacy curtain." Weiss explained. The blonde gave her a slow, almost uncomprehending blink while Ruby, sitting on her bed, glanced over in surprise.

It took almost ten seconds of uncomfortable silence for Yang to finally say something. "Weiss," She said, almost sounding shy, "Thank you." Yang bowed her head in a polite way before quickly heading to Ruby's bed. Ruby took the blankets and started planning how to afix them. Weiss stood on several stacked boxes to help, shooting Ruby's goggles a look as Blake helped Yang go through the last of her boxes.

It hadn't seemed like much of a big deal; it was purely for the good of the team. Ruby deserved the comfort of her own bed and the privacy her condition entailed, all Weiss did was put the team's best interests first. The team she wasn't in charge of, as she'd always dreamed...

She sighed and tried to suppress her disappointment. Her vision of life at Beacon _couldn't_ have been a perfect match for the reality of it, but still, how was she supposed to cultivate leadership skills if she was only a _member_ of a team? Weiss's expression darkened just the slightest bit. Ruby wasn't a bad person, but was she a good team leader? She mulled that over as Blake dug out Yang's calendar.

The dark-haired member of the team stared at Ruby's goggles with enormous curiosity as she realized there was most definitely something about her young leader that she hadn't seen before, but she decided to not press the issue for the moment, and flipped through the months to find March before setting it on the currently-full bookshelf, with just enough space on top for the calendar. She paused for a second to reread the date. "Hey, Yang?" She called, drawing an acknowledging hum as the taller of the two sorted her weights. "What's the red square mean?"

"Red square?"

"Around the date?" Blake tapped the glossy sheet. Yang looked at the calender, her eyes widening in comprehension, and she shot to her feet. "Yang?" Blake called with a raised eyebrow as her partner stepped into the bathroom. "... At least close the door if you have to go so bad." Blake deadpanned.

A short laugh echoed out. "Please, the thought of seeing me pantless _thrills_ you!" The sound of the cabinet banging echoed a moment before Yang walked out with a cheerful call: "Ruby! Happy feminine hygiene day!" She said perkily, throwing a small package. Ruby caught it in one hand and groaned loudly, the contortions of her cheeks and brow telling Weiss and Blake both that she was not pleased.

" _Today?_ B-but school s-starts today! That's not f-fair..." Ruby mumbled as she slid off her bed and put the pad in her school bag. Weiss cringed the moment she realized what it was, while Blake just shook her head.

"Welcome to a woman's life, Ruby. Biology doesn't take days off." Yang seemed surprisingly cheerful as she tossed a pad into her messenger bag.

"E-even though I'm out of the h-house for the first time, a-and it's m-my first day of classes? _Ever?"_ Ruby asked with a grouchy dryness that made Yang chuckle.

"It's not that bad, you _did_ take your pill during breakfast, right?"

"Well _yeah,_ n-no preggers for me." Ruby didn't sound any less relieved, but Weiss shot up with a small, mortified squeak and dug through her boxes. Blake watched in confusion as Weiss pulled out a green, plastic medicine tray and dry-swallowed one of the pills inside. As she caught on, Blake had a private moment of embarrassment and decided not to comment.

"You don't need to worry about getting knocked up, whatever boy decided to try and slip you the noodle wouldn't be a boy long enough to manage it." Yang said with a raised eyebrow. Ruby scoffed and squirmed, and Yang let her serious expression melt into a smirk as she laughed at her little sister's embarrassment. "We should totally invest in a mini-fridge or something. Stock up on ice cream and cookie dough, like a medicine cabinet for cramps!"

"T-that's a lousy excuse, we _always_ crave ice cream and cookie dough." Ruby pointed out, tying the last corner of the sheet. She sat on the edge of her bed, drawing the curtain back and forth testingly, her feet idly kicking the open air.

"But it's so much more satisfying to eat it when you're on your period." Yang hummed. "Hey, we get, like, a lien allowance for weapon repairs and Dust, right?" Yang perked up.

"I think so. The Team Guidelines email should tell us." Weiss answered as she went through her bag again, assuring herself that she still had all the necessary materials to be a proper student.

"Hmm." Blake answered, digging up her utterly ancient scroll to read. Weiss and Yang took note immediately; it still had a solid back, even! Blake read for a few moments, then raised an eyebrow, "According to this, we get a four-hundred lien allotment every week." She couldn't hide the… _intrigued_ tone in her voice.

Yang whistled, long and low, "Bank! That's better than my old summer job!"

"Do keep in mind that it's to be _split_ between all of us, so don't get too extravagant." Weiss reminded her duly. Yang grinned.

"No worries! Maybe I can get a loan from dad, buy a mini-fridge, get a TV... aww man, I wonder if I can get us a mini-bar…" Yang rubbed her hands together with a mischievous smile before a pillow knocked her out of her plotting.

"TV and mini-fridge _maybe,_ but we are _not_ giving you an e-excuse to liquor up." Ruby said defiantly, causing Yang to cross her arms and huff.

"Whatever, _mom."_ Yang threw the pillow back, knocking Ruby flat onto her bed, the ropes creaking and making them all stare at the suspended bed a touch nervously. When it seemed safe, Yang cleared her throat. "Hey Weiss," she called, picking up the calendar and selecting a silver marker. Weiss shifted her attention, tilting her head curiously. "When do you start?"

"Start…? Start my…" Weiss winced. "My _thing?"_

"Yes, your period, Weiss, c'mon, we're all girls here." Yang looked to her curiously. Weiss squirmed, her cheeks turning a bright red.

It took a few moments for her to finally admit, in embarrassment, "My last _thing_ started last week, two Sundays ago." She didn't know what she expected, but Yang tapped her chin with the butt of her pen as she read the calendar, mumbling under her breath as she counted and marked the day. "Why do you care? It's _my_ business." Weiss asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"A: I gotta live with you, and you are _kinda_ bitchy, but no offense, it's a sexy kind of bitchy." Yang answered, making Weiss's blush turn a deeper shade of red as she stared at Yang in disbelief. Yang continued, wilfully ignorant of Weiss' scandalized expression. "So, knowing when you're gonna be _extra_ bitchy will be nice. B: we can stock up some food for you too! What's your big comfort food?"

"My comfort food?" Weiss asked slowly, trying to rub the red out of her cheeks. "Like, what do I eat when I'm comfortable?"

Yang put the calendar down and gave a small, but amused snicker, then pulled up a chair next to Weiss and plopped down beside her. "No, I mean… what do you eat when you're unhappy and annoyed and want to _be_ comfortable? What makes life suck less when you eat it?"

Weiss drummed her knees slowly, debating her response while trying to not stare at the far-too-confident young woman next to her. Finally, she folded her hands on her lap and let out a little huff, "It's… embarrassing."

"Oh please, it's _food._ Food's great! Nothing embarrassing about enjoying it. When I'm all crampy and need _something_ to take the edge off, I gorge myself on chocolate chip ice cream and pretzels." Yang said casually, leaning against her chair with a comforting smile.

"Cookie dough." Ruby waved shyly. "Sugar cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, snickerdoodle cookie dough, I-I'd mix it at home just to eat it raw."

"Isn't that a health hazard?" Weiss asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Blake and Weiss blinked when Ruby let out a low growl, and her voice dropped an octave to a tone bordering on rage, "All those food and safety warnings are _lies!_ I-it's an anti-dough conspiracy!" Ruby wrung her fists at the heavens. "Nobody's _ever_ d-died from eating cookie dough, they just want us to stop l-living our _lives! I will not be one of the sheep!"_ She announced with a dramatic rise in her voice. Weiss's eyebrow twitched. Blake moved over and put her hand on Ruby's head, the smaller girl going quiet and pouty as Blake awkwardly patted and hoped that was the end to her little friend's ranting.

"... Uh huh." Weiss pursed her lips, swallowed thickly, and clenched her fists. Her eyes darted to and from Yang's curious lavender eyes while she squirmed in place before forcing out a soft, begrudging admission:"... _Hot wings."_

"Come again?" Yang blinked.

"Y'know… hot wings." Weiss tried to explain as if she was in trouble, staring at her knees, red-cheeked. "Unbreaded fried chicken, covered in a spicy sauce? Hot wings, like-... like you'd find at a Faunus food stall."

"... For real?" Yang seemed genuinely shocked. Ruby was still lamenting the prejudice she suffered as a result of the Vale Food Purity Administration, while Blake was counting her lucky stars that nobody noticed the way her bow bounced when her ears shot up without her consent. "Isn't that stuff kinda cheap for a rich girl?"

"No! I mean, financially, sure but..." Weiss trailed off with a defensive whine. "Ugh, I knew you wouldn't get it..." She tugged at her braid in distress, earning a swat to her knuckles from Yang to stop her from undoing it.

"Well, tell me about it, then!" Yang insisted, smiling at Weiss and gently bumping the smaller woman's knee with her own. "What's with your crush on hot wings, Weiss?"

"It's not a _crush_ , It's…" Weiss pouted. "I mean, I've grown up on _haute cuisine_ from all over the globe. The best chefs, expertly managed nutrition, especially since I started my training to become a hunter. Lean meats with exotic spices, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan breads right from the oven, the occasional sweet from the most acclaimed _pâtisseries_ and chocolatiers on Remnant… but never anything just… gross, fatty, meaty, or spicy." Blake crossed her arms under her chest, leaning back against a desk to listen as Yang leaned forward in open interest. Weiss fidgeted a bit as her teammates gave her their undivided attention. "I was with my father, on a trip to visit the Mistralian Schnee dust mines. A few of my friends from Atlas came along so we could go to the hot springs afterwards, but we needed to kill some time while my father was in a meeting. We were watching the workers during their lunch, and noticed a huge line at one of the stalls."

"An independent stall or a Schnee-sponsored stall?" Blake asked testingly.

"Independent." Weiss's nose crinkled. "Which I don't understand at all, it's cheaper to buy from the company-sponsored stall."

Blake winced as the impulse to snap at Weiss bubbled up, but the realization that Weiss seemed genuinely ignorant made her hold her tongue and try to explain without exposing herself. "A flier I read mentioned that the meals tend to be cheap, nearly expired deli-meat bought third hand from major retailers in Atlus to save on lien, and lacked enough nutritious greens, so eating exclusively at a Schnee stall could leave them malnourished."

"Really?" Weiss looked rightly uncomfortable learning that, but then waved it away with a grunt, "Not that that matters to the story..." Blake wasn't sure whether to be offended at the dismissal of her people's nutritional needs or relieved Weiss didn't notice the way her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed for a moment. "Anyway, we saw a lot of the workers pay for plates with a pile of weird, goopy... _stuff_. We were all rather curious about it, but we didn't dwell on the matter until Father's meeting went long and the workers' lunch break ended. With the line, and most of the witnesses, gone, my friends dared me to order what the workers had been clamoring for. The servers were polite, and it barely cost a thing, so before I knew it I suddenly had a plate of chicken wings in Mistralian sweet and spicy sauce in my hands. We must have looked like we were trying to perform an autopsy on it; it looked like the most disgusting thing I'd ever seen, and, _ugh,_ Cristal wouldn't stop retching so it made it hard to eat, but Kara kept egging me on so I took a bite and…" Weiss's eyes glimmered, and she smacked her lips gently as she relived the memory. "It was kind of enlightening."

Yang chuckled, hiding her amused smile behind her hand as Blake hid a little smirk. "So our princess realized that us little people can cook?"

" _Silence!"_ Weiss all but squawked, squirming shyly while Ruby muttered about _needing_ chicken wings for dinner. "It left me with stomach cramps all night, and my tongue and fingertips were numb, but it was _so good._ I ended up finishing the whole plate; my friends couldn't believe I even tolerated it, _not that they tried it."_ Weiss huffed loudly, crossing her legs and setting one foot to bouncing in agitation. "I had just started the whole… _girl thing_ that year, and every time it came up none of my servants could figure out what to feed me to satisfy my cravings. Nothing was fulfilling! But a few weeks after trying the wings, the girl thing happened again. I hadn't had any more hot wings since, but, well, my butler and my chefs were still at a loss on what to give me. I just…" Weiss trailed off, an ashamed blush crossing her face and she realized she was admitting weakness, "I _needed_ those wings again, so I pulled the one faunus chef we had to the side and asked if she knew how to cook them. She did, and two hours later I had them again and it just… satisfied an itch. It _kept_ satisfying that itch." Weiss crossed her arms and set her shoulders, ready to accept the contempt of her peers. They'd demanded honesty and she'd given it, she'd endure their snide remarks as she always had...

"Makes sense to me." Yang shrugged, grabbing a piece of paper Ruby had left behind from the night before, writing it down. Weiss' eyes lost focus a moment, her mental gears spinning to no effect as she tried to process the non-response to her exposed flaw. Finally, with a panicked scramble, Weiss dove to grab her arms. She suspected it was surprise, rather than being restrained, that made Yang halt.

"Don't _record it,_ it's embarrassing enough that _you_ know, I don't need some janitor walking in and selling that information!"

"... Can I sell the news that I love cookies…?" Ruby asked, raising her hand and earning a chortle from Blake as Weiss glared at her partner, until Yang swatted her shoulder playfully.

"Aww, c'mon, I'm just making sure I remember! I know this amazing little wing place in Vale, run by the most adorable Faunus couple!" She offered, beaming with genuine enthusiasm at the prospect of showing a new friend around her town.

Weiss argued with Yang over being publically seen eating Faunus food, and Blake watched with a confused expression. Not that she was a major fan of chicken wings—or chicken in general—but it was considered a Faunus staple. Vacuo had been one of the first kingdoms to fully adopt equal Faunus rights, and the Faunus adopted numerous dishes as a result, and as easy as wings were to make, they spread across the world to other Faunus. The ingredients were affordable on even a Schnee miner's wages, and it even found its way into Atlas, where the fatty food and spicy sauces helped stave off the cold.

It was one of the first areas of business where the Faunus became lucrative, selling food to their own kin and open-minded humans, giving them the opportunity and the financial security to send their children to private schools and begin a Renaissance of education. Of course, food alone wasn't the major reason behind the Faunus finding success, but it helped more than one notable Faunus family find a foothold and respect among human owned companies. Sharing food was a cornerstone in Faunus culture, a time-honored tradition of trading food and stories, and the cooks were often highly respected as a result. Though industrialization changed that somewhat, Faunus still practiced feasting on large holidays, in which the Faunus families all celebrated together, not individually.

That _Weiss,_ of all people, liked traditional Faunus food was both confusing and entertaining. Even if it was only this one dish, it still managed to blow her mind a little. Of course, Weiss didn't want to give that information to the public—which Blake understood from a neutral standpoint—but it was nonetheless interesting. She shook her head and silently recounted who Weiss was and what her family did and so on and so forth ad infinitum until she suppressed that desire to know _more_ about the Schnee.

"What about you, Blake?" Yang's voice shook her out of her thoughts, and she suppressed the urge to wiggle when she looked up and realized Weiss was also staring at her. She rubbed one arm, feeling weirdly exposed by her curious gaze as Ruby grabbed a tube of ointment and climbed onto her bed.

"Oh, uh, fish." Blake responded absentmindedly as Ruby's curtain whispered closed. The quiet, expectant stares of the remaining girls finally wore Blake down, and with a sigh, she elaborated, "Salmon or tuna preferably, but sardines are acceptable, and I won't say no to albacore or mahi mahi. No catfish, though." The words just tumbled out of her mouth, and Yang stared at her in silent surprise, then nodded.

"Ice cream, cookie dough, hot wings, and fish. Sounds manageable. This floor should have a commons room to cook in, right?" Yang puttered through her school things, searching for a student handbook that may or may not exist, ultimately giving up after getting the confirmation from Weiss. Weiss, in turn, waved her scroll that was currently browsing the Beacon homepage as if Yang should have been ashamed of missing the obvious. Yang, of course, completely steamrolled through the subtle jab. "Okay! So, Blake, when do you start next?"

"Start…?" Blake paused, then resisted a grimace. "Right. _That._ Two weeks, should be Tuesday or Wednesday." Her partner hummed an affirmative and used a purple marker to highlight that day.

"Did you remember to take your pill this morning?" Weiss asked curiously.

Blake stared at her, and silently glanced out the window to hide her discomfort. "I… don't take pills."

"Huh?!" Ruby poked her head out from behind her privacy curtain, her hand still adjusting her goggles. "But w-what if you get _preggers?!"_

"There are other contraceptives." Blake reminded her with a shrug, trying to brush the topic off. She could still feel Weiss and Yang watching the back of her head, though, and suspected she'd failed.

"Well, yeah..." Yang nodded slowly in agreement, her face pinching into the beginnings of a frown. "But, you know, it never hurts to stack 'em up. Besides, pills stop the cramps and stuff, condoms don't do much to make life suck less a quarter of the time."

"It's not _that_ bad. Nothing a hot bath and a few naps won't fix." Blake mumbled, shoulders shrinking as she made it a point not to look at them. The concern and worry in their eyes made her… _uncomfortable_.

"That won't do at all." Weiss said, and Blake could imagine her crossed arms and shaking head. "We all need to be at peak performance, even when afflicted with... feminine issues. Do you have some sort of medical or religious reason to avoid birth control?"

"No! It's just…" Blake winced, trying to dredge up as much half-truths about her history as she could that wouldn't automatically pin her as a former White Fang operative. "I haven't ever used them. I was kinda… trained in a… _survivalist_ camp." She admitted, arms over her bust defensively. "I just kinda got used to it. I mean, sure, it sucked at first, but-"

"No buts." Weiss stood abruptly, and Blake felt her spine automatically straighten at the implied challenge. "Blake, like it or not, it's for your personal health, and it's what's best for the team. Even if you don't meet the right guy here, or even if you're _Yang,"_ Weiss shot Yang an accusing look, making the blonde click her tongue and wink sleazily at the failed attempt at shaming her, "it'll keep you closer to your best, so we can always count on you. And you on us… even on cookie dough-ice cream-wing-and-fish night. Which sounds _atrocious_..." Weiss planted her hands on her hips and thought to herself.

" _No,_ it's really not a big deal." Blake argued, brow furrowed, a frown forming. Weiss met her developing glower with a stubborn expression, but didn't try to interrupt. "I don't like yo- _people_ poking through my hair, much less my health. If I don't want to-"

"Blake?" Ruby's soft voice interrupted the beginning of her tirade, and Blake froze. She clicked her teeth shut and looked up to Ruby with pleading, golden eyes. She couldn't take a blindside from her little leader right now… Ruby tilted her head quizzically, her brow knitting slightly as she tried to grasp Blake's inexplicable distress, "Are you scared of doctors?"

"... No…" Blake said softly. Ruby dropped to the floor and set a hand on Blake's shoulder as their eyes 'met', and Blake realized Ruby wasn't planning to join in harassing her, but she wasn't going to drop the conversation, either. "Ruby, I just… I'm uncomfortable, okay? There weren't a lot of girls at… at camp, so I learned to make due on my own."

"I can see it, I s-sort of remember how stressed Dad was when Yang started. He didn't know what to do and even though I had him and her, it made me uncomfortable when it started, too. I didn't want to take pills and admit it hurt s-so I tried going without them at first and it was cruddy." Ruby gave Blake a warm smile, and Blake shuffled on her heels as she tried to _resist._ "Why don't we go with you? Yang and I's gynecologist is a cool lady, she can f-find you the right brand. It's not weird, all of us do it. We'll go with you and if the pills don't agree with you or something, or they don't help, you can s-stop. Deal?"

Blake stared down at Ruby with a hesitant anxiousness that took every ounce of her willpower to not let reach her ears. She glanced from Ruby, to Weiss, to Yang, all of them looking encouraging, and she crossed her arms behind her back and sighed. "I'll… I'll think about it." Ruby's quick but pleased nod made Blake look back out the window.

She had lied, but just a teensy bit. She was sort-of scared of doctors, but after having relied purely on camp medics for broken bones, open wounds, and sickness, she was hesitant to willingly sign herself up for another one. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad…

"That's not a bad point…" Weiss hummed, looking at Ruby with an approving nod. "I'll go too; I can hardly count on the Schnee medical team in Atlas, after all." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and Blake sighed. Weiss seemed insistent on joining her for everything. It should have bothered Blake more, having to interact with _her,_ but their earlier conversation rang through her head again, and the idle curiosity of ' _Who is Weiss Schnee?'_ refused to leave her.

Somebody's scroll beeped and a minor frenzy ensued as all four of them scrambled to grab their devices and figure out what was happening. Finally, Weiss made a triumphant little noise when she spotted her blinking screen, picked up her scroll, and turned off the alarm. Then, the color drained from Weiss' face as her voice rapidly escalated in pitch and volume. " _Class-is-in-five-minutes-grab-your-things-go-go-go!"_ She shouted as she lunged for her purse, startling the others into panicked motion.

A second later, the door burst open and the four of them fled down the hall at a full sprint.

* * *

Around the same time team RWBY had finished suspending their first bunk bed, team JNPR was doing their own unpacking. Nora and Ren were drifters with a purpose, but drifters nonetheless. They carried little, with the prospect of a dorm room as a permanent home having been a shared dream. Jaune was a farm boy, who had only brought two backpacks full of anything he could fill them with and thought he might need or couldn't bare to part with.

Pyrrha had, by a large margin, the most luggage; which, despite her allies' reassurances, left her feeling more than a little embarrassed as their room was slowly but steadily overtaken by Pyrrha's decorations and personal effects.

" _The Martial Master of Mistral_ , Volume Four…" Ren, in his school uniform, read aloud as he sorted through the enormous pile of DVDs in one of Pyrrha's boxes, filling a shelf with Pyrrha's collection by alphabetical order. "You do realize the Martial Master series relies heavily on hearsay and stereotypes for the martial arts they use, right?" He asked as he lifted Volume Five out of the box.

"I know." Pyrrha answered, also in her school uniform, as she continued to carefully sort her clothing with a growing smile, "But it's such a fun little spectacle, I always _loved_ the idea of his semblance." She clasped her hands, her expression full of awe. "Could you imagine, every day when the clock strikes twelve at night, you gain extraordinary, intimate knowledge of one of the twelve martial arts of Mistral?" Pyrrha stood, holding one arm forward, one arm back, one leg partially raised in a kicking position. "The actor is actually a master of the Winds of Luigosa, my favorite style." Without a word, Pyrrha spun, her foot kicking out at chin-height, coming down so she could twist with her other foot, spinning across the room in a rapid series of well-practiced roundhouse kicks that only stopped when the tip of one foot brushed the opposite wall. "It's widely considered the most artful!"

"Mm. Wind style has performed so poorly in the last eight tournaments, unfortunately." Ren shook his head in disappointment.

"I _know!"_ Pyrrha visibly pouted as she slowly moved towards the other end of the room in a slow, revolving kata where each breath taken, and each breath passed accompanied her movement like the howling winds between the salted peaks of the Luigosan coastal cliffs. "I am still of the opinion that Achto's four arm style should _not_ be allowed to use their pugilist gloves."

"The original doctrine states that the Hands of Achto were made _strictly_ for fighting the Grimm." Ren nodded, his lips tight with annoyance, more roughly shelving Pyrrha's movies as a tremor of annoyance went through him.

"Considering the amount of corruption that the Mistral Regional Tournament spent so much time rooting out, I would not be surprised if money had exchanged hands to bend that particular rule." Pyrrha sat back at the desk with a sigh, getting back to sorting her clothes.

"The MRT also has much greater public acclaim, while the Twelve Arts Tournaments is less publicized. It would take much more focused internal reformation, and unfortunately, it is a profit-making business. Purity is not the first thing on their minds…"

Pyrrha made a small, aggravated noise just thinking about it.

Nora stuck her head up from behind a bed, where she was working on something Pyrrha and Ren couldn't see. "What's that one style where everyone dresses in, like, just ribbons?"

"The Art of the Bare Yystran." Pyrrha glanced over as she reached into a box and pulled out a very large trophy, depicting a foot-tall version of herself in solid gold, with a hand-engraved nameplate on a wooden base. "A two-pronged style, where the user cultivates a near-supernatural beauty through rigorous dieting and exercise, uses their physical form and flexibility to catch their opponent off guard, and waylay them with attacks that primarily target the soft spots." After a few moments of consideration, she hesitantly set it on top of a desk, then quickly looked to Ren for approval. A quick nod alleviated her fears.

"Yeeeaaaaah, why isn't there more of _that?"_ Nora asked in petty frustration. "I wanna see pretty dancing naked people beat up a buncha chumps!"

"Nora, half the time it doesn't work." Ren called over as he set an empty box aside, opened another, took one look, and scooted it over to Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked into her box of unmentionables and took it into the closet, awkwardly relieved that he hadn't drawn attention to it. "No matter how unearthly beautiful a woman might be, it wouldn't work on a gay man or a straight woman. You would simply be exposed and easy to catch by a well-disciplined opponent."

"Yeah, but even if it's a fifty-fifty shot, you got a _pretty_ good chance of keeping your opponent distracted!"

"A disciplined warrior would not be distracted so easily by some exposed flesh." Ren declared with full certainty, missing the glint of challenge that gleamed in Nora's eye.

"Oh yeah…?" she drawled, her lips slowly rising into a savage grin.

A few seconds later, Pyrrha poked her head out in time to see Nora's shirt flutter down to cover her belly as Ren, red-cheeked, pinched his nose, and crushed his thighs together, glared at his giggling girlfriend.

"Sorry, did I miss something?" Pyrrha asked, making Nora break down into hysterics as Ren whipped his head away, trying to keep his dignity intact as he opened another one of Pyrrha's boxes. Pyrrha glanced between the two other hunters curiously, and chalked it up to an in-joke she couldn't possibly know how to parse.

She sat at the desk again as two of her roommates sat mostly in silence. Unlike the locker rooms of the Grand Mistral Olympic Center, the silence was not one of anxiousness, but Pyrrha was so used to people not making eye-contact, working on their weaponry, not wishing to waste their concentration on smalltalk, and preparing for an all-out conflict in front of thousands of spectators. Even though she was far away from that environment, she felt a knot of stress form in her tummy as the innocent silence reminded her of lonelier times.

Nora and Ren were her companions, her allies, her… her friends. This she knew. Vaguely. She had actual conversations with them, she didn't feel hounded to constantly worry about her physical shape for the tournament, or put on her best smile for the cameras, or answer the same dozen questions she'd been asked over and over again, or asked about some deeply personal aspect of her life.

For once, she sat down with an hour of nothing to do but unpack, and she wasn't questioning if she wanted to continue on like this. Gladiators often had early retirements not just because of physical injury, but the stress of being a combatant and a celebrity status that weighed down on them. Pyrrha was no different, but she was far less comfortable with her fame than others. While she loved the idea of being a hero, an icon, and a paragon of fitness and goodness, she _hated_ having to dress in the best fashions, constantly worry about her make-up and hair, having to constantly monitor what she said, ate, or did so it didn't slip she was anything less than a perfect swordswoman.

Now, here, she could be a teenager. One vying for a position in one of the most dangerous and glamorized jobs in all of Remnant, true, but for the moment she was just trying to move into a new home alongside a team of people who acknowledged her name and her status without a gasp or a glare. She smiled to herself and rolled her shoulder, letting the stress fade a bit as she tried to get used to this new kind of quiet.

Then there was a soft click, the crackle of static and a voice she'd never heard before… " _To the cute honeys with the eyes of blue, I got a message of love, from me to you!~"_

Pyrrha snapped to attention as the excited voice seemed to flood the room, then glanced towards a loud thump to find Ren rubbing the top of his head in pained annoyance after discovering an empty wall shelf. "Finally!" Nora announced, putting a radio up on the bookshelf between the beds. Her smile went from ear to ear as the room filled with bouncy, energetic jazz. Pyrrha shook her head, her smile growing with the cheery tune.

She watched in unspoken amusement as Nora began to shimmy in place to the music, wiggling her hips with her eyes closed. Nora hummed along to the cheery music and the sensual singer's voice, kicking her feet out as the music became more lively. She was clearly no expert dancer, but she didn't let that stop her.

"Ren!" Nora wiggled up close to her boyfriend with a big smile. "Dance!" She held her hands out, the exclamation more of a command than an invitation.

"You know I'm not a big jazz fan." Ren looked uncomfortable as Nora put on a big pout.

"C'mon Ren, please? You dance to classical stuff with me!" Nora worked her hips as best she could, shamelessly causing her skirt to flutter with every shimmy. Pyrrha couldn't help but watch on with amusement at her joy.

"It's just annoying." Ren waved his hand dismissively. "Classical dances are rituals, carefully crafted to draw out the beauty of two dancers working together. _This_ is just… senseless wiggling."

"But senseless wiggling is what I'm _good_ at though!" Nora stomped her feet huffily. She turned away and looked to Pyrrha with big, pleading eyes, "Pyrrrhhhhaaaa, dance with me, _pleeeease?!"_

Pyrrha swallowed hesitantly, but the look on Nora's face wore down her possible embarrassment and she slowly rose to her feet. "I-I've never really danced before, but I can try." With that, Nora beamed, happy enough to look silly and throw her limbs around in barely controlled ways to a rhythm, but Pyrrha was used to a much more strict form of movement. She swayed her hips, arms held up and close to her bust as she half-shimmied, half-squirmed to the music.

It _did_ have a nice beat, and Pyrrha tried to get a little adventurous, even offering Nora a smile as her feet moved more. The two 'danced' for maybe thirty seconds before Pyrrha stuck her foot out in an attempt to try something different, and Nora tumbled to the ground with a thump when their ankles locked. Pyrrha squeaked, and quickly retracted her foot. "I'm sorry Nora, I hadn't- it was a total-"

"Foul! Foul!" Nora flailed on the ground, making it difficult for Pyrrha to help pull her up. Nora popped up to her feet with a finger in Pyrrha's face, "Okay, so you gotta watch your feet, see, like, think of it like a fight but without the smashy smashy or the stabby stabby!"

Pyrrha raised her hands to stop her, and frowned in apology, "N-no offense Nora, but I'm no good at dancing. I think I'll sit this one out."

"Aww, c'mon, nobody _starts_ good at anything!" Nora crossed her arms over her chest unhappily as Pyrrha sat down shyly. "Ugh! You're both total stiffs…" Nora's voice fell as she scuffed the floor, and Pyrrha and Ren both shared a guilty look.

The bathroom door flew open, and Jaune stepped out, one hand's fingertips pressed to his forehead, the other pointing at Nora in dramatic fashion. His legs were spread, testing the limits of his school pants before his voice rose: " _You!"_ He announced, making his three teammates blink in surprise. " _My blue eyed ba~by, I see you in the waters blue, it's true, when you're around I don't gotta chooo~ooooossss~sse-uh!"_ His voice rose, making Ren wince as his voice cracked at the attempt to match the singer, but the blonde boy paid no mind to his lack of talent and swept in.

Nora squeaked as her hand was taken, and Pyrrha stared in silent awe as her partner spun Nora around, letting her go so they could stand across from each other. Nora broke down into laughter as her will to dance was renewed, her hips and arms swinging as she and Jaune openly, and happily, grooved.

Ren's eyes widened as his girlfriend showed little care or worry dancing with a boy she'd just met yesterday. There was zero hesitation in taking one another by the hands to spin around, legs kicking, arms swinging, smiles wide and happy. Ren stared blankly, unaware of the way his fingers were digging into his knee harder and harder as Nora gave Jaune a toothy smile.

The song went on for another minute, ending in a dramatic explosion of brass, while Jaune and Nora held each other by one hand, their other hand out in the same flamboyant pose. They were grinning brightly at each other, and let go as the radio started another song.

Hair still wet, Jaune stood in front of the body mirror and combed it as Nora clung to his side in a happy hug, one leg raised behind her. " _Eeee!_ Finally! Somebody who'll dance with me!"

"Ren won't dance with you? He's so light on his feet..." Jaune glanced down at Nora curiously.

" _Ugh,_ no, he's such a stiff!" Nora openly pouted, and Ren stood up as a sudden shot of adrenaline ran through him. He wasn't even aware he was frowning; he walked behind Nora, set a hand on her shoulder, and gently squeezed. Immediately she fell against him, resting her back against his chest as her hand snaked into his. A small squeeze relieved most of the tension, but Ren still felt a tiny, bitter taste in his mouth that he was not happy with. He glanced down at Nora, as she looked up at him. "So stiff!" She repeated, reaching up to poke his nose. "Boop!"

"It's just… all it is is random _moving."_ Ren mumbled defensively as he stared at the back of Jaune's head.

Jaune turned to look at him over his shoulder, shrugging a little bit. "Sure, but, like, it's fun moving. You look dumb for a second, but it makes you feel… loose. Gives you energy." He then put on a cocky smirk, "And women _love it!_ I mean, that's what my sisters said." Sitting behind them, Pyrrha silently confirmed it with a tiny whimper.

Ren's eyes narrowed a tiny bit as he considered it. "Exercise and a good breakfast provide much the same." He countered.

"Yeah, but those aren't as fun. With dancing, you get the music, you get to show off a bit…" Jaune's swayed his hips left and right, and Nora giggled. Ren glanced up and sighed.

"I just don't see the point." He shook his head, releasing Nora. He moved to go back to his seat when Nora called back.

"You also don't see the point of makeup, but look at Pyrrha!" Nora pointed to the redhead. Pyrrha blinked slowly, her cheeks reddening the tiniest bit. "She's gorgeous!" Pyrrha turned more red at the compliment.

"It's just a little eyeshadow and blush, nothing excessive." Pyrrha countered bashfully, but Nora made a dismissive noise.

"Oh _please,_ miss bedroom-eyes." Nora shook her head, and Pyrrha instinctively touched her forehead, trying to figure out what Nora meant.

"Makeup looks fine in the moment, but it has no additional value. We're hunters Nora, we'll get sweaty anyways. Besides, I like you. The _natural_ you." He said with an honest shrug, but Nora sighed and shook her head.

"I know, but… like, we won't be hunters _all_ the time. I just wanna look a little girly sometimes, especially while I still can." Nora admitted. Ren chewed his inner cheek in frustration, Pyrrha thought for a second and glanced toward the bathroom a moment, and Jaune…

"Y'know, I had seven sisters." Jaune admitted with a hesitant tone, moving to go sit in a desk chair. "I could, y'know… I mean, if we had any on hand, I can do a little, tiny, totally basic makeup." He winced as he admitted it.

"... Really?" Nora and Pyrrha both asked at the same time. Jaune groaned, blushing as Ren moved to chewing his tongue.

" _Really."_ Jaune shrugged again and tried to look completely casual about it. "I had sisters! They wanted me to do girly stuff sometimes, it's not my fault I can dance and do makeup! It's just, y'know, how I was raised!"

"Wow, Jaune." Nora just snickered as Ren shook his head.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Jaune, I'm sure many girls would find it impressive." Pyrrha nodded, trying to be consoling, but Jaune just threw his hands up.

"That's what they told me! But how many women have you heard say 'I totally dig a guy who knows how to do a Vacuo eye contour'?! None! They want strong, beefy, hairy men with big-"

" _Pause!"_ Nora ordered, her hands forming a T shape while staring Jaune in the eye as the boy swiftly stopped gesturing to his crotch. "You can do a vec-curl?" Her eyebrow crawled up her forehead while her fists planted themselves on her hips.

"... Maybe…" Jaune answered in a soft voice, scuffing one foot against the rug.

"Pyrrha?" Nora asked in a suddenly gentle, sweet voice. "Would it be okay if I borrowed some of your makeup? I'll pay you back, I swearsies." She all but cooed. Pyrrha stood, and nodded after a second of staring at Jaune.

"Don't worry about paying me back." She went to the bathroom and returned with her makeup case, giving it to Nora. "My talent agency pays for it, not me." She shrugged one shoulder as Nora grew a big, ecstatic smile, taking it and scampering over to Jaune as the blonde sighed, but opened up the case to carefully look through the contents, Nora bouncing at his side the entire time he was taking stock.

"I still say it's a waste." Ren frowned from his chair, watching Nora as she pulled up a chair in front of Jaune once he finished running inventory. He had a strange feeling that wouldn't leave his gut, despite his repeated attempts at his normal emotion-quelling techniques. It was a cold, bitter feeling that he did not like, and it made him look at Jaune with distaste. _That_ he liked even less. Jaune had saved Nora, Jaune had lead them to victory, why was he feeling… _jealous?_ He shook his head. It was nothing. It was dancing and makeup.

"Okay, hold still, this'll probably tickle a bit. Gonna lay down a little foundation…" Jaune spoke as, with the impeccable precision of an artist, he began to work on Nora's face. He hummed, he stuck his tongue out in concentration, he told Nora when to relax, when to blink, when to keep her eyes wide open. He lightened her cheeks and added a small amount of blush, and moved to her eyes. It was a slow, delicate procedure, but he did not shake and took shallow breaths. "Hm, y'know, Nora…" He spoke as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You've got a very round, like, _cute_ face, y'know?"

"Mhmm?" Nora chewed her lower lip to stop herself from smiling. Ren hid a growl.

"I don't think a vec-curl would suit you, you need sharper features. My little sister Jean pulled it off really well, but you're a little more like Jill. Let my try something different." He held the bottom of her undecorated chin and slowly moved her around as he thought, his appraising eye rolling over her facial features like a judge. He chewed his lip, made a popping sound with his tongue, bounced his eyebrows, and finally gave a little sniff of approval.

Pyrrha watched with big eyes as he finished his work and nodded. He sat back with a satisfied look and closed all of Pyrrha's cases, while Pyrrha closed her mouth and swallowed her suddenly dry tongue. For reasons she couldn't even articulate to herself, a barely heard, primal part of her wanted to plant her flag fast and early, but she held back with a slow, shy roll of her jaw.

Ren stared as Nora stood and walked to the mirror, his expression changing from annoyance to mild shock. Her cheeks had always been faintly red, like she'd always been the slightest bit embarrassed, but Jaune had brought out a loveliness in her face that made Nora look endlessly blushing, a mild, adorable embarrassment. Her brow was delicately rounded to make her look _happy,_ but her eyes… Ren's fingers twitched. Black and smoky, with long, pumped curls and enough mascara to make the fine hairs pop in such a fetching way. Her lips were a glossy red, making them look smooth and shiny, a far-cry from her normally wrinkled, pale smile.

Anything Ren felt towards Jaune at that point was momentarily forgotten. He stared at his lover as she looked into the room's mirror, her whole neck turning red as she reached her hand up to touch her reflection's face. She dipped her head and blinked shyly, lifted her chin and smiled cockily, turned to the side and puckered her lips… Ren had a sudden thrill shoot through his leg, and he felt the urge to whisk Nora away to somewhere private.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clamped down on his emotions. Makeup wasn't a realistic resource they could expect out in the field, even as good as Nora looked in it, he couldn't constantly expect Jaune to sit there with her, to make his girlfriend _pretty._

He stood suddenly, wanting a glass of water. He made a move to go to the bathroom when a hand took his. He froze, squeezing Nora's fingers with familiar affection, and he turned to look at her. She had an embarrassed, unsure look on her face. "Ren?" She asked, rocking on her heels. "Am I pretty?"

Ren didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He looked into her eyes, at the way the touch-ups brought out the absolute best features in her, and he felt his own eyes water. A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and he nodded the smallest fraction of an inch. She was still the most beautiful girl he knew, and now, even more so.

Nora read his face like a book. He was so quiet and subtle with his emotions that she had gotten used to the little tics in his expression and movements. It was very rare that his eyes glimmered the way they did now, so she couldn't stop herself from grinning in a mixture of joy and triumph. Ren gave a small, amused sigh.

"Y'know, the first few classes are _probably_ gonna be just dumb, boring introductory stuff. We could take the morning off…" Nora suggested, running her finger over his elbow naughtily. Ren felt that thrill shoot down his leg again at the suggestion, and the heavily restrained, wild part of him was demanding he _accept_. Jaune and Pyrrha stared as his hand touched her back, then slowly moved down to cup her bottom through her skirt, drawing her close and making her purr a moment, then move his grip back up.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said in a tone of gentle amusement. "We'll have time later. We should get ready. If you'll pardon me, I am thirsty." Ren left Nora's hand, stepping into the restroom to grab a complimentary cup and fill it.

Nora's smile went from pleased to brilliantly feral as she turned on her roommates, her expression both distressingly predatory and fetchingly smoky. "Jaune, you _dreamboat."_ She marched over, sticking her pointer finger under his chin and tilting his face up so they could look each other in the eye. "You, sir, just got _Nora points._ Which are like brownie points but _better."_ She turned away, hands on her hips, and revelled at her reflection.

"Another satisfied customer!" Jaune chuckled shyly, refusing to meet Pyrrha's eye as she grew a mischievous little smile. He swallowed in embarrassment at the way she snickered, and tried to roll his eyes.

"That was impressive, Jaune, it almost looked professional!" Pyrrha examined Jaune's features closely, especially the way his lips drew tight as he refused to meet her eye. "You said you had sisters…?"

"Seven of 'em!" Jaune quickly jumped to reply. He held his hands out as if he was trying to talk down an angry junkyard dog, his nervousness both odd and adorable. "When I was a kid, my older sister gave me a choice: help teach the little sisters, or be their test subject, and I dunno about you, but as a guy, I don't wanna wear makeup! Not that I have anything against guys wearing makeup–I mean Ren could _probably_ pull off some eye contouring and a bit of foundation could help bring out his dimples–but my skin dries out easily enough and I so, _so_ don't wanna find out that I have an allergy like Janice 'cuz _hoo_ that was not a fun two weeks for anybody and-" A finger to his lips stopped his rambling, and Jaune froze solid at the overly affectionate touch until Pyrrha took her hand back with a small, red tinge to her nose.

"Is there anything you think would improve me?" Pyrrha asked, gesturing to her face. Jaune's eyes slid up from an empty space on the floor to meet Pyrrha's, before, silently, he took all of Pyrrha's face in. Pyrrha felt her blush grow as Jaune tenderly touched her chin, wordlessly directing her to look wherever he motioned so he could evaluate.

He had done so fearlessly, despite his embarrassment, and Pyrrha had to suppress a dirty surge of adrenaline that shot through her body as a boy–a simple farm boy with no fame, fortune, or glory–touched her. In the world of a high-class celebrity like herself, Jaune was the very definition of a nobody, ' _somebody who had no business being in the presence of such talent'_ she could hear the tabloids saying…

She felt a little bloom of warmth in her heart as she remembered she wouldn't have to put up with her sponsors and promoters demanding a specific appearance and class of people she interacted with, and that warmth spread to her whole body as Jaune took his hand off of her chin and looked her in the eye. "I think–and I'm not criticizing, just saying! I think a thin layer of gloss on the lips to brighten them up. I mean, they're thin, you can't help it! But, uh, Lydia always said you wanna make the smallest details _pop."_ Jaune dug into her make-up kit, his idle mutterings telling Pyrrha that he _hated_ the cherry red color, before pulling out a nice, unopened terra cotta. "I think this'll work? It'll blend better with your skin without fighting your hair." He popped the lid, and his hand loomed closer to her mouth, causing the heat in Pyrrha's expression and chest to grow as, instinctually, she pursed her lips and her eyes began to slowly close, as if that tube of lipstick might suddenly be replaced by the charming boy's lips, his hot breath washed across her face- "Oh!" Jaune exclaimed, "did you wanna do it yourself?"

Not a single rational thought emerged from the hormonal fog that filled Pyrrha's brain, "Just _do me."_ She ordered with a feline hiss.

Once her words registered, Pyrrha's eyes opened wide to take in Jaune's confused squint, and Pyrrha would have sold her closet of designer clothes for the chance to go back five seconds and slap her mouth shut. She was only partially aware of Nora's wide-eyed stare from the corner of the room, and the redhead's sudden, frantic escape to the bathroom to babble at Ren. Pyrrha silently willed herself to expire then and there to escape the embarrassment, but the lipstick tapped her lip.

"Okay." Jaune answered with a shrug, and the heat of the moment turned to a mixture of cold relief and disappointment as Jaune innocently applied the lipstick to her.

When Jaune turned away to get her makeup case set up for next time, Pyrrha swiftly turned a different direction to fan herself with one hand and pray that the walls of their room could not talk.

When Nora and Ren emerged from the bathroom, the tall boy's eyes silently took in the postures of his two teammates, then went to Nora's excited smile. Experience allowed them to communicate without saying a single word to each other, and Nora's toothy smile and pointed look in Pyrrha's direction made Ren sigh and shake his head.

Nora's lips tightened and she bobbed her head quickly, and Ren rolled his eyes, tilted his head at her like he was about to discipline her, then strode into the room while glancing up at the clock, "Everyone, it's twenty 'til, shall we go?" He asked, putting on a wisp of a smile.

" _Yes we shall!"_ Pyrrha shot up so quickly, Ren swore she vibrated on her feet before racing to grab her bookbag. Ren looked back down at Nora, Nora looked up at Ren, and her smile only grew as he groaned.

"Sounds like a plan, but let's swing by the cafeteria first and see if we can grab something quick." Jaune ordered as he went to the door, bumping Pyrrha's hip with his own on the way. "C'mon partner, first day of classes! Let's start on a high note!" He sounded excited enough, pumping his fist into the air as he exited. In his somewhat forced exuberance, he completely missed the way Pyrrha squeaked before chasing after him on fluttering tiptoes, with an almost airy bounce that made her ponytail dance with each step.

Nora and Ren stood silently in the middle of their new room, staring at the empty doorway before Nora's elbow dug into Ren's side, earning a grunt and securing his attention. "Babe, do _we_ look that stupid?" She asked.

Ren tugged her elbow to have her follow him out the door, setting a quick pace to catch up to their comrades as he mulled the question over. After a few contemplating hums and a few more jabs from Nora, Ren simply shrugged noncommittally. Nora groaned and tousled his hair.

"Charmer." She deadpanned, earning an amused smirk as they joined Jaune and Pyrrha in waiting for the elevator. "Oh, who wants to bet money we run into my girlfriend's backline again?!" She watched the doors eagerly as the others blinked in confusion.

* * *

" _We're not late!"_ Yang announced as she nearly busted the wooden door down.

The class of hunters stared in shaken surprise as Yang staggered in, the door not entirely canceling her momentum when she'd shoulder-charged it. Ruby meekly following behind her and offering the tiniest of apologies as Weiss and Blake stumbled in after them, panting heavily, their bags loosely held over their shoulders.

Bartholomew Oobleck slowly lowered the newspaper he was reading at his desk to evaluate the four girls before he rose to his feet carefully, almost in slow motion. Team RWBY snapped to attention as the scraggly-dressed man set his paper down with a firm slap and tugged at his loose tie. He picked up a piece of chalk and turned towards the blackboard, presenting his students with his lean back. " _Ruby. Rose."_ He spoke, his voice little more than a violent snarl as he slowly wrote her name in large, blocky letters.

Ruby squeaked, her lip beginning to quiver as he turned to stare at her through his gloomy glasses. "D-d-doc-doctor Oobleck…?" She whimpered, but his gaze shifted to her right.

" _Weiss. Schnee."_ He snarled, writing her name underneath Ruby's. Weiss went pale—well, pal _er_ —an arm outstretched as if chasing a fleeing grade. Oobleck then glanced to the next girl, " _Blake Belladonna…_ and _Yang. Xiao. Long."_ He wrote each name, and the entire class of hunters watched on with a mixture of pity and worry. Ruby wordlessly glanced at her fellow students and sought out Jaune, who sat with a quiet, pale expression, and though their eyes met, though they fought together, Jaune took the coward's way out and looked away with a whimper… Dr. Oobleck carefully set the chalk into its receptacle, his movements slow and precise, then he whirled, hunched over as he stared at the team with a animalistic ferocity. All four of them suddenly felt very small… "How… _DAAAAAARRRRRE YOOOOUUUU?!"_ He suddenly roared, rising to his full height with his hands outstretched in furious dismay.

Every teenager in the room watched on with a wince as the Doctor stared at the floor in clear agony, team JNPR shrinking down in their seats to avoid being seen. "Um… Professor?" Yang spoke up.

" _Doctor!_ It's _Doctor_ Oobleck to you! I didn't get a PHD in Remnant History and _Archaeology_ for fun!" He all but spat, giving the four girls a grieved look. Yang shut her mouth tightly, and silently glanced to Blake for help. Blake was squeezing her bow to keep her ears from falling flat. "Don't think I don't _know!"_ He suddenly bellowed. "You have each made my list for the atrocities you've committed during your initiation!" He shouted, pointing at them with a quivering finger.

"Atroci- _what?!"_ Weiss looked at their teacher like he'd gone _mad._ Well, madd _er._ "We didn't hurt anyone during our initiation! We passed like everyone else!" She threw her arms out, and the whole class shrank back in an attempt to avoid the doctor's next wrathful words.

"Oh, you most certainly did! With flying colors at that! Congratulations by the way, your victory over the Grimm was most certainly well executed and triumphant— _BUT AT WHAT COST?!"_ Oobleck whirled towards the blackboard, chalk suddenly appearing in his hand, and Team RWBY stared in escalating comprehension as he drew three tall towers in record time. "The Ignopolus!" Spittle flew all over his desk, "One of the last vestiges of an ancient religion that worshipped Ignus, ' _he whose palms cradle the sun!'"_

" _WAIT YOU HAVE FOOTAGE OF THE—"_ Nora's shriek was quickly blocked by her terrified boyfriend's hand, who did _not_ want the doctor's sights on them _again._

Ruby looked to Yang. Yang looked back. Both girls shrugged as Blake silently raised a hand. "Um… sir? We had no control over the destruction the Nevermore caused, and if we hadn't done, err, _that,_ we woulda _died_."

"W-w-we d-didn't kn-know the b-b-b-boom w-would b-be th-that b-big!" Ruby squeaked, trembling under Oobleck's angry stare.

"Or that pink…" Blake grunted under her breath.

"Indeed, Dust can be unpredictable in dire circumstances and depending on whose aura does what, but I can _never_ forgive you!" Dr. Oobleck bent over his desk in grief, a loud, frustrated sigh escaping him. "You four passed, and therefore I am required to teach you, but don't you dare think for a _second_ I will enjoy tutoring you… you _wrecking balls!"_

"Hey! We are all skinny, curvy, and _sexy_ bitches!" Yang crossed her arms over her chest. Ruby and Weiss both blanched, slinking away from the Yang alongside a nervously smiling Blake, and Yang's view was suddenly eclipsed when Oobleck seemed to simply appear directly in front of her, staring her down behind his opaque glasses until the pretty blonde was turning pale, a nervous swallow bobbing her throat.

"Language." Dr. Oobleck spoke in a precise and controlled manner as he addressed team RWBY in a chastising tongue, with Yang as the currently wilting object of his ire, "Your crimes aside, we _do_ need to start class– _but you are staying on my list_ –so please take a seat– _without destroying them_ –and get out your things– _not your weapons."_

The four girls awkwardly filed into four available seats situated conveniently by team JNPR. Ruby sat down first, next to Jaune, who was hunkered down so low in his chair, the younger girl wondered if he could actually see over the desk. "Hi Ruby." He whispered so quietly, that Oobleck didn't hear it, even in the completely silent room.

"H-hi J-J-Ja-J- hi." Ruby whimpered, lowering herself into the chair with a tiny sniffle as Jaune watched Oobleck pace back and forth like a crackling storm in front of his desk.

"'S'okay… he laid into us too…" Jaune gestured to the rest of his team. Pyrrha had her face in her hands next to him, followed by Nora, who was flailing in Ren's grasp as he struggled to keep her from harassing their professor for the footage of the explosion.

"... 'm sorry." Ruby sighed, feeling responsible for the dressing down, considering the whole 'make a bomb, explode all the things' thing had been _her_ idea.

"Hey, could be worse." Jaune briefly bumped her knee with his own, causing the girl to grow a small smile at the friendly touch.

" _Students."_ Dr. Oobleck began, cutting through the noise and drawing everyone's attention. Standing in a more composed manner, Dr. Oobleck lifted a telescoping rod in one hand, then hit a button on the wall behind him. "Today begins our first class in the History of Remnant. You may be asking yourself: 'what can I learn here that I haven't heard before?'" As he spoke, the blackboard behind him revolved slowly, revealing an enormous map of Remnant, all of its continents, their regions, their cities, their towns, and unexplored locations marked, at least what was visible beneath the dozens upon dozens of papers stuck to the map, with a massive series of red strings connecting each location. "The answer is simple: _our mistakes."_

Dr. Oobleck stepped out from behind his desk and paced slowly, not looking at anyone as his voice rose loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Between humans and Faunus, between the Vacuo-Vale alliance and the Mistral-Mantle allegiance, from the wars of ancient times, to the skirmishes of recent history, one thing is apparent," He hit a button on the side of his desk, and now, covering the map, was a holographic display showing numerous treaties and armistice agreements from over the years, "we are learning. Not very quickly, but we _are learning._ Centuries of warfare amongst ourselves has lead to millions of deaths, not just at each other's hands, but at the teeth and claws of the Grimm that our strife inevitably calls."

The hologram changed with a click of a button on his pointer, revealing a large picture: the iconic painting of the King of Vale and the Premier of Mistral shaking hands during the Vytal treaty signing appeared; a scene of comradeship, understanding, and weariness over what had come to be known as a senseless war.

"We have fought less and less over the years, and war seems outlandish in this time of peace, but let me assure you, the same thing was thought by our ancestors before the Color Wars broke out." Dr. Oobleck lifted his gaze, looking at every single student in their seats, and put on a small, almost fatherly smile. "Students, we are not politicians, but that does not mean that we are not _leaders._ Since the dawn of our history, hunters are seen as icons of morality, the bearers of our ideals and our strength, no matter where we come from, who we were born to, or where we are now, we carry a torch; illuminating the darkness of the future as we strike forward and lead the people of Remnant towards a better time." His smile fell as a new hologram appeared, one displaying a Newspaper.

The headline read: ' _Crime Wave Grips Vale Ports! Shops destroyed, Dust stolen, people afraid. President Victoria promises to increase security.'_

"But just as we hold the torch, there are those who lurk in the dark. They use fear and violence for personal gain, from the lowliest criminal…"

The hologram switched again, this time to an old newspaper from the Color Wars: ' _Emperor Khan Declares Ban on Colors; Mistral Feeling Grey! King Oscar condemns, but Atlas stays quiet!'_

"... To the most well-intentioned king." Oobleck shut the hologram off, slowly moving to the center of the room to look up to his students. "I have taken this job to teach you, our future hunters–our future torch-bearers–what it means to be a person of Remnant, both in the past and now, the inalienable rights of Remnant, and how our history has shaped our present. With this knowledge, I have hope that each and every single one of you will step out into the world knowing, without a doubt, your right from your wrong, and actively strive not to repeat the mistakes our ancestors made."

The room was quiet, mulling over his words, and Oobleck suddenly stomped his foot.

"That said, prepare to take your notes!" He was off like a shot, reappearing by the map, the pointer in his hand wobbling from the speed. The classroom was filled with the sounds of shuffling bags, rustling paper, and the testing taps of mechanical pencils as Oobleck went off at light speed. "Picture this: Vale, only one hundred and eight years after the establishment of our capital, the winter is harsh, food is scarce, the bread lines stretch across three blocks, the king missing for the fourth week in a row…"

The scratching of pencils filled the hall as Dr. Oobleck poured in the facts and figures. Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss wrote mechanically, neat notes with indentations to designate a relation to the topic and room in the margins for extra notes. Blake filled her pages from the heading area to the margins, writing in quick, fast scribbles that ignored the standard procedure, utilizing years of frantic recording. Nora chewed her pencil, waiting for a name, a date, and what they did. Jaune stared in bewilderment as he tried to write down names, numbers, facts, and figures, but mostly ended up with an incomplete mess. Yang wrote with fine handwriting, not going the extra mile as Weiss did, but her organization was good and had just enough fluff in case she needed to do extra credit.

Ruby was on her third page already. Her hand moved like a mechanical arm, recording every last word the professor spoke, sweat beading on her forehead, her tongue stuck out from between her lips. She filled each page as best she could as she strained her ears and listened to Dr. Oobleck.

She had to give Beacon her one-hundred percent, no less. She'd lucked her way in here, there was going to be no give and all take. Her hand ached, but she continued to write, she had to absorb _everything…_

It was like Professor Goodwitch told her, she was being tested above everyone else here. She was the youngest student at Beacon, and with the most dangerous semblance. She needed her professors to see that she was serious and _tame._

She would get good grades, perform her best, and prove her worth as a huntress.

An hour flew by, and Doctor Oobleck concluded his lesson by tapping away at a console on his desk. "Everyone, keep your notes available, we are now moving on to classwork! If you and your partner are not sitting next to each other, arrange it so that you are. Your pairings will be sharing classwork grades, but all homework and tests are scored individually." Holographic displays popped up in front of each pair of students displaying the Vale continent, and under a drop bar was a list of twenty names of people, events, and locations. "Your classwork today will be to pin each of the given keywords to their appropriate location, as close as you can get it, and put a brief–and by brief I mean _one paragraph_ –summary of each keyword. Keywords may share locations. Remember to use your notes _and your teammates,_ but be wary of matching entries!"

Ruby looked to her left. Weiss and Yang were already switching seats to sit next to their respective partners. Weiss looked into Ruby's goggles, "I'm hoping you took notes?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned her notebook's pages back. "Because I am willing to _share_ notes, but if you expect me to allow you to copy mine after the fact-"

"N-no no! I have them!" Ruby showed Weiss her notes. Weiss looked over the scrawled, though legible words with a discerning eye, and a slow frown formed. "Are-are they okay?"

"You only need the important parts, not every last scrap of detail." Weiss pointed out, but let it go with a sigh. "Anyways, let's start from the top." She took the first keyword out of the drop bar: Admiral Jameson Bravo. Dr. Oobleck's lesson had covered a number of events that happened between Vale's founding and its slow rise to power, and, thankfully, the events seemed to be in order in the drop bar.

' _While Vale was initially considered impenetrable due to the advantage Grimm had over early settlers, Admiral Jameson Bravo was the first explorer into Vale to make use of a military company equipped with Dust-enhanced weaponry. Though he had suffered heavy losses, he created the first self-sustaining fortification able to harvest and trade Vale's natural resources.'_

"Is that agreeable?" Weiss asked, leaning away from the holoboard. The event was tied to a spot on the eastern Vale peninsula, where Oobleck had pointed to during the lesson.

Ruby leaned in to read, and quietly nodded. "O-okay, I guess I'll take the next one…"

" _Don't_ guess." Weiss ordered sternly, making Ruby flinch. "If you're to be our leader, you must be sure of yourself." Weiss's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized Ruby. Ruby didn't say anything, she just bobbed her head and shivered as she took the next event: The Eighth Grimm Extermination Act.

Ruby dragged the event from the dropdown menu to pin it on the city of Mistral, meticulously adjusting it a few times until she felt it was perfect, then she leaned over the holoboard curiously. Her hands hovered above it for a moment before resting on it, as if she was trying to position herself for a real keyboard, but being composed of light, the holoboard flashed with numerous confirmed key presses that caused the typing box on the screen to explode into a string of nonsensically connected symbols. The young lady's frightened squeak drew a small look of shock from Weiss, until Ruby scanned the holoboard and rest her finger on the backspace button until the box was empty again. Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Ruby curled her hands into little fists as she reexamined the keyboard.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked with a suspicious expression, as if Ruby was somehow tricking her. "It's like a _solid_ keyboard, just don't put your hands on it." She informed Ruby, only slightly hopeful that was all Ruby was having trouble with.

"R-right." Ruby bobbed her head. After a moment of thought, she pressed the letter _I,_ so the textbox simply read 'i' _,_ and Ruby swiftly deleted it with a quick swallow. Ruby stared back down at the keyboard, tapped the shift button, and hit _I_ again, creating another 'i'. Ruby blinked at the lowercase letter, then meekly turned to Weiss, whose expression was as stoney as they came, "... H-how do I m-make upper-c-case let-tters?" Ruby asked in a tiny voice.

"Do you not know how to use the _shift_ key?" Weiss asked in a dumbfounded tone. With a squeak of embarrassment, Ruby looked back at the holoboard and tapped shift again, repeating her mistake and making a second lower-case _i._

"I-it's not _working."_ Ruby mumbled, and Weiss silently lifted a hand to rest a finger on the shift button, _then_ hit the I. An 'I' popped up on the screen, and Ruby blinked, glancing down at Weiss's hand, then up at the screen twice. "I-... I h-hold it?" Ruby asked hopefully, and Weiss's eyes turned into a dangerous squint.

"They teach you how to use a keyboard in _elementary school."_ Weiss's nostrils flared, and somehow, someway, Ruby managed to look even more pathetic as her hands balled up together tightly. "You…" Weiss's lips thinned as she tried to restrain herself from growing angry… well, angrier if she was honest with herself, "Your school _did_ have a keyboard class, _right?"_

"N-no…" Ruby's expression curdled with terrible shame, and she did her best to look at a spot on the desk that she didn't feel was judging her, "I-I was h-homes-schooled… u-um… w-we d-don't have a-a computer…"

It was ridiculous. Weiss stared at Ruby silently for a long while, staring at her team _leader_ wilting under the revelation that she'd be working with a basic piece of technology that most of the world had been suffused with for the past half-century. Weiss had been typing since before she had started writing, Vale was _not_ Vacuo, electricity was abundant, technology was rampant!

Her _leader_ was completely confounded by the _shift key._ A dark part of her mind wanted to see if Ruby would break completely if she began explaining what the row of function keys all did...

Weiss made a pair of fists, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath as her jaw jut out in annoyance. Ruby was ignorant, _that_ much was obvious, but she had her notes. She was not a total _dunce,_ but Weiss couldn't help but feel like she was the victim of a prank, it was a _keyboard!_

She had to dial it back. Somebody with a power and eyes as phenomenally dangerous as Ruby's had to be treated with the utmost care, of course she was isolated from certain things like… a _keyboard..._

So Weiss took a deep breath, pulled her chair closer to Ruby, and taking the position of an educator–a _leader_ as it were–she beckoned Ruby to lean over the keyboard with her. "Ruby, you've texted, correct?" Weiss asked pointedly, and with a scrambling nod, Ruby pulled out her scroll as if it were proof, "Good. A texting screen is just a condensed keyboard; don't focus on _everything,_ we only need to care about all the buttons on the left side of the keyboard."

"B-but that's like _all_ o-of the keyboard!" Ruby whimpered, only to gulp in compliance at Weiss's sharpened glare. "O-okay…"

" _Now_ then…" Weiss sighed, stretching her fingers out before beginning a basic typing lesson.

In fifteen or so minutes, Ruby had written her first, fully completed paragraph on a computer: ' _In 012, Mistral's acting treasurer Yatta Mondala created an act that paid hunters to exterminate Grimm en masse in Vale. Sending scribes to record the number of slain Grimm, hunters were rewarded 50 lien per kill. This job was dangerous for both hunter and scribe, but paid each extremely well for their services.'_

Ruby sat back with a heavy sigh, staring at the screen with an exhausted expression on what was visible on her face. "O-okay, you g-get the next one."

"No." Weiss answered as Ruby blanched.

"B-but-"

"If we are going to be doing work together, I expect _basic_ competence with note-taking and computers. Now, hands on the keyboard, _do it again."_ Weiss ordered, disgruntled by her supposed leader. Ruby hesitated, but sighed in defeat and put her hands on the holoboard. "Good. Now, Abarem Town; _don't hit caps lock."_

Ruby did as she was told, albeit slowly. For eighteen more terms. Weiss noted that Ruby's information was factually correct, she had a solid grasp on sentence structure and an above-average vocabulary, but she had to be reminded repeatedly how to use shift, how to turn off capslock, where the punctuation was… it was the most backwards thing Weiss had ever seen, her answers were entirely satisfactory otherwise.

Ruby frowned at her sore fingers, stretching them slowly. She had the dexterity necessary for scythe-work, but the stress of learning strained her digits just as much as it did her mind. Weiss corrected a few tidbits of otherwise negligible detail in Ruby's answers, but otherwise didn't deride any of Ruby's work. "Well, it all seems fine…"

"Girls." Ruby and Weiss glanced up to Dr. Oobleck. He sipped from his thermos, and Ruby and Weiss both noticed most of the students were kicked back, screens off. Blake and Yang were standing with team JNPR, Yang getting a hearty laugh out of Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha, while Blake began to turn green from sipping Ren's water bottle as he extolled the virtues of cordyceps and ground almonds. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine." Weiss nodded, though her eyes shifted to Ruby.

"A-are you s-still mad at us?" Ruby asked in a tiny voice, barely able to meet the good doctor's eye..

" _Utterly furious,_ but more importantly, I want to know how you're handling the work. It wasn't a particularly difficult assignment." He leaned between them both and examined their blurbs. "Mhmm, everything _seems_ in order…"

"I c-can't type very well." Ruby admitted softly, her pale face soft with disappointment. Weiss sighed thickly as Dr. Oobleck raised an eyebrow.

"She's… unfamiliar with the common keyboard, so we took some extra time to familiarize her." Weiss said, still focusing on Ruby. Oobleck hummed thoughtfully.

"I see! Well, we'll determine whether or not it affects your grade when I actually grade it." He stood straight and absent-mindedly rubbed his bald chin. He turned to focus on Ruby, and cleared his throat to get her to look at him. "You shouldn't be afraid to admit your faults. We all have areas of expertise and things we've never learned. I am a hunter, a decorated scholar, and can pilot anything from a skiff to a military-class bullhead, but I have _never_ driven a car, nor have I learned how." He grew a lopsided smirk at their stunned looks. "What matters is that you try, and you are receptive to learning more."

Weiss frowned at her hands as Ruby squared up, smiling in quiet understanding. Weiss spoke up. "But, Doctor, aren't there certain… _expectations_ placed on hunters? Even if we open ourselves up to learning beyond our capabilities, something like knowing how to use a _computer_ seems important to already _know."_

"Mm, true, but many people still make use of the old-fashioned way." Dr. Oobleck examined his thermos' contents, taking a quick sip before continuing. "I had a young lady four years ago, a faunus from Menagerie. She was sharp, perceptive, good in class, but had religious reasons to not use a computer. All her classwork, homework, and tests were done on paper, she was a fantastic cartographer and had very neat handwriting, but absolutely refused to use a computer."

"Oh!" Ruby perked up. "A-a Naturalist. Was she a pre- or p-post-Fang?" Ruby asked curiously, and Oobleck gave Ruby a pleased look.

"Ugh, of all the movements to come out of Menagerie; an anti _-technology_ one…" Weiss all but sneered at the thought, but Oobleck continued without acknowledging the complaint.

"Post-Fang, so she was perfectly fine with enhanced weaponry! In fact, she was one of the best duelists in her year, using a crossbow of all things!" Oobleck chuckled as Ruby's jaw dropped, and Weiss's eyes widened.

"A _crossbow_ duelist? Did it have a spear attached? Transform into an axe?" Weiss probed, and Oobleck shook his head.

"Just a regular, electrically-powered crossbow with both standard, metal bolts and dust-canister bolts. She had a talent for trick-shots, _fantastic_ to see in a fight, always brought a crowd, but as I said, opposed using computers. Anyways, three years into her tenure at Beacon, she receives a letter from Ba'Rin Tinsam, her religious leader. The good Ba'Rin had declared that things like computers and scrolls would be a necessity if they wished to keep up with the modern world, but strictly for use in communication, education, and news. Needless finery such as wasteful social media and any form of electronic entertainment was regarded as excessive. Their religion still forbids cars, airships, and artificially-powered watercraft, but suddenly she had computers in her life! She and her team used to come to my room after classes and spend hours teaching her how to use a computer and keyboard."

Ruby and Weiss both nodded as Oobleck looked off wistfully, and Weiss straightened her skirt impatiently. "And?" She asked.

"The point is," Oobleck continued after refocusing on the two, "we had a girl who adamantly refused to use our resources until her second-to-last year. Despite this, she excelled. She was intelligent, clever, powerful, and well-spoken, and when it came time to learn about computers, she was open-minded, and her team sacrificed their personal time to help her learn. If I am not mistaken, they are still signed up together today, their bond stronger than ever." He knelt, just enough to be on the girls' levels, and glanced between them with a small smile. "Help each other. _Learn._ Pride will be your downfall in the field, so if you feel unprepared, use each other, use your _team,_ and use your _school._ It's not stupid at all to admit your weaknesses." The intercom chimed as the class came to a close, and Oobleck stood swiftly. "Welp! That wraps up this class. Everyone have a good rest of your first day, there's a test this Friday! Do be on time next class, team _wrecking ball!"_

" _Hey!"_ Yang snapped, but Blake slapped a hand over her partner's mouth, while Ruby and Weiss hurried to help drag the angry blonde out the door before she could get them into any more trouble.

* * *

"Weiss?" Ruby whispered, wiggling her rubber-gloved hands. "I. Am. A. _Scientist!"_ She whispered in awe.

"... Don't be stupid." Weiss set her clear, plastic goggles around her eyes and tightened the apron around her waist.

Ruby and Weiss, following the crowd of students from the wall hooks in the back of the classroom, made their way to an empty table alongside Blake and Yang. Blake did not seem pleased with the eyewear and adjusted them frequently, while Yang immediately took ahold of a set of tongs. Ruby squeaked and flailed her hands playfully as the blonde tried to snag her nose.

"I'm gonna getcha!"

"Yang, stop!"

"I'm gonna _getcha!"_

"Noooooo!"

" _I'm gonna getcha!"_

"Eek!"

" _Girls!"_ Weiss slapped her hands down onto the table, her cheek twitching. Yang stopped to glance at Weiss curiously, Ruby's nose caught in the tongs. "Stop. Playing. _Around."_ Weiss ordered, visibly frustrated.

"Bud why?" Ruby slurred, flicking the tongs to signal Yang to let her go.

"We're in _school!_ Were practically adults! We can't juu _uuuub-"_ Weiss glared at Blake, the smug, smiling black-haired girl having pulled Weiss's bottom lip out comically using the table's second set of tongs, leaving both Ruby and Yang giggling madly. Weiss briefly turned into an enraged windmill as her arms flew about, grabbing all the tools-turned-toys out of everyone's hands and holding them to her chest with an overly dramatic glare. "Act. Your. _Age."_ She hissed warningly.

"Is that an order?" Yang asked, leaning closer with a cocky smile. "'Cuz, y'know, the only person who can give orders is the team _leader!"_ Yang ribbed Weiss. The heiress's glare turned much harsher as her rage mounted.

"Well unless she starts _acting_ like it then _maybe_ we should have somebody who will _step up!"_ Weiss hissed unhappily, and Yang just gave a thoughtful hum.

"Sounds like a mutiny! Okay, so, in that case, let's put it to a vote! Who wants Weiss as a leader?" Yang asked the table. Weiss raised her hand, and her brow knit together grumpily as she looked between the other three. Ruby, for her part, just looked ashamed. "And who votes for Ruby?!" Yang asked, throwing her hand into the air. Blake followed suit, while Ruby just stared at her lap meekly. "Ruby's still our acting leader!" Yang beamed.

"Yaaaaay…" Ruby mumbled and twirled a finger, and Weiss turned her head away to not meet their smug stares, but her expression was red and tight.

"Okay class!" Professor Peach announced from up front. Ruby and Weiss continued to pout, even as they turned towards their teacher. Professor Peach had her long hair kept tame in numerous micro-dreadlocks, then tied off in a ponytail behind her head. Ruby noted that her outfit hadn't changed much from two days ago: her tank top and baggy pants remained, but an apron was tugged up to her neck and tied tightly around her thick waist. "Let's start with introductions: I'm Professor Peridot Peach, but Professor Peach will be fine. From now until you graduate, I am your go-to source on anything Dust-related." She gestured to the desk in front of her. At one end was a sink, but strewn across the rest of it was vials filled with numerous different-colored Dusts and all sorts of glass bulbs and plastic tubes used in creating small, personalized batches. "You wanna mix Dust? You get the kits from me. You wanna activate your license on campus? You ask me. You wanna order Dust? All requests go through _me,_ and yes, I saw some of you trying to get your hands on 'combat-enhancement' Dust already, so don't think I'm not paying attention!"

Ruby pressed her pencil to her paper in anticipation of the lesson's start. She had _never_ been very good with Dust. Her whole family relied more on fighting power than dust enhancement of any sort, usually using store-bought bullets. Yang had to do a few take-home experiments and record the results for Signal, and Ruby quickly learned how dangerous it could be when she got a little too nosey.

"So, Dust… As I'm sure you know, Dust is used for everything." Professor Peach tapped a button on her desk, and, as with Oobleck's class, a holoscreen popped up above the desk. A scroll, a car, an airship, and a flaming sword were on display. "Modern transportation, communication, and combat would be impossible without the discovery, refinement, and advanced mutation of Dust. You see, kids, Dust is potential energy in physical form, and _any_ form of energy is _power._ With the discovery of Dust, civilization became possible, as we became powerful enough to fight the Grimm."

The screen changed. Ruby blinked slowly, trying to take in the visuals of the Dust-making process, from the boiling vials of multicolored grains to the liquidized slurry being poured into vibrating mixers. Professor Peach took a vial of red Dust on her desk and poured a little more than a handful into a glass bowl. The class watched as she tossed a lit match into the bowl. A few gasps and coos of delight came from the class as the inside of the bowl instantly ignited, more powerfully than a mere match could have caused. The flame roared and howled, barely out of touch of the ceiling as Professor Peach casually sipped from a water bottle, then picked up a vial of golden dust in her mechanical hand.

"As I said, Dust is power, and power is _change."_ Her mechanical hand entered the flame fearlessly and poured in a portion of the golden Dust. The flame briefly jumped, turning a vibrant yellow, then suddenly froze. The roar and crackle of the flame died, the heat vanished, and the goldish, spiky pillar in the bowl stood still. Ruby silently set her pencil down and plopped her face in between her hands as she stared. "What if I told you that I petrified _heat?"_

Somebody in the back spoke up, "Isn't that impossible?"

"Not when _Dust_ gets involved _!"_ Professor Peach looked pleased as she flicked the flask of golden Dust with her normal hand. "Many of you are probably familiar with the basics: fire, cold, electricity, earth, air, gravity, and empowerment Dust. However, in laboratories today, we are creating stronger, more potent Dust using the Schnee-Xing process. Class, prepare to write." A scramble of pencils put to paper, and Professor Peach went on. "Schnee Dust Company employee Dr. Mana Yun Xing cracked the code of laboratory-created Dust thirty-eight years ago. By employing advanced chemistry using household things such as table salt, water, iron, fire, and enough vibration capable of setting off an earthquake detector three floors down, we can create flawless, ready-to-use Dust inside the safety of our cities."

Blake raised her hand. "Doesn't this make the dust mines obsolete?" She asked. Weiss huffed.

"Of _course_ not." Weiss answered, suddenly standing as the class and the professor turned their attention to her. "The Schnee-Xing method has created extraordinary results, but in limited quantities. Professor Peach, that thermal petrification Dust you used, am I wrong in saying that it took two weeks and around four thousand lien to create?" She asked, crossing her arms in a way that dared to be challenged.

Professor Peach grinned. "Leave it to Weiss Schnee! That is correct." Professor Peach held up the vial triumphantly, and nodded for Weiss to sit. "I was offered this generous sample from Dr. Yun Xing himself, to show my classes how far Dust has come since we were savages throwing exploding rocks at each other. This Dust is extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming, and has a shelf-life of approximately two and a half weeks, _but,_ you are looking at the future in fire-fighting should we cut that all down. Eight gallons of this can petrify your average house fire." Professor reached up, snapped off one of the golden tendrils outside the bowl, and crushed it between her hands, creating gentle wafts of harmless smoke. "And it can be safely disposed of by grinding it down into harmless ash, break down in the wild, and join the rest of the used dust particles in seeding the land."

Professor Peach tossed the petrified fire into a trash can and reclaimed her bowl. She changed the holoscreen to a set of figures that made Ruby's brain ache: chemical symbols and numbers filled the screen, and Professor Peach planted her hands on her wide hips and beamed. "We have several Schnee-Xing tumblers at this school, thanks to the Schnee Education Foundation's generous donations. As our future hunters, it is important for each of you to understand up-and-coming technology as well as old techniques. We will be going step-by-step over creating the most basic and important Dust to a Hunter's repertoire: _explosive Dust._ And, just like in cooking, do it _right_ and homemade is _better_ than mass market crap." That caused an excited stir to emerge from the class, and Yang in particular looked in love already.

" _Better?! Tell me your secrets, magic woman."_ Yang growled amorously, rubbing her hands together in anticipation while Ruby began to shiver and choked down a whine.

"Make sure you are with your partner for this! One of you will come up to gather the materials and equipment you need, you'll be given a reference chart in case you need help identifying Dust! Remember, this is an effort with your partner, so be sure to split duties accordingly!" Professor Peach called over the students as they began to move.

Ruby gulped heavily and looked to Weiss, the heiress already drawing on a piece of paper. "Ruby, do you have _any_ experience with Dust making, or mixing at the very least?" She asked in what sounded like an accusing tone, making Ruby balls her hands up nervously.

"N-n-no, n-not really. U-um-um, m-my family u-usually b-bought the b-bullets…" She was pale around her goggles, and Weiss looked up momentarily to examine Ruby's face.

"... You're stuttering more than usual. Are you okay?" She raised an eyebrow, and Ruby shook her head.

"I'm not g-g-go-good with Dust! I-I t-tend to, um, b-blow up…"

Yang spoke up, while running her hand along Ruby's back and giving Weiss a pointed stare that ordered, rather than pleaded, for Weiss to dial it back. "Ruby and Dust don't get along very well. We've… we've tried."

"Well, mixing…" Weiss's brow furrowed, and then her eyebrows popped up in inspiration. "You said you've made cookie dough, Dust mixing is a lot like cooking."

"Except cookie dough doesn't _explode."_ Ruby squeaked fearfully. "A-and Yang makes _w-way_ b-better cookie dough th-than I do. I-I just- I mean- I kn-knew I'd _h-have_ to but I-I'm n-nervous and-"

"Look…" Weiss's hand twitched. With a small, unsure expression, she carefully rested her hand on Ruby's shoulder to try and calm her down, awkwardly stroking her like a particularly dirty pet. "I've been working with Dust all my life…" She thought back to Oobleck's words, and tried to console herself that this was the right thing to do, she was establishing herself as the team leader over this stuttering, stammering young thing. "I'll help you. I always excelled in mixing, all _you_ need to do is follow my instructions." Despite Weiss's words, Ruby still didn't look sure about herself. "Don't look so down on yourself. Look, we'll…" Weiss paused, took a deep breath through her nostrils, and tried to not rush things. If Ruby needed help, then she'd provide it… that was what a leader _did._ "... We'll take it slow."

Of course, life was not as promising as Weiss was.

" _... How?"_ Weiss wheezed, a black puff of smoke escaping her mouth. She lifted her soot-coated goggles to stare down at the molten and still burning pile of debris that was once a chemistry set on the table, and Ruby carefully pulled herself out of Blake's shaking arms. The taller girl was stiff as a board and nearly as pale as Weiss in silent terror.

"I _t-told_ y-you I s-sucked…" Ruby frowned as she stared at the smoldering glassware. Yang took her partner by the shoulders and sat her down, trying to get her to focus on their work, as if oblivious to how close to _immolation_ they'd all just come.

"Incoming! Outta my way!" Professor Peach roared, her voice piercing the shocked silence that hung over the class. Fire extinguishing foam bathed Ruby's and Weiss's Dust remnants, and the professor pushed her goggles up her forehead with a frown. "Alright, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, front desk, _let's talk."_

Weiss stood with a mortified expression on her face, Ruby looking so far beyond embarrassed that her neck was sinking into her shoulders. Professor Peach sat at her desk while giving them both a withering stare as the class behind the two girls snickered below their breath.

"Okay, so, what step were you at?" Peach asked, looking into both of their eyes.

"W-well…" Weiss gulped, then shot a sharp glare at Ruby that punctured what little self-confidence the younger girl had left. "We refined the fire Dust with the lemon juice and sieved the hard particles out, I was mixing the enhancing components away from the Dust, and then, then _you_ —" Weiss's embarrassment was soon taken over by genuine anger as the the redhead felt about an inch high.

"I-I was following instructions, I swear!" Ruby squeaked. "I-I-I was warming the water a-and had j-just f-f-finished a-adding the b-b-brown s-sugar to the n-nitroglycerin, then I p-picked up the f-fire Dust to m-mix with the en-enhancing compo-ponents and it just _exploded!"_

Professor Peach hummed. "Did you shake the flask?"

"No!" Ruby shook her head.

"Did you add anything you weren't supposed to?" Weiss crossed her arms and glowered.

"No! I-it was _just_ the Dust!" Ruby whimpered feebly.

"... Alright Ruby." Professor Peach sipped from her water bottle and stood up. She took a small vial of rustic-red Dust and held it out to Ruby. "Hold this."

"... Why?!" Ruby asked in growing panic.

"We start with the simplest solutions first." Ruby meekly reached out to take ahold of the glass. "The most probable reasons are a Dust contamination or a mishandling of the glassware, but there _is_ also the possibility that—" Peach's eyes narrowed as she saw a flicker of protective black encase Ruby's arm as she watched the vial with fear. The Dust in the tube suddenly sparked, then erupted in a flash of light, a billow of smoke, and a flare of heat that made Ruby turn into a statue of petrified horror, "... you aren't controlling your Aura." Peach finished with a disappointed look.

Ruby wilted as Weiss's eyes turned cold. "I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered.

"I- I _can't-"_ Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath, and straightened up, "Professor Peach, may I get a drink, please?" She asked in a tightly constrained voice, and after a second of thought, Peach bobbed her head.

"Granted, but don't take too long." Peach warned her. Without another word, Weiss walked past Ruby and straight for the door, leaving the classroom without even removing her lab wear. Ruby all but melted in humiliation, and had to lean against Peach's desk, one hand to her face.

Her eyes burned, she tried so hard to not tear up, but a few, small, achey hiccups escaped her. With a sigh, her professor took the black-stained vial and set it in her desk sink. She beckoned Ruby with her normal arm to follow her to a different door. Ruby followed her into her office, her head down, aching to remove her goggles so she could rub at her damp eyes.

Book shelves lined every wall where there wasn't a filing cabinet. Above each shelf were different posters, each one dedicated to chemical compounds, formulas, mnemonic phrases for laboratory safety, and famed quotes from scientists across Remnant's history. Professor Peach's office desk was littered with books, and Ruby half-noted that every tome in the room was centered around scientific pursuits as opposed to storybooks; everything from artificial limbs, to vehicles, to Dust, to what the scientists had discovered from the very stars themselves.

Ruby's watering eyes focused on a small device sitting on Professor Peach's desk, which sort of looked like a crane on top of a tiny nutcracker, with an empty plastic bag at one end. Ruby's woes were momentarily forgotten as she stared at the little machine, and Professor Peach pulled the bag off, giving Ruby a chance to read what was on it: 'Vale Farm's Sunflower Seeds.'

Ruby blinked as Professor Peach set a bowl in front of the device, hooked up a bag full of seeds to the back of it, and hit a button. The professor smiled fondly as it clicked, and a sunflower seed was sucked between the crackers, the shell crushed as the two flat surfaces pushed together, and the crane dipped down and flicked the edible innards into the bowl. And just like that, every second, a new seed was flicked into the bowl. Ruby watched, transfixed at the tiny little machine's repetitive, but precise motions.

"Like it?" Professor Peach asked with a little smile, "I made it some eighteen years ago." She chuckled as Ruby leaned close, her mouth a small, curious little 'o'.

"You made this?" Ruby whispered.

"Back when I was a student at Beacon I used to eat sunflower seeds by the handful! Well, I mean, I wanted to but the stupid shells were always in the way. That, and I got a bad toothache because I was an idiot who didn't brush her teeth." Professor Peach smirked wryly at the memory, taking a seed out of the bowl and popping it into her mouth. She chewed once, then swallowed. "I wanted sunflower seeds, so I got mad, got the parts, and made myself _this._ Every second, something to nibble on. It is probably the most _useless_ thing in the world." Her smile grew as she said it.

"But it's neat…" Ruby watched it pull, shell, and flick seed after seed, the simplistic mechanical motions doing their job perfectly each time. "Y-you just… _made_ this to shell sunflower seeds? _Just_ sunflower s-seeds?"

"Like I said, useless." Professor Peach sounded thoroughly proud of the declaration. "But it's not like I paid for it, and it still works eighteen years later."

"That's not useless." Ruby frowned, looking up to her professor. "I-I mean, it does its job. Err… I guess I-I wouldn't buy it…" She poked the little contraption.

"Mhmm. My professors at the time laughed and called me a genius. I had the most simple of problems, I could have fixed it with a hammer, but no, I went a little crazy and made something dumb just because I could." Professor Peach ate another seed, and sighed. "I think that's what makes humanity so great. Sometimes, we do stupid, brave, and weird stuff just because we can, and it _works,_ and because it _worked_ we now have things like airships."

"Uh huh." Ruby nodded, looking at the bowl with her lips pursed. "Can… can I?..."

"Sure, sure, go ahead sweetie, eat up." Peach nodded, and Ruby began to nibble at the seeds hungrily. Professor Peach watched her student eat curiously, letting out a small sigh. Ruby was still such a young thing, and Peach empathized with her unpreparedness, but certain precautions had to be taken, and Ruby was not ready. "So, I can think of one of two things…" Professor Peach started, drumming her fingers thoughtfully. "Either you got one hell of an active aura—and considering what you can do I'm not willing to overlook that possibility—or you're nervous."

Ruby's shoulders sank, bunching up as she frowned and nodded slowly. "I-I think I'm j-just nervous…"

"And why's that, sweetie? Dust is potent stuff, but no reason to be nervous. You can't let little aura flare-ups like you had into the lab happen, Dust is ready to _jump_ when it feels too strong of a surge." Peach gave her best consoling smile, but Ruby shook her head.

"I-I can't help it! When it's sealed in bullets and stuff it's _fine,_ b-but I always had trouble with raw Dust. I just… I m-mean, I b-blew myself up as a kid, and w-with my Aura..." Ruby's head hung low, and Professor Peach tapped the desk with one of her metal fingers.

"With your Aura, you call it up the moment you feel in danger." Peach guessed, and Ruby didn't contradict her. "So you have a vial of Dust in your hand, your partner's the princess of Dust, you've got your grade on the line, and you think back to that moment you blew up, so even if you tell yourself you don't need Aura, your soul sees right through you and shines its light anyway…" She continued, and again, no contradiction. "Listen Ruby…" Peach nudged the bowl closer to Ruby, so she'd glance up and look at the pile of seeds inside. "You're talented. The headmaster wouldn't let you in otherwise. You weren't brought in because you knew what you were doing, but because there's so much more you can learn." The professor closed her eyes and thoughtfully pieced together what to say. "Don't feel ashamed. You have every right to be _wrong_ here at Beacon, it is our job to correct you so that you become stronger, and wiser."

"But… b-but now Weiss is angry at me." Ruby chewed her lower lip, eyes closed tightly behind her goggles. "W-we'd just become friends, an-and she's a _Schnee,_ th-this is probably as easy as t-tying her shoes to her, and I-I'm h-her p-partner so sh-she's gonna get a c-crappy grade! And-and…" Ruby sniffled. "I w-worked so hard to get her trust; I f-feel like I accidentally kicked a puppy…"

Professor Peach smiled to try and lighten the girl's misery, then reached out with her normal hand to rub Ruby's knuckles. "Look sweetie, Weiss might be mad right now, but I doubt she _hates_ you. The Schnees tend to be prickly, but they aren't _terrible_ people, though an argument could be made against the current administration…"

"What's…" Ruby looked up with a small frown. "What's going on with them anyways? I hear all these rumors…"

Peach stopped her with a halting palm. "Not my place to say." Peach sighed. "There's rumors, half-truths, stuff too nasty to be true, and some legitimate bad business, and I'm afraid of trying to guess what's true and false. Look, ask Weiss. If she's anything like her aunts, uncles, and cousins, then she'll just love talking about her family."

"If she'll e-even _talk_ to me…"

Peach just gave Ruby a smile. "You gotta try, Ruby. That's all we ask of you here at Beacon, and all Weiss can hope for from you: to _try._ We're going to work on your Dust control and those shakey nerves, m'kay?"

Ruby hesitated, staring down at her clenched fists, but then gave a very small nod.

After some cooling down, Weiss head back to the classroom while pressing the tips of her fingers against her temple, trying to soothe away the anger. Ruby was _young,_ _new_ to all of this, even if, by her admittance here, she should have the _expected skills._ No matter what, however, blowing up wasn't going to solve either of their problems, especially, as Weiss recalled, all it did was make Ruby stand around and babble foolishly.

She sipped from a can of orange soda she'd bought from a vending machine near the restrooms and sighed as she approached the doors to the lab. Truly, she was being tested. Her partner, her _leader,_ a young, ditzy, little girl who hadn't used a computer and made Dust blow up just by being near it. Weiss grumbled silently. If Ruby wasn't such a nice person, she'd be unbearable, and Weiss had already vowed to be her partner in front of both Ruby _and_ the Headmaster.

Weiss stopped mid-stride, quietly staring into her canned drink as she wondered… was it possible that Ruby's control of the Grimm caused Dust reactions?... She shook her head and continued forward. An absurd notion. The proximity of Grimm didn't cause Dust mines to go haywire, Dust responded to natural forces and aura. It all came down to just Ruby.

Weiss opened the door to the classroom, resolving to herself to make the explosive Dust all by herself and let Ruby observe. She wanted something presentable, and she'd be damned if she walked out of her first _Dust_ class with anything less than an A+. Ruby, at least, would get to learn through observation. She looked past the rows of lazing students, casually chatting among each other, to her table and watched as Ruby took a deep, calming breath and carefully corked a flask of red-and-orange Dust. Weiss paused, staring at the young girl set the flask on the table, Blake and Yang smiling down at her by her side.

"I-I did it…" Ruby whispered, appraising her work apprehensively.

"Good job Ruby! Dad'll be happy to hear his coffee table's not in danger anymore." Yang put on an amused smile, while Ruby's cheeks puffed up indignantly.

"I'd say it looks like A-material to me. Go show the professor." Blake ordered, a small smile on her face. Ruby bobbed her head and picked up the flask. She walked around the desk, keeping as calm as she could. Her head finally turned, her eyes meeting Weiss's, and she froze in place.

Ruby looked at Weiss, Weiss looked at Ruby, and Weiss suddenly lunged, pulling the flask out of Ruby's hands a split second before her aura flared around her entire body out of sheer apprehension of her partner's scorn. "I can seriously read you like a _book."_ Weiss admonished, hand on her hip as Ruby flinched. "You look wretched! You need to keep your aura in check, you know!"

"I-I know…" Ruby shuffled in place as Weiss lifted the flask and stared at the Dust within. Ruby shrank, rubbing her palms together nervously and willing her Aura to sink back under her skin where it belonged as Weiss silently judged the mixture.

"... The striping is off by a centimeter, there's a dud layer at the very bottom, and there's a noticeable amount of unrefined particles at the top." Weiss popped the cork as Ruby tried to babble apologies and excuses. Weiss wafted the scent of the Dust to her nose, breathed deep, and let it out with a sigh. "... The components were correctly mixed, however, and I don't smell _too_ much flavoring." She corked the flask again and handed it over to Ruby. "Shoddy, certainly not superior to a quality store brand, but usable. And it didn't explode, which is a plus." Ruby took the flask in hand, a stunned expression on her face at Weiss's words. "Let's turn it in."

Weiss followed Ruby to the front desk, where Peach took the flask and examined it in much the same way Weiss had. "Hmm, all in all, I'd say this is worth a pretty solid B." Ruby let out a sigh of relief, though Weiss let out a low growl of anger. Peach fought a smirk as Ruby squeaked and edged away from her partner, while Weiss tried to destroy the vial with nothing more than the focused hate of her glare. "However, there's still time before the end of class. If you think you can do better, you can give it anoth—"

Weiss was already dragging a squirming Ruby to the chemicals table, barking instructions for Ruby to watch and touch _nothing_. Professor Peach looked on with an amused smirk. The Grimm Girl and the Schnee… she had a feeling this semester would be talked about for a _long_ time.

Then, somebody started screaming as Yang began juggling several vials of dust she'd gotten from pairs who had finished, and Peach scrambled over before Ruby became an only child.

* * *

"Are these armored?" Blake asked curiously, breaking Ruby from her trance by tapping the front of the oddly shaped desk with her toe.

The grimm studies classroom was a good bit larger than the others; their history classroom didn't have quite so much space between the teacher's desk and the tiered seats. More interestingly were the informative boards on the wall detailing the anatomies and basic information of common Grimm, and several Ruby had never heard of before.

A low ' _twang'_ drew curious glances when Yang kicked the face of one of the bottom row desks, and a pained shiver ran through her as hopped back with a whimper. "Oooh… ow, ow… yeah, definitely armored. _Ow."_

"Should have put your aura on, doofus." Blake smiled, making Yang shoot her a pained grin.

"What, and wreck the whole class? I like to practice restraint, Blakey-pie." Yang winked, and gingerly settled her weight back onto her sore foot.

Just below the ceiling were about a dozen stuffed Grimm heads. Ruby knew they were fake instantly, and not just because Grimm didn't leave behind corpses. The black skin wasn't all-consuming enough, Grimm-hide did not reflect light, while the white was too smooth. Ruby knew the consistency by heart… their pitch black skin wouldn't glimmer and glow as if freshly polished, and the armor was like bone; smooth, for sure, but there was this pale, almost eerie quality to them, like they were ripped straight out of a human body.

"You? _Restraint?_ Don't make me laugh, 'Yangey-pie…' Ick, it doesn't ring the same way." Blake crossed her arms in thought. "Your name is so hard to _work with,_ it's just _Yang."_ Blake huffed, making Yang scratch the back of her head, not sure how to respond. "I mean, Blake leaves so much open for changes at the end, but your name is like the perfect finisher by itself."

"Nuh uh!" Yang raised a finger, "Yang," another finger, "Xiao," and a third, "Long. Yang Xiao Long. It's a triple finish!" Yang wiggled her eyebrows. "It's _super_ rad."

Blake hummed in agreement. "I'm pretty fond of Blake Belladonna. Repetitive sound, beautiful to hear out loud, _really_ rolls off the tongue."

"Oooh, Ruby Rose is pretty good about that too! Weiss Schnee though…" Yang worked her chin as Weiss gave her a withering look, as if _daring_ her to insult her name. "Not that it leaves much to be desired, but Yang Xiao Long has _oomph,_ Blake Belladonna and Ruby Rose just flow, Weiss Schnee…" Yang trailed off, cocking her hip as she struggled for a way to articulate herself.

"Rich girl's name." Blake spoke up.

"T-totally." Ruby chirped as Yang snapped and nodded rapidly, patting Blake on the back for putting words to her thoughts.

"What?" Weiss asked disbelievingly.

"It's a rich girl's name. Vaguely foreign and old-timey, and Schnee's a world-renowned name. It's a rich girl's name." Blake shrugged.

"But what does that _mean?"_ Weiss asked haughtily, hands on her hips.

Blake put on a small, clever grin. "Just that you're probably all up your own ass, stuck-up, a real 'do you know who I _am?'_ sort of attitude…"

"Blake! Don't b-be mean!" Ruby scolded, nervously glancing between her teammates while Yang tried not to giggle.

Weiss jut her jaw out and breathed heavily through her nose. "That's not _true!_ How dare you imply that! Do you know who I-" She stopped, blinked once, then quietly stared down at her hands like her entire life had suddenly been turned on its head.

"My point exactly." Blake chuckled.

Sighing and giving up on trying to stop her team from teasing one another, Ruby privately noted that Professor Port must have had a very good opinion of himself as she checked out the presumably gold bust he had next to his desk, but she glanced up as she felt a presence. Ren bowed his head politely, while Nora clung to his arm with a giddy look.

"Is your day going well so far, Ruby?" He asked in his ever-calm voice, examining her cheeks, mouth, and brow for signs of stress.

"S-sorta…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a tiny frown forming. She let out a strangled yelp as Nora suddenly crushed the younger girl to her. She was suddenly immensely grateful that JNPR had Dust Sciences at a different time than RWBY...

"Oh, you poor thing! Is it the history? Is it the science?! Is it all that writing?!" Nora held up a hand, her forefinger and thumb already a little red. She stuck her tongue out. "It's all so _awful_ isn't it? We came here to kick butt, not take notes!"

"Y-yeah…" Ruby let out weakly as Nora cooed.

"Maybe later we could have a little study-date, just you and me, girlfriend…" Nora let out a suggestive purr, and Ruby was immediately scrambling to escape her grip. "We could compare _notes…"_

Ruby felt a sharp pinch to her bottom, and she rocketed out of Nora's arms. The redhead let out a maniacal laugh as Ren squeezed the bridge of his nose. Ruby looked from Nora, to Pyrrha, whom she was currently clinging to like a baby chimpanzee. Pyrrha blinked down at Ruby, their noses almost touching, and Ruby let go to drop onto her bottom like a rock with a pathetic ' _ow.'_

Rather than be annoyed, Pyrrha gave Ruby a comforting look. "We understand if this is difficult; getting into Beacon early may have left you unprepared you for all of the coursework. If you need any help, Ruby, I'm sure any of us would be glad to lend a hand."

"Yeah! Totally! We all _totally_ understand what we're doing." Jaune puffed his chest up behind Pyrrha, his smile a little too wide, a little too thin. It wasn't like Ruby needed to know that all Jaune did was hand over Dust equipment like some sort of assistant to a car mechanic. "Aaaannnnd who knows, maybe you'll give us a few tips we missed!"

"I doubt it…" Ruby stood slowly, patting her skirt over her backside before Nora could comment. "But thanks. It's w-weird actually _being_ in a school. _Especially_ Beacon." Ruby turned to examine the finely decorated classroom, and let out a wistful sigh. "I still can't believe I m-made it."

Ren bobbed his head quietly. "Nora and I were only briefly schooled before Beacon. We took part in an open-house program for young hunters in order to ascertain some credentials for our manuscripts. Considering its volunteer nature, it was significantly less elaborate or well-maintained."

"Ren and I _hunted_ better lunches than the ones they made for us." Nora grimaced. Ren let out a small, fond sigh, as if relishing the memory.

Ruby nodded, smiling quietly. Jaune, Nora, and Ren began to make their way to their randomly chosen seats, and Ruby turned to join her team when a small ' _ahem'_ caught her attention. She looked up to Pyrrha, and the much taller girl wore a polite, but shy smile. "So it _is_ true, you're fifteen, not seventeen?" Pyrrha asked, hands behind her back.

"Uh huh… c-came in two years early, 'cuz… why not?" Ruby shrugged her shoulders shyly. Pyrrha was a nice girl, but far too good-looking for a conversation's sake. Ruby wondered if the man who designed the Beacon school uniforms liked legs as much as she did, and boy those stockings did not help... She glanced over at her team, noting Weiss's and Blake's bare legs with a blush, but then subtly eyed her sister's shorter stockings. Why couldn't Pyrrha choose a pair that short…? Didn't _everybody_ know that the little flash of thigh was _the_ sexiest thing in the world? "It's really nothing…"

"Oh, but it means quite a bit! Having the skill to keep up with hunters even a year older than you is impressive at this age." Pyrrha tilted her head as she examined Ruby, and it took Ruby a second to pull her eyes up to Pyrrha's face. Pyrrha pretended to not notice. "And with a scythe as well!"

Ruby let out a shy giggle. "Th-that was my uncle's doing, actually, I was super garbage before he helped me. Well, him, m-my dad, my sister, my whole family pitched in to train me, but my uncle taught me how to use a _scythe."_ She mimed spinning the blade around her, and Pyrrha took note of the precise angles and positions of her fingers while she did. It was common for young hunters to shadow their weapon movements, but Pyrrha found herself intrigued by how much of her body Ruby used.

"Ahem…" Pyrrha shifted in place, looking noticeably embarrassed before she seemed to find a comfortable stance. "You… think we could spar some time soon?" Pyrrha asked with the tiniest and most hopeful smile. "I _love_ seeing new weapons and fighting styles, I followed the MRT for years, and I've only seen maybe a handful of hunters bring a scythe into the tournament, with… poor showings, usually."

Ruby gave her a small, sad smile. "I don't think I'll be much help there. I've trained all my life to fight Grimm, not other h-hunters. Well, I've _f-fought_ other hunters but, y'know, super garbage…"

"Still, I'm curious! I mean, you use a great scythe model, correct?" Pyrrha asked, speaking with a rise of excitement in her voice as Ruby bobbed her head.

"Designed after the 1st Mistral Death Legion, in 089!" Ruby's smile turned pleased once again. "The first military division to deploy the great scythe en masse! Th-they also created the official mold for great scythes in the future. They were designed to have far greater killing power than the war scythes used by Vale during the Color Wars."

"But with poor results if I remember correctly; the intimidation factor did _not_ outweigh the skill of the user."

"Yeah, the scythe-user was natural prey to the sword-users of the Zengrove Blade Division, b-b-but there's a trick!" Ruby said, suddenly taking on a firm look, holding her hands out.

"A trick?" Pyrrha asked with raised, curious eyebrows.

"Yeah! See, it's in the pinkie finger, you g-gotta know how to move it _just_ right to let the scythe spin as you extend or shorten your grip on it!" Ruby held an arm out, all her fingers stretched to their full length. "Y-you have to wear smooth materials on your lower arms so you can keep momentum, giving your hand enough time to-"

" _Hello_ future hunters and huntresses of Beacon!" A jolly voice boomed from the door.

"Oooh, show me later?!" Pyrrha asked in a loud whisper. Ruby shot a quick thumbs up, and both girls raced to their seats.

Professor Port all but strutted in with a large musket, holding his chest out to try and shadow his rounded belly, his shoulders squared and thick arms moving with a purposeful strut. He beamed at the class through what seemed to be closed eyes, while notebooks flew open and pencils pressed to blank pages.

He tossed his blunderbuss over his shoulder with practiced ease, ensuring the axe blades didn't come close to brushing flesh or whisker, and he threw a finger out, pointing at the students indiscriminately. "Just yesterday, each and every single one of you proved something irrefutable: that _you_ are hunters! Slayers of Grimm, killers of monsters, banishers of demons, _truer warriors that the world has yet to see!"_ His blunder-axe was swung into his waiting hand, thick fingers affectionately squeezing the barrel. "There is no profession that is more noble, more heroic, more _harrowing_ than Grimm hunting, for we are not fighting mere beasts, nor humans of questionable alignment, we are fighting creatures of _darkness!_ From the youngest Beowolf to the most ancient Nevermore, each of these beasts are defined by their thirst for human destruction! However, while they may have been great and powerful threats in the past, today, they are little more than our prey!"

His hand swung about, pointing to each and every single stuffed Grimm head on the wall. Any student worth their salt would know immediately they were all fakes, but there was still a sense of awe. It was true that there were hunters who embellished their records and claimed great fights; in fact, it was so common that the average layman was suspicious of any great claim without proof. The video age served a great purpose to hunters, as proof of their deeds out in the field were easy to capture and difficult to fake.

However, it was unlikely that a professor at Beacon's records would go uninvestigated, and each stuffed head had a plaque nearby with a name, a date, and an accolade assigned to them. Despite his age, it was clear the man had done plenty to earn his position as a professor of Grimm.

" _I_ am Professor Port!" Their teacher went on, giving them all a whisker-raising smile. "That is, Professor _Peter_ Port! I have been a hunter for over forty years, seen Grimm that dwarfed our largest battleships, and fought Grimm that, to this day, still have no name! I was the receiver of the Mistral Accolade of Great Deeds thrice, and there are still rumors of my work prowling the dunes of Vacuo! But today," he swept his hand out to the numerous black boards, full of detailed chalk drawings of the Grimm, " _today,_ I am your educator on the Creatures of Grimm! I have been in the field studying their habits, captured them to study their anatomy and ferocity, and have slain enough to tell you where their weaknesses lie! If you have questions, I have answers! If you have doubts, I have encouragement! If you have fear, then you and _you alone_ can banish it; from this moment on, exterminating the Grimm are your jobs, and those who fear it do not deserve it!"

He stuck his finger in the air, his blunder-axe over his shoulder in a cocksure manner, as if he was waiting for a round of applause. The classroom remained silent, other than one boy coughing near the back. Professor Port's bushy eyebrows wiggled in annoyance, and he put his weapon on its mount over the blackboard with a subdued grumble.

"Ahem! Anyways, prepare your notes!" Professor Port went to a closet and the class followed his movements as he opened the door and pulled out a life-sized, fake statue of an enormous Boarbatusk. He pulled it to the front of the class and grinned. "It was 512 when I arrived in Clearblue City, though at the time, it was little more than a handful of houses, a mine, and a twinkle of hope in the foreman's eye! It was one of my first missions, and certainly my most dangerous! For little did I know, their operation was being endangered by the Clearblue Killer, an eighty-year old Boarbatusk who could smell the fresh coal, and knew that where there was coal, there were _humans!"_

Weiss tapped at her notebook impatiently. Professor Port was much like her first Grimm Studies mentor: an old, out-of-his-prime hunter who loved to talk about his kills. She'd gleaned some nuggets of info from his ramblings, but the endless prattling about what he'd eaten for breakfast that day made her purse her lips and blow in annoyance.

"—of course, being a Grimm, it was not drawn to the scent of the pork, but the blood of a freshly butchered kill…"

She glanced to her left after making a note of the blood. Ruby was listening intently, and Weiss could almost imagine those… _eyes_ wide with keen interest in the story. She was such a child… Weiss enjoyed stories and fairy tales, but not in a classroom. She had to focus on her goal, not be distracted by… these…

"That's _really_ good." Weiss whispered, leaning closer to Blake. The black-haired girl flinched at her presence, but shook her head as she continued to copy the chalk-drawing of a Nevermore displayed behind Port. There were a few differences in Blake's version–namely, that it was missing a leg–but Weiss was impressed at how accurate it was.

"—should take note that Boarbatusks dig up roots, preferring to nest underneath trees and in dense groves of branches and vines—"

Weiss quickly jotted the information down.

On the other side of Blake, Yang was considering how to approach her own prey. " _Love_ the headgear." She whispered to the girl sitting next to her. The dark-skinned girl blushed at Yang's lascivious smile, subconsciously adjusting her head cover.

"Thank you! My family made it for me after graduating. It's a traditional Vacuo shemagh, hand-woven from sheep's wool, inlaid with Auratic thread." She put on a proud expression that made Yang flutter her eyelids.

"Vacuo, huh? Tell me if I got this right: ' _Unod yaj qin'racash, bonu daga yughraja?'"_ Yang asked in her best accent. Her smile grew with the girl's blush and raising eyebrows.

"That's… _impressive,_ actually. I-I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name?" The girl asked, turning her body enough to better face Yang.

"Yang Xiao Long, sugar, but you can call me ' _mama'_ if you're feeling brave." Yang winked. The girl tried to stifle a shy giggle, while her partner visibly pouted.

Professor Port's story continued; Weiss wrote diligently, Blake moved on to a sketch of a Deathstalker, while Ruby joyfully watched and listened to the Professor's story, squirming excitedly in her seat. Meanwhile, Yang got a scroll number.

"So!" Professor Port clasped his hands in front of his face with an excited quirk of his moustache. An awkward silence filled the room as the low murmur of conversation died, as if all the students had just remembered Port was still here. "Now that you have been properly inspired by my tale of heroic deeds, I want to move onto the _practical_ part of our lesson!" Heads tilted curiously as their teacher marched to the far right side of the room. As with the other professors he hit a button on his desk, but rather than create a holoscreen, a portion of the wall opened, revealing three heavily reinforced cages.

"Grimm cages…" Ruby whispered under her breath, making Weiss narrow her eyes to try and inspect them from a distance. They weren't the same style as Atlas used, but they certainly looked durable enough to withstand the thrashing of smaller Grimm, despite the less elegant design. They had no openings other than a thin slit on the door for observers to stare at the captive Grimm through, keeping their prisoners isolated from any possible human contact.

Other than the viewing slat, there were no air holes or a place to slide in food or drink. Adding to the Grimm's generally unnerving nature was their lack of dependence on basic needs that other species couldn't live without. Grimm could be buried alive for hundreds of years without air, food, or water, and come out _stronger_ due to age. Several older Grimm had been observed eating meat, but never in a way that implied _hunger;_ they never ate old, preserved, or cooked meat, only fresh, raw meat. They targeted bone marrow, the liver, the stomach, and the fattier parts of their kill, they ate solely for taste, for _pleasure._ Some ancient Grimm had discovered that eating people inspired fear and revulsion in other sentient races, and made a game of eating their victims alive, or where they could be seen.

Ruby remembered Jaune recounting her nearly being swallowed by the Nevermore. The goal of the Nevermore hadn't been to taste her or fill its belly, it wanted her to awaken trapped inside of a pitch black prison. Without stomach acids, she either would have died of fright, shock, or starvation, and the Nevermore would have thrived all the while on her fear, pain, and hopelessness…

The thought made her skin crawl, and as her fright and paranoia rose, so did the clicking of teeth in the back of her skull. She lifted her boot as a thin, meek claw dug into her sole, and she stomped her shadow once in fury, banishing her terror.

"I will be taking volunteers!" Professor Port announced, one finger high in the air. "Based on my story and knowledge of Boarbatusks from your prior classes, I want at _least_ three people to demonstrate their understanding of how to counter a much more significant threat than the average Beowolf!"

Weiss's hand shot up immediately and stared down her professor intently. It was her time to show Beacon that she was a _huntress._ Professor Port looked along the dozen or so hands that shot up while Blake nudged the lounging Yang. "Isn't this your schtick? Show off? Get a little action?"

"Blake, I got my action." Yang held up a slip of paper with a grin. "Besides, what sorta fun is there in a controlled room? I'd rather go into the woods and find my own pig to punch." Blake simply shook her head at Yang's laziness.

Professor Port finally settled on one volunteer: "Cardin Winchester! You're the first up to bat." Heads turned as a tall, handsomely built boy with a weasley smile made his way down from the top row of seats with a swagger in his hips. Blake barely paid attention to the human boy, but noted Yang couldn't seem to tear her eyes off of him. Blake was about to poke fun, but Yang's small, tight frown made Blake reconsider.

"First at bat, that sounds 'bout right." Cardin said in a tone that oozed self-confidence as Professor Port punched in a code into a keypad on the wall. The wall next to it opened up to reveal empty space, but within a minute a student locker filled in the closet-sized opening. The locker opened, and Cardin pulled out a mace with an unusual head.

He laid it across one shoulder as Professor Port unmounted his blunder-axe and walked to the first cage. Cardin stood at the other end of the room, and small barriers shot up from the floor, closing off the stairs from the demonstration floor. "Are you ready?" Professor Port asked, hand hovering over the release button.

"Born ready, teach!" Cardin hefted his mace with both hands.

"Then in three, two, one…!" Port slapped the button and stood out of the way. The door flew open, and out stepped a dog-sized Grimm. Hog shaped, with thick, bony plates across its squat, rotund body, and enormous, hooked tusks, the Boarbatusk's red eyes took on an intense glow as it spotted Cardin.

The class felt a brief, silent moment of worry as the beast let out a distorted, piggish squeal, and charged far faster than its fat little body suggested it could, its head lowered, the tips of its sharpened tusks ready to dig into the back of the leg, or under an arm, but Cardin didn't care.

His mace swung down and around like a golfclub, cracking the Boarbatusk in the face while he slid his thumb over a button on the handle, igniting the red Dust gem embedded amidst the flanges, and an explosion-powered downswing sent the Boarbatusk skidding across the ground on its side, crying and roaring in pain as its small legs thrashed.

"Risky, but a good show!" Professor Port called. Ruby bridged her fingers in front of her face as she watched, her lips pinched together as she silently took in another hunter's approach to combat.

" _Too_ risky, he left himself open to getting gored if he'd missed." Weiss murmured, causing Blake to nod.

"He should have dodged first." Blake responded.

"That's just how he _is_." Yang grunted, crossing her arms over her chest as her lavender eyes briefly took on a crimson hue, earning a small look from Blake but no more than that.

Cardin's heel crushed the Boarbatusk's neck into the floor while he brought his mace back with a cold grin. A repulsive cough escaped the pig as Cardin slammed his mace into its belly, but as he reared back for another swing, the Boarbatusk's thrashing allowed it to slide back just enough to get it's chin under Cardin's foot to sink its flat, iron-hard teeth into his other ankle.

The muscular boy shouted in pain as he tried to kick his way free, but the Boarbatusk latched on and greedily gnawed at his foot while trying to get back onto its own legs, causing his amber-hued aura to flare to life. Boarbatusks didn't have _sharp_ teeth, but having your flesh and bone ground together between two dull, square presses hurt _fiercely,_ and even with his aura Cardin was discovering this for himself.

" _Don't_ panic!" Port warned in a rumbling tone of authority that, briefly, distracted Ruby with how _different_ it sounded from his long-winded bravado.

Cardin's hand shot out, grabbing the hog's tusk while driving his foot harder into its neck, wrenching its mouth open enough for him to slide his foot out of its jaws. The Grimm took the chance to shake Cardin off its body, sending him back a step as it scrambled to its hooves. With a sudden leap, it curled its body like a ball, building so much speed in that instant that, when it hit the floor, the room was filled with the sound of bone grinding against stone. It launched forward with enough speed to cannonball its way through a house, and Cardin leaned forward, arms crossed in front of his face as it jumped up towards his torso.

Cardin merely lurched back a step, gritting his teeth and snarling as the Boarbatusk tried to bowl him over, but Cardin held out until it stopped spinning. The Grimm gave him what may have been a confused look as it uncurled in the air, but then Cardin's hands grabbed its tusks. He threw the Boarbatusk over his head as hard as he could, grabbed his mace as he spun, and charged like a mad warrior, roaring his triumph as he swung, crushing the Grimm between his mace and the wall.

There was a distinct crack of the Grimm's bony plating, one final peep of distress from the pig, and then it fell with a pathetic whine. It hit the floor, and began to disperse into a black mist.

Cardin ran his thumb across his throat with an empowered grin, and Professor Port and most of the class clapped in a polite, appreciative applause. "Well done, Mr. Winchester! A little sloppy, but nothing some good old-fashioned experience won't fix! Take a seat, you and your partner will be earning some bonus points."

Cardin returned his mace to the locker and threw his arms into the air like a returning champion. He settled back into his seat, where he and his team held a short, excited celebration of his strength and skill. Yang made a low, rude noise that made Blake's eyebrow rise.

"Next volunteer?" Professor Port asked. More hands raised, obviously excited at the prospect of bonus points for killing Grimm. Weiss's was raised as high and straight as she could manage, her brow twitching quietly every second the teacher looked above or next to her. She was still the only volunteer from team RWBY. "Hmm, I see lots of you are excited to try your hand, but I think I'll call…" He looked to the left… "Upon…" To the right. Weiss stretched her spine, sweat beginning to bead from stress. "Weiss Schnee!"

It took a moment for her to realize she had been chosen. Her teammates looked to her as Weiss stood up, and a low, curious murmur went through the rest of the class. Weiss didn't look to them as she walked down to the floor, mentally preparing herself. She took a deep breath as Cardin's locker was replaced by hers, and she took Myrtenaster in her hand with confidence.

She moved to the opposite end of the room and slid her left foot forward, relaxed her limbs, cleared her head, and recalled her sister's advice: defend and counterattack, watch for openings, capitalize on mistakes.

"Y-you got this Weiss!" A small, meek voice rose above the storm of thoughts and strategy in her head. She looked to Ruby as the girl watched her with an apprehensive, though confident smile. "Go f-for its belly!" Ruby called.

A flash of irritation went through Weiss's body at the sound of her voice, a small ' _how dare she'_ briefly muddying her thoughts. Did Ruby assume that she had never taken a Grimm class before? She shook the annoyance out of her head, "I know, Ruby." Weiss said firmly, her eyes focused on the cage ahead of her as Professor Port raised his hand and settled it over the button.

"You only have a s-s-second to react when it charges!"

"I _know,_ Ruby!"

"Watch its tusks!"

" _I know, Rub-"_

"Aaaaaaaannnnnd _go!"_ Professor Port slapped the button.

The cage opened, and Weiss tensed as she realised the chance to focus herself was lost. The Boarbatusk inside, having heard the commotion of the earlier battle, was ready for its release, and instantly barreled out with a wild scream. Weiss slid forward, the tips of her shoes barely touching the ground as she raced forward to meet it in an Aura-enabled slide. She stared between its eyes and nose, at the thin, dark space where she could jab into its skull, and she lunged.

A perfect straight, but the Boarbatusk turned its head, allowing Myrtenaster's thin blade to scrape against its bony face mask.

"You got this Weiss!" Yang called confidently as Weiss backpedaled, away from its swiping tusks. Her eyes darted across it's body… short, stocky and strong, a frontal assault wouldn't work for her like it had Cardin. She had only a fragment of his raw strength, she'd never overpower the beast directly. She needed to get around it, find a soft spot for her rapier to plunge in and end this instantly.

"Do it for t-team RWBY!" Ruby encouraged next. Weiss slid around to the boar's left flank as it missed a lunge, and she jabbed at its haunch twice before it suddenly turned and grabbed her sword's blade between its teeth. "Don't l-lock your wrist!" Ruby suddenly shouted. Weiss blinked, her wrist firm— _too_ firm!—and Myrtenaster slid out of her grip as the boar tossed her weapon aside and charged to try and run her down.

Weiss lept backwards but the Boarbatusk's armored skull crashed into her chest, making her yelp as her white aura pulsated from absorbing the blow. She slid back a few feet, only barely keeping upright as her knees wobbled, and looked up to find the Boarbatusk still charging her while gnashing its teeth in desperation for a kill.

"Weiss!" Ruby's voice rang out as Weiss rolled to the side of the boar's charge. "Five o'clock!" _Five o'clock?!_ Weiss stared at the boar, briefly puzzled, before a realization hit. She leapt backwards, slightly to the right, and grabbed ahold of Myrtenaster's handle in a smooth motion. "Left!" Ruby cried.

Weiss dipped forward, rolling out of the way as the charging Grimm barrelled in from her left. Weiss shot a harsh look at Ruby, silently begging her to stop helping. She had to do this on her own, she had to be self-reliant, leaders inspire by setting an example, they didn't-

"Eyes forward!" Ruby shouted. Weiss turned to look in time to see a spinning ball of sharp, angry Grimm gunning for her legs. With a sudden, panicked impulse, Weiss threw her hands out and a white glyph formed in front of her, causing the pig to slam into it as if it were a steel wall. With a pained squeak, the Boarbatusk fell onto its back, sliding away. "Now Weiss! Its belly!" Ruby pointed, and Weiss grit her teeth.

She almost wanted to ignore her out of spite, but that was not why she was here. She leapt into the air, feet connecting with a spinning black glyph she conjured with little more than a thought and a short spin of her weapon's dust chamber, and she was launched faster than the Boarbatusk's spinning charge to plant Myrtenaster up its belly, through its chest, and out its mouth as it died squirming, screaming. Weiss scowled at the beast and pulled her sword free, flicking it to slosh off black ichor and staring at the fallen creature until she was sure it had begun disintegrating.

Weiss panted quietly to herself. That should not have been _hard…_ and it wasn't hard, so why was she so tense? She stood, sheathing Myrtenaster and staring at the boar's dissolving corpse in silent displeasure, ignoring the warm applause from her classmates. She had done exactly as Ruby had told her to the _entire_ match, and it bothered her immensely.

She had stepped into the ring to prove herself, to show her intelligence, _her_ strength, not follow the orders of some squeaking _hick_ who couldn't piece together how to use a computer keyboard or refine some basic _Dust._

She returned to her seat amidst the applause, and shot Ruby a glare, making the girl freeze. "Do you really think I can't handle myself?" Weiss asked in a low, venomous whisper.

"E-eh? Wh-wha- no! I m-mean, yes, y-you can handle yourself!" Ruby whispered back, a tremor in her voice as Weiss fixated on her furiously.

"Then why are you telling me what to do?! I don't need your help against such a trash opponent!" Weiss hissed, making Ruby recoil, her moment of pride in her teammate turning sour and cold. "Having you bark orders at me doesn't _help!"_

"B-but… we're partners, a-and I-I'm your le-leader so I sh-should-"

"I never _asked_ for you to be my leader." Weiss grunted. She turned away as Ruby's hands fell to her lap. The younger girl stared down at her knees quietly, her lips tense as Weiss dismissed any pity she had. If her supposed team leader couldn't trust in her abilities…

"Ruby Rose!" Professor Port called. Ruby and Weiss both looked up to see him looking to Ruby with a confident grin. "You seem to have an eye and mind for this!" Ruby gulped loudly as he gestured to the remaining cage. "Why don't _you_ come show the class how you'd do it?"

"I-I didn't have my hand up…" Ruby responded softly, trying to speak through the breaks in her voice.

"And that's perfectly fine! I'm curious to see how our youngest entrant this year handles herself! Please, come on down." Professor Port motioned for her to join him.

Ruby shot Weiss one more look, as if begging for help, but Weiss said nothing, turning her head away with a snooty ' _humph!'_ Ruby slowly, shakily stood up and walked down to the floor, another murmur going through the crowd. There had been plenty of rumors of a younger-than-normal student in Beacon, which, while not totally rare, was still unusual enough to warrant some curious chatting.

Ruby oh-so-carefully cradled Crescent Rose in her arms for comfort as soon as she could hug her darling, frowning to herself. She wasn't entirely sure why this leader business was pushed onto her lap, and she certainly hadn't earned it. Maybe she shouldn't have kept her mouth shut, there was still time to go ask the headmaster to reconsider his choice…

An excited ripple ran through the crowd as she went to the other end of the room when Crescent Rose expanded and locked into its full scythe form. Unbeknownst to Ruby, Pyrrha was leaning in and watching Ruby's movements carefully.

The young student scuffed her shoe along the ground then settled into her battle stance with a weary sigh. She really was proving to be a weight around Weiss's ankle today… maybe this was a mistake. She couldn't possibly prove herself to Weiss _now._ Not after failing to know… _anything_ relevant to their classes and annoying her.

She just wanted to _help…_

"Three…" Port's voice seemed slow in her mind as she glanced up, her body loose and relaxed. Well, she'd get through this and go have lunch after. Maybe things would clear up. "Two…" Blake and Yang seemed excited to have her as a leader, as much as she didn't deserve it… "One!..."

"You got this Ruby!" Yang called excitedly as Ruby just stared forward, only half-paying attention. Weiss turned her head to watch with an annoyed stare, half-hoping Ruby struggled as hard as she did.

The door flew open, and the Boarbatusk raced out, already speeding across the floor like a runaway wheel. Weiss's eyes widened. It was opening up with _that_ attack, and Ruby barely looked ready… She opened her mouth to shout when Ruby swung.

A single step forward, and Crescent Rose sliced the floor beneath the Boarbatusk, the force of the blow sending the pig skyward with an abnormally loud ' _pop',_ the beast uncurling in surprise and exposing its belly. Crescent Rose spun around Ruby's body, the morbid sound of the slicing scythe blade following her as she continued her stride past the airborne Grimm. A single shot fired as Crescent Rose cut through the boar's midsection so quickly that the beast could only give a quizzical oink.

Ruby set Crescent Rose's head on the ground and leaned against the pole with a sigh. Maybe some chocolates…? Weiss probably liked chocolate. Who _didn't_ like chocolate? Ruby groaned to herself… She would have to study extra hard to prove she could be a good teammate.

Two halves of the pig Grimm fell to the ground with a crash, both swiftly turning into small banks of rolling black fog as Ruby whimpered unhappily to herself about letting her partner down.

The whole class silently stared as Ruby shuffled over to her locker and put Crescent Rose back into place, Professor Port's eyes opening enough to be visible under his bushy brows. "... Three seconds; I'd call that an A-plus kill!" He announced, and the classroom broke out into staggered, surprised applause.

Ruby blinked behind her goggles, confusion replacing depression as her sister happily whooped. She blushed the tiniest bit, her stride becoming a little more self-assured. Blake's eyes were wide as she watched her team leader return to her seat with an impressed smile. "Well done, Ruby! You made that look effortless!"

"Oh, well, i-it's pretty easy…" Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I w-wouldn't call it ' _effortless;'_ i-it took me a few months to get that right."

 _Effortless…_ Between Ruby and Blake, Weiss continued to stare at the spot where the Boarbatusk was fading. Ruby hadn't so much as exerted herself killing the Boarbatusk. _In two motions._ She had no clue how to use a computer, she blew up her Dust, but against the Grimm, against their actual opponent, Ruby had been as distracted and stressed as if she'd been putting up _laundry…_

Weiss felt a cold, nervous sweat form on the back of her neck as she cradled her forehead between two fingers. Her own fight with the Boarbatusk hadn't been _difficult,_ but she'd made mistakes, she had to prep herself, she had to expend Dust, and she had taken damage. Even Cardin had to struggle a little.

Ruby had made the exact same challenge… _effortless._

Weiss suddenly stood, her teeth grinding. Ruby reached out to her, calling her name, but Weiss didn't hear her or respond as she ran out of class. She needed to cool off, get a drink, _evaluate…_ she had been shown up by a fifteen year-old girl, who was a complete and total _ditz…_

First the Emerald Forest test, now _here?..._ How was it that Ruby managed to keep showing her up?! Weiss marched down the hallway, away from her team, away from her headache...

"Miss Schnee?"

Weiss froze at the voice. She was fully intent on heading straight to a water fountain and a chair to try and clear her head, but Professor Port's voice was more important; her was a _teacher,_ she couldn't just ignore him.

She stopped, already halfway down the hall to the next corridor, and stared down at her feet. "I'm fine professor." She spoke up through grit teeth. "I just need a drink."

"You certainly _sound_ like you need a drink, but I'm afraid we don't serve the right kind here at Beacon." Weiss heard Professor Port's footsteps as he walked down the hallway to her. He stopped a few feet behind her, and she chanced a look: his expression was not jovial nor energetic, but one of concern and thoughtfulness. He looked at her with small brown eyes as he laced his fingers together behind his back. "What troubles you, Weiss?"

"… It's not important. Just… personal stuff." Weiss sighed. Her eyes traced a pattern in the carpeted hallway to try and stop herself from replaying that moment in her mind again and again, Ruby's almost leisurely walk forward as she cleaved the Boarbatusk in two, as if it had been little more than a piece of paper floating in the wind.

"Hmm. Miss Schnee, please follow me." Professor Port ordered. Weiss glanced up as her professor walked past her. She hesitantly stepped in line behind him and followed the stocky hunter down the hall. They walked for a few minutes, taking Weiss up the stairs and to the roof.

A guardrail encircled the rooftop, which Weiss hoped was there strictly for security, and not for more… _fatal_ implications. The sun was high in the sky, and it wasn't even noon, yet the warmth of the air hit her hard enough to make her wince. She was so used to the chilly winds of Atlas that Vale's spring mornings still shook her awake better than any coffee cup. The quick change from the air conditioned interior to the morning, spring heat of the outside interrupted her tumultuous feelings, allowing her a moment of thought.

Professor Port walked to the edge of the balcony and looked over the gym yard, his back to Weiss. The heiress examined her teacher with a small frown, and slowly walked to his side to stare over the fields of green. She sighed, feeling as though she was deflating now that she left the stressful hallways behind. "Professor Port?" She asked in a gentle voice. "Against that Boarbatusk, I did well, right? I mean, I killed it, I didn't get _that_ hurt, right?"

Professor Port watched the trees sway in the distance, and answered without looking her way. "You allowed it to disarm you, despite being to its side." He spoke slowly, calmly. "Boarbatusks have limited weapons. From the front, they are nigh invincible, yet despite maneuvering around it effectively, you lost your focus, you let it take your weapon which opened you up for an attack." Professor Port looked to her with an even expression. "You didn't do _badly,_ Weiss, but it was sloppy. _Very_ sloppy."

Weiss grit her teeth, her heart feeling heavier. "I wouldn't have been so out of sorts if _Ruby_ wasn't shouting at me the whole time." She said through a firm, angry jaw. Her fists trembled, her vision going watery as her emotions welled up in her.

"Are you so sure?" Port asked her, drumming the guardrail in quiet thought. "I thought her advice was well-articulated and pivotal. With it, you retrieved your weapon and avoided a second attack. Ruby seemed to make quite the difference in your fight."

"She did _not!"_ Weiss suddenly seethed, chewing her lip in anger. "I don't _need_ her!"

"Of course you don't, but would you have done nearly as well without her?" Professor Port asked with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"We'll know next time." Weiss said firmly, and Professor Port quietly shook his head. "What?!"

"Next time, she'll be there too. And the time after that, and the time after that. She's your partner, your team; you, Ruby, miss Belladonna, and miss Xiao Long will be there to watch each other during each fight. That's what a team is, that's what a team _does."_

"I _know_ that." Weiss muttered.

"Then what's troubling you, Weiss? What's _really_ troubling you? Do you not _want_ to work as a team?" Port asked.

"N-no, it's not that! I want to work as a team…"

"Do you not _want_ Ruby's help whenever you fight?"

"No! I-I'm usually fine with her help, but…"

"Then what, Weiss?" Professor Port pressed on, staring her in the eye as the young huntress made a tight fist and slumped against the guardrail.

It took about a minute of hemming and hawing for Weiss to finally screech, "Who the hell _is_ she?" Weiss grit her teeth, eyes squeezed shut. "I spent all day today teaching her how to use a computer, teaching her how to make _Dust,_ she's _barely_ competent at the most _basic_ hunter skills! She's a babbling, nervous, awkward _mess_ who needs her hand held whenever she's mixing ingredients and typing words; she's an overly nervous little pervert who acts like every dumb fifteen-year-old girl but with a _heap_ of social issues, and then, out of nowhere, she _saves my life!"_ Weiss gasped, taking a deep breath of calming air as her emotions threatened to spill out of her closed eyes. "She saves my life, _she_ comes up with the plan to kill the Nevermore, and _she_ gets made the team leader. Then when it's finally my time to prove I can fight, I'm doing everything _she_ says, and then she kills _her_ Grimm before I can even finish _blinking!"_ Weiss slammed her fist onto the wooden guardrail, taking deep, loud breaths. "I have to babysit her through the most simple, _basic_ tasks, but whenever it's time to do some real hunting, to _prove_ myself, _there she is!_ She walks away like it was no big deal, that saving me was just a normal, simple thing, that making _me_ look sluggish and untalented was just a matter of flicking her wrist! I am _Weiss Schnee!_ Why am I being showed up by some _incompetent_ , _annoying,_ little _fool?!"_

"Precisely _because_ you are Weiss Schnee." Was the immediate answer. Weiss turned to give Professor Port a wild-eyed, watery look, her anger etched into every line on her face as he stood there, calm and collected, as if the girl in front of him wasn't contemplating gutting him. "I am making some assumptions here, so please tell me if I'm wrong: all your life, you have been incredibly important. You had the weight of the world placed on your shoulders by family and supporters, told that one day you'll surpass every hunter and Schnee to have lived. You've been given the best trainers in everything specifically for this purpose." His eyes opened, waiting for her to say otherwise, but Weiss could only work her trembling jaw as she found herself at a loss. Knowing he had succeeded, Professor Port turned to face the forest again before he continued, "Nicholas Schnee was around my age when I first met him. I was but a young man, having only recently graduated and found a job with a group of contract hunters. My team was hired to help scout and escort Schnee Dust miners to a prospective mine, and among them was good ol' Nick."

Weiss's lip trembled as Professor Port looked out over the yard below, his face gentle and neutral. She wiped her hands on her pleated skirt before covering her mouth with them, hiding her weakness."You met my grandfather?" her voice was distressingly small and weak, and she swallowed in shame of it.

"I _fought_ your grandfather." Port nodded slowly, making Weiss's jaw drop in offense, but before she could demand to know what crimes he'd committed to earn her grandfather's ire, Professor Port went on, "He challenged each of us to a one-touch duel before we set out, and I was among the four people in our thirteen-person company to best him. He was a powerful, incredible opponent, he was a proud and boastful man, but when I chanced a blow that put him on his backside, he laughed and shook my hand. When my commander took a look at his plans and demanded a redraw of the map, Nicholas Schnee listened. When a miner corrected the way Nick swung his pickaxe to avoid overexerting himself, he paid attention. Your grandfather was a real man of the Earth. He had calluses thicker than anyone I'd ever seen, he came back to the camp covered in mud and Dust and smelling like a men's locker room, he arm-wrestled anyone and everyone, he read books heavier than my weapon, he played chess with my company's chief strategist and won as much as he lost…" Professor Port trailed off into a low sigh, smiling at the memory of his old days of hunting. "On top of all of that, he was a _teacher._ He could grow exasperated and tired, but he always remained calm as he explained things. His lessons were part of what helped me against the Clearblue Killer! If he hadn't set aside an hour and a half to help me install a Dust chamber in my axe, then set aside another two to teach me how to use it, you would have a very different Professor Peter Port in front of you." He chuckled and turned to face her more fully, inhaling to slip into another story when he took note of the sheer intensity of Weiss' focus on him. He remembered that stories about him were not what she was after, and cleared his throat. "My point is, he was smart, strong, rich, handsome, and a good teacher, but all of this was as an elderly gentleman. He still made mistakes to the day we said our goodbyes, but small ones. In order to become the mighty, powerful legend you knew him as, he had to make _thousands_ of mistakes in his life, some small, some extraordinary. After all, in the end, he was but a man: foolish, fallible, and clumsy, and he wanted to make sure his workers and allies learned from his mistakes as well."

"Th-this makes no sense…" Weiss frowned deeply, momentarily stunned by the passionate story. "He was famous for being a brave, noble, and strong company leader. I've seen old newspapers about him from across Remnant! He has _hundreds_ of articles on the Remnet! Why would _nobody_ talk about having won a duel against him? Why would _nobody_ talk about the times he _lost?"_

"Because his losses didn't matter." Professor Port shook his finger as her jaw snapped shut, and her arms crossed defensively. "What mattered was that he got stronger and won when it _counted._ The stories don't talk about the number of times he fell down, because his heart and his strength pushed him back to his feet too quickly for anyone to doubt his conviction. People remember a perfect man who inspired their own greatness… but he was far from it. He was a _person,_ just like you, Weiss. Just like all of us."

Weiss worked her jaw slowly, casting her eyes downward, staring at the professor's feet, while squeezing her arms and hunkering her head lower on her shoulders. "I-I never said I was perfect…" She mumbled feebly, imagining a weathered old voice chiding her arrogance, and shivering at the stab of guilt it plunged into her heart.

"And nobody here expects you to be." Port said softly, giving Weiss a gentle, sympathetic look when she peeked up at him from under her lashes. "Back home in Atlas, you are expected to be perfect because of your lineage, but strength comes from learning, and you learn the most from your failures. Do you feel you have failed today?" Professor Port asked in a sympathetic tone, making Weiss's face tighten in thought.

"... Yes." She nodded, scratching at her upper-right arm nervously. "I failed to live up to my own standards. I failed to fight the Boarbatusk as efficiently as I should have… as I _know_ I could have."

"A fair assessment, what I've seen on your transcripts and of your conflict during initiation confirms that you are capable of much more. So what will you _do_ about it?"

"… Practice." Weiss nodded slowly, her heart calm. "I'll practice until I can kill one in my _sleep."_ She faintly growled, and he nodded in approval of her simmering determination.

"And which student do you think, right now, knows best how to fight and kill Boarbatusks?"

Weiss stayed silent for a few seconds, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't ask Ruby… I-I have to overcome my limits by myself-" A loud _'smack'_ made her open her eyes. Professor Port lifted his hand off the handrail, the imprint of his palm still visible in the wood. His tone was like a distant storm, and she shrank back from his ire a step.

 _"Wrong._ You are part of a team, Weiss. You can gain experience by listening to others, especially your partner who you will face danger with on a regular basis. Ruby Rose may seem foolish, awkward, and a far cry from a maiden of culture and refinement such as yourself, but she has proven she knows how to do at least one thing better than you can: kill a Boarbatusk."

"But… I-I _can't_ take her seriously!" Weiss turned to face away from the man, trying to hide her shame and annoyance while avoiding his disapproving frown, "A team leader is supposed to be strong _and_ knowledgeable, she's so preoccupied with her own nerves that she can't even handle _Dust!_ How can you expect me to faithfully follow somebody like that?!"

"And, despite my age, I don't believe my eyes deceived me in how confidently and efficiently she had slain her opponent." Professor Port's eyebrows lifted, and Weiss felt an icy-cold anger slosh in her gut at his fond recollection of Ruby's success, "Even while distracted by your childish feud, she had such impeccable movements! A timely sweep and a powerful Aura pulse to throw her foe into the air, such a clean swing of her weapon, a perfectly timed shot to accelerate her weapon through flesh and bone at just the right angle, she takes after her aunt and uncle more than she realizes!" Port stroked his silvered whiskers thoughtfully, "Her talents as a huntress are exceptional; her talents as a student are, if your frustration and her shame are genuine, less so. I'll know for sure the next time Oobleck storms into the lounge to complain." He chuckled.

Weiss's mouth opened to offer some sort of rebuttal, but as her mind scrambled to find _something_ to preserve her dignity, the rotten realization hit her: she was a fantastic student, well-learned in the building blocks of society's technological advancement, but at a school for _hunters,_ where hunting was done by _fighting,_ Ruby had her own advantages to lean on. If Weiss had only had more time to _practice,_ but what would she have to have given up? She'd had college courses to attend and— she was making excuses for herself, there was nothing stopping her from a late-night, rebellious flight from her house into the woods with a hired hand for some legitimate practice.

"You are both exceptional at different things, Weiss. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort and work to be the best in multiple fields, and the best are often taught by the best." Port gave her a small, almost hidden smile, and Weiss let her gaze fall lower as she caught on. "Don't be intimidated, be _emboldened;_ what an excellent partnership you two have! Imagine how things will be in four years when the two of you have grown and learned together! Imagine what you'll have learned from her, imagine what she'll have learned from _you!"_ Though Weiss's face softened, she did not respond. Instead, she was plunged deep into her thoughts, that intelligent mind of hers whirring as it attempted to demystify the future possibilities he was presenting. Before she could finish, however, the ring of the bell made her lift her gaze to the rooftop exit, and Port chuckled softly, "Ah, the lunch bell! Grimm Studies is dismissed for the day, miss Schnee, you should take the opportunity to enjoy a warm meal… as well as use the recess that follows to set things straight between yourself and Ruby. It's best not to let bad blood brew." He watched her fidget, obviously wrestling with her own pride and stubborn nature, wondering if she would heed his advice. His chest swelled with a bit of pride in them both when she swallowed and nodded, setting her delicate shoulders once more.

"...Yes. Right… thank you, Professor." Weiss answered, her brow tightening in thought as, with a small wave, Port dismissed her. Weiss went downstairs, pondering on his words, pondering on what she'd seen and done in the past six hours… her day was already a chaotic mess, and it was barely noon. This was absurd, Beacon was a manic place full of manic people, and chief among them was her partner…

Her ego itched, wanting assurances that she was the best of the best… but Weiss knew her grandfather would have been better than that, so she had to be too. This was no time to make an ass of herself… okay, a _bigger ass_ of herself.

She paled, realizing Yang might opt to toss her again. Port had been right, making amends suddenly seemed a tantalizing option...

* * *

Ruby carefully picked the pickles out of her burger, setting them aside on a distant corner of her tray. When she noticed Blake staring at them intently, she cracked a tiny smile and motioned for her to go ahead. The taller girl flashed a dazzling but brief grin before stealing them in a blur of motion. Ruby let out a weak snicker, then stared at her meal with a tiny sigh before taking a bite, letting the explosion of flavors briefly soothe her. However, one tiny detail was off… "Aww… they forgot my cheese." She whispered, peeling apart the layers once more just to double check.

"Go ask for some." Blake ordered, jabbing a fork into her salad. Ruby leaned over to look at the shredded cheddar on top of her meal… "... No, go get your own." Blake gave Ruby a defiant look as the younger girl wilted.

"I g-gave you my pickles!" Ruby whined. Blake shifted her tray father away from her leader.

"You weren't going to eat them. If you want some black olive for your burger, I'll pass those over right now." Blake held up a damp napkin. Ruby's entire face scrunched up unhappily.

"Ew… Pass."

"Okay, so, that makes it official: breakfast was great, but lunch blows. These chicken nuggets _suck."_ Yang growled, pulling one apart to stare at the inner white meat, as if she could spot the flavor issue like a burned out dust valve in her bike. "They taste like that frozen crap you buy from a store."

"They p-probably are…" Ruby nibbled her burger with some melancholy.

 _"Lame._ At least it's impossible to screw up ketchup." Yang dipped her chicken into the sugary sauce and ate with a smidge of annoyance. They ate, drank, and sat in silence. The lunch room around them was otherwise abuzz with chatter and activity, but Ruby, Blake, and Yang sat in a somber tiredness, weighed down by confusion, annoyance, and misery. None of them wanted to say it, but each knew why this discomfort had settled on them. Well, none of them except Yang. "... Damnit, this is gonna be hard." She huffed before flicking a nugget away as if it had insulted her father.

"Mm?" Blake looked up to Yang as she sipped at her milk.

"Like, what the hell was she even mad about? I mean, it's not like she's gonna fail..." Yang glanced at the empty seat by her side, while biting into a different nugget, this one drowned in ketchup. Blake rolled her eyes, then looked down at her lap as Ruby's shoulders sank and she put her half-eaten burger down. "What do we even say? I mean, we have to live with her, right? _'It's gonna be okay, Ruby's a fast learner, she'll be tapping out forty words per minute in no time? It's okay to be shown up in a fight by someone younger than you, we're all students here?'"_

"I d-didn't mean to show off, I was just d-distracted a-and…" Ruby trailed off, but Blake snorted.

"If she's going to have a sour attitude over being shown up then why bother caring what she thinks?" Blake closed her eyes, trying to dismiss the niggling disappointment in the back of her mind, and the constant _'I told you so's._

"She's our teammate, like it or not." Yang puffed her chest up, staring down at her lunch tray as she tried to ignore the impulse to agree with Blake. She _wanted_ to care… especially after actually getting something resembling a humble, human interaction out of her the day before. "We're a team, we have to care about each other. No one else is guaranteed to be out there with us."

"I didn't want to be the one to say this, but she's _Weiss Schnee."_ Blake lifted her head up, both of her teammates sitting rigidly in their seats as she stared them down. "She's someone who spent her entire life with everything handed to her on a silver platter, you're honestly _surprised_ she'd throw a hissy fit because somebody was better than her?" Blake's fork stilled in her hand after gently jabbing at a green leaf, while she considered the few… pleasant moments they had shared earlier in the morning, "She's a Schnee. They don't just magically become better people, you both seem like smart girls, you _have_ to know about the crap they pull. She was _raised_ in that, to be like that. The sooner we accept that she doesn't see us as equals, the easier it'll be to give up on her when she gives up on us."

The table fell into silent unhappiness, the food tasteless as they mechanically consumed it. For a while, Blake thought she had gotten the final word, that maybe she had talked some sense into them, but Ruby's single-worded response disproved her.

"... No." Blake looked at her with a small frown, hoping that her little leader wasn't delusional in thinking she could change a Schnee, but before she could ask for clarification or Ruby could elaborate, a small, subtle _'ahem'_ interrupted them. Weiss silently stood by the table with a large plate of chocolate chip cookies balanced on one hand, her eyes on Ruby and Ruby alone, her expression somewhere in the crossroads of shy, nervous, humiliated, and hopeful, a charmingly lost look if there ever was one.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang looked up to watch Weiss closely as she shifted uneasily under their scrutiny, took a deep breath through her nose, and finally spoke. "Ruby, can we talk privately?"

Ruby was caught off guard by the piercing blue vulnerability in her eyes. They quivered ever so slightly in… fright? Shame? Weiss wasn't happy, but she wasn't red-faced with anger or broken up by sadness. "I-... uh…"

"Hey," Yang piped up, drawing a semi-irritated twitch from Weiss's cheek, "Look, Weiss, just come sit down, alright? We're a team, so let's talk about this as a team, whatever you say to her, you can say to us." Yang's voice dropped an octave, just low enough to imply some protective distrust on Ruby's behalf, but Weiss shook her head.

"No. I can't." Weiss flexed her jaw in thought, idly musing at the way Blake watched her like she was planning a murder, "This is between Ruby and I, I'm her partner, I want to speak to her as such. I'm Sorry, but-"

"I-it's okay." Ruby stood, snagging a cookie off the plate, keeping her attention on Weiss as she took a slow, calm bite of the treat, "W-we can talk, I can h-handle it." Ruby nodded at Weiss, then gave Yang a stern look. Even with her eyes hidden, Yang knew that she was being silently ordered to not follow. She sighed and held up her hands in defeat, ignoring the sharp jerk of Blake's head as her partner began to glare at her from across the table.

"Good." Weiss gestured towards the cafeteria's exit and lead the way out, Ruby following her at a respectable distance as to not annoy her partner further. It was hard to get a read on Weiss from behind, even if she'd looked so… _soft_ earlier, her posture and walk never once implied she was anything less than a powerful, confident princess. They were well down the hallway when they came across an unlocked set of double doors that Weiss poked her head into, then lead Ruby inside once she was sure it was unoccupied.

They had discovered Beacon's theater room judging by the numerous, descending rows of folding seats that were intercut by walkways, all forming a semi-circle that peered down on a large, wooden stage with a closed curtain. It was quiet, empty, and gave Ruby a spooky feeling like they were disturbing some sort of sacred temple in all of its foreboding majesty, but Weiss clearly did not share the sentiment as she walked all the way down the aisle to ascend the steps leading up to the stage, and Ruby hesitated for only a second as she followed.

She was still tightly knotted up with uncertainty and shame over Weiss's sudden flight from the room, and she was absolutely certain she was the cause of Weiss' previous and current distress. Joining Weiss in sitting at the edge of the stage, the cookie plate laid between them, she felt like the carpet below her hanging feet would open up to reveal a void that would suck her in. It would almost be a relief from the unbearable tension between herself and her partner, but it was not the void that opened up, it was Weiss' bag. Ruby blinked as a can was set next to her, and Weiss cracked open a second can in her hands, sipping at a grapefruit flavored soda as Ruby inspected the offered drink.

"Is that one okay?" Weiss asked gently, and Ruby popped the tab to sip at the canned sparkling lemonade. Her lips puckered and her nose scrunched up at the sour fizz, but the sweetness and citrus taste that followed relaxed her.

"F-fine."

"Good." Neither of the girls looked at each other as they stared out at the empty, dark seats, Ruby wondering what it would have been like if it had been packed with people to stare at her, while Weiss instinctively went through her last performance's setlist in her head. Ruby took a cookie, and so did Weiss, and they both chased their sodas down with a bite of chocolate-packed pastry. "I graduated from Atlas' College of Business and Engineering." Weiss suddenly said after she'd swallowed, not looking Ruby's way, even as Ruby looked at her.

"A-ACBE?" Ruby asked, getting a nod from Weiss, drawing a mystified frown from the younger girl. "I h-heard that place was really r-really good. Dad tried to convince Yang she could go there i-if she didn't want to become a Huntress." Ruby mumbled, unable to even picture how one went about being a student at such a prestigious college. She certainly couldn't picture Yang calmly working on a diagram, even if she was confident Yang had the intelligence to do so.

"The best Business college in Remnant, and I graduated top of my class with a degree in Dust application and manipulation, and a minor in business management." Weiss polished off a cookie and stared down at her drink, her ankles locked together as she let her eyes unfocus so her mind could sharpen, "Dust Daily, the magazine, declared me one of the up-and-coming leading experts in the field of Dust research, creation, and utilization. I've given pointers to Dr. Yun Xing when I was invited on a tour through his lab, and I still receive letters sometimes asking for my opinion on a complex issue."

"Th-that's amazing!" Ruby declared, her smile both genuine and forced. She knew Weiss was _intelligent,_ but she couldn't help but wonder where this was all coming from. "A-and you're only t-two years older than me, y-you're already a singer a-and stuff, so—"

"I can count the number of times I have fought _actual Grimm_ face to face on both hands." Weiss interrupted, her expression drooping a little bit as Ruby went silent, and rather than probe for more information, allowed Weiss to take her time and gather her thoughts. "That includes the Schnee clones my sister would summon for me. My training with tutors was deep, informative, we only hired the absolute best, but my actual field experience? Nil. I'm still… the Grimm still frighten me, and I know I think too much in the middle of a fight. I've seen videos of experienced hunters fighting Grimm, and I try to be like them, but it's so much different being the one standing there. I'm still so green fighting them, I thought I could overcome it and prove I wasn't lacking, but watching you kill that Boarbatusk…" Weiss squeezed her hand into a small fist, "It made me feel like I was an amateur fumbling with Myrtenaster in my first lesson again. I-... I was scared, and _angry_ that you were so much better than me."

"But… y-you're great, you're here at Beacon—"

"And I'm _great_ at the schoolwork, but actual combat? I was disarmed, nearly run down, and—"

 _"And you killed it."_ Ruby interrupted, making Weiss flinch. Ruby eyed a cookie between her fingers thoughtfully, and with a gulp, it was gone while Ruby nibbled her fingertip. Weiss looked away from her, sighing thickly, and a tad queasily.

"Because you helped me. If you hadn't called out, I would have stumbled around looking for my weapon, giving that Grimm enough time to attack again."

"S-so?" Ruby asked with a small frown, and Weiss's brow squint in annoyance, "I-it was one mistake, we all make 'em, and you won. It shouldn't matter that you h-had my help, 'cuz next time you'll do better. I-... I mean, I couldn't have b-beaten that Nevermore by myself, y-you and the others helped me."

"Well, yes, we did." Weiss sipped at her drink to think, giving Ruby an opening to continue.

"A-and we're hunters, we're supposed to—"

 _"I know."_ Weiss interrupted stubbornly, having to quickly wipe some escaping soda off the bottom of her lip in her haste to cut Ruby short.

"So—"

"No, _stop it."_ Weiss ordered, looking more crestfallen as Ruby silenced, her expression matching her partner's while Weiss's cheeks turned red, her jaw rolled, and a quivering breath escaped her. _"I_ wanted to be team leader." She finally said, her heart and throat tightening as she realized she was about to open herself up, she was about to render herself vulnerable, open to derision and mockery when she needed it the least, just as she was so used to back home. _"I_ wanted to be the one making decisions, _I_ wanted to lead everyone, I'm _Weiss Schnee,_ heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I'm _supposed_ to lead, but I got passed up by a fifteen year-old girl who can't use a _computer,"_ Ruby winced, wilting, "or mix _Dust,"_ Ruby tightened up further as Weiss went on, "but when the chips were down and we both had our foe in our sights, _you_ acted like the huntress we're both trying to be. _I'm_ still just a student who needs to master the basics while _you_ deserve to be out in the field helping a seasoned Hunter save lives." Ruby turned rigid, looking back at Weiss as the heiress closed her eyes and spoke in a small voice muffled by her can. "I deserve to be in some nice office, theorizing on the properties of a new Dust compound, safe and ignorant to the danger the Grimm pose…" Weiss lifted her eyes to meet Ruby's through her goggles, and with an embarrassed expression, exclaimed, "but I don't _want_ to be!"

"Why?" Ruby's questioning response was not one of challenge or ignorance, but sincere curiosity at the sort of person Weiss was.

It was not an easy question to answer, since there were a million ways to articulate it, but Weiss dug deep and brought out the most vulnerable piece of her heart: her hopes, her dreams, the fragile pieces of her conscience that would not thrive out in the open in congress with her family or her Atlesian peers. Weiss's answer was a selfish one, so simple it was pitiful, yet so broad it was awe-inspiring, and she spoke it with enough confidence to mean it: "I want my grandfather to be proud of me."

"Nicholas Schnee?" Ruby probed gently, and Weiss bobbed her head, her braid shaking with the motion.

"Everybody talks about how _amazing_ my grandfather was. They'd have you believe he was the strongest, smartest, kindest man alive. He was incredible," Weiss' expression broke into a smile, and Ruby immediately understood, "to have this legendary _man_ in your life, killing Grimm, leading a company, bringing hope and peace and _prosperity_ to humanity! And-and he would bring me sweets, and play tag with me, and he could make _Winter_ smile; he'd tell me stories about growing up dirt-poor, and how much he struggled to get his first loan, but he always accomplished his mission! He was a planner, a fighter, a thinker, one of the most inspiring men alive!"

 _"'Though I have raised a bratty little girl, she shows the same fire in her eyes that I had when I was her age.'"_ Ruby quoted, and Weiss's eyes watered up, her lips tightening.

 _"'She has not followed in my footsteps, and I am glad. I want my flesh and blood to live happy and carefree in this cruel world. Every kick I feel from her belly is like another beat of my heart; I've lived long enough to see us grow greater still, and I am happy.'"_ Weiss squeezed her fingers together, and Ruby hid a small smile. The former Schnee patriarch was a well-spoken man, both in person and in text, and rather than recount the numerous tales of his rise to greatness, Nicholas Schnee used his autobiography as a chance to muse on his family and mankind. "I want to make the Schnee Dust Company great again, I want to pursue that dream of making our people fearless and happy. I want to provide for them and fight for them and-..." Weiss hiccuped, "All I've done is fight you and make people miserable. And I don't even have the dignity of being team leader, or being a proper fighter. You're both of those things, and I'm jealous, and I'm _angry_ that I'm jealous and- and—"

 _Hug._

Weiss found herself trapped by the warmth of her partner, who wrapped herself around Weiss' torso in an overly friendly way that left Weiss itching to escape and scream… but she calmed herself, suppressing her overactive narcissism, and sniffled quietly as Ruby kindly proved that she had nothing to fear in revealing herself.

 _"I'm_ jealous." Ruby whispered, burying her forehead into Weiss's shoulder, drawing a blank stare she couldn't see, but felt in the subtle shift of Weiss' body. "You're so smart, a-and confident. I was scared y-you hated me for not being good enough after we got to be friends and stuff, I was h-happy you were patient in class, 'cuz… 'cuz I felt like the _worst._ Y-you're such a great person, and a couple mistakes don't change that. I-I'm proud you're my partner, a-and I just want to be a huntress, and if we get to be huntresses together—" Ruby paused, lifting her head as a thought sprang up within her, "w-we will be." Ruby bobbed her head.

"We will?" Weiss asked, confused by the sudden confidence in Ruby's expression as the younger girl slid off the stage, her hands in tight little fists as her mind ran with the possibilities. "Ruby Rose, what has you so worked up?"

"W-we're going to be hunters!" Ruby turned to look back at Weiss with a brilliant smile, and Weiss blinked. "You're smart, I-I'm good at fighting, that's the two things a hunter needs to be! S-so, I'm going to learn from you! I'm going to be _smart,_ a-and in return, I'm going to show you how to fight!"

Weiss blinked slowly, the sourness and bitter disappointment seeping away as Ruby spoke her words as unquestionable fact. Ruby was wrong, however. She was not an idiot, were it not for her inexperience and nerves she would have performed within Weiss's realm of expectations, so she just needed time…

… Which was what Weiss needed as well. She had beaten the Boarbatusk with Ruby's instruction, but… she would do better next time. "Is that it, then?" Weiss asked, sliding off the stage to stand before Ruby, arms crossed over her chest as they stared one another down. "We're going to learn from each other? We're going to be hunters?"

"Uh huh!" Ruby bobbed her head, almost shivering in excitement at the prospect. "I was scared I wasn't good enough, b-but, I think between the t-two of us… no, definitely, w-we'll be hunters, and we'll do it together. I-I promise I'll do everything I can to get better, a-and smarter, and stronger, a-and I'll try and help you too."

"And how can you be so sure?" Weiss tilted her head, a small giddiness entering her stomach at Ruby's excitement.

 _"'It's not just the act of doing that makes us great, it's wanting. We grow with want, we act with want, and it will never leave us, but that is w-why we're where we are today.'_ Th-that's what your granddad wrote, and you said you want to make him proud? W-well you're here at Beacon, a-and you came back, a-and you want to be better, so… so I think he'd be proud of you."

Weiss huffed, turning away from Ruby while tightening her arms around her chest. "Don't talk as if you know my grandfather, you little _bookworm…"_ Weiss looked over her shoulder with a small, hopeful smile, and sighed, "but thank you. If you're willing to learn, I'm willing to teach. And if you're willing to teach… then I'll learn."

"We're gonna be _hunters!"_ Ruby squeaked, throwing her fists into the air as if they'd already accomplished the task four years early, but a quick flick to her forehead left her scrambling to cover the small blossom of pain with a whimper and a questioning stare.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Ruby." Weiss ordered sternly, her heart beating… comfortingly in her breast as she thought about Ruby's words. Maybe… this was why? Weiss felt calmer, more confident, the path laid before her seemed to clear up, and she had a new tool at her disposal to overcome the obstacles along the way. Ruby… her leader had planned their victory, fearlessly faced their foes, saved Weiss's life, and… gave her an idea of how to get better. It was a strange conclusion, but it made sense. Her grandfather turned the tide of battle not by his strength alone, but by giving his fellow hunters the _desire_ to win. Weiss glanced up at her leader, seeing somebody who had the makings of greatness, despite her horrific affliction, and she let loose a gentle sigh. "We still have a long road ahead of ourselves, and you still have a lot to learn about being our leader."

"I—" Ruby frowned softly, but then nodded, "I-I do, I d-don't know if I can—"

"So you'll learn. That's the deal, right? We both _learn?_ We both get stronger? We both teach?" Weiss strode forward, and calmly pressed her finger against Ruby's forehead, making the girl gulp as if she was about to be flicked again, "Then let's learn to be leaders together. For the SDC, and for team RWBY."

Ruby silently stared up at the finger prodding her, then pressed her forehead forward to look Weiss in the eye, a small smile on her face. "Okay. For team RWBY. F-for our _dreams!"_

"... _So_ cheesy."

 _"You love it!"_

* * *

She had heard it as clearly as Ruby and Yang had, probably far more clearly than her partner, but Blake felt like she was the only one in quiet disbelief. Yang, at the other side of the double doors, just outside the Beacon theater, relaxed against the wall and slid down it until she was sitting, looking relieved.

Weiss hadn't run away. Weiss hadn't torn Ruby down. Weiss hadn't made sinister demands or expected Ruby to give her both flesh and blood in exchange for a pittance. Weiss had given a pledge to help and, in turn, be helped, the two of them coming together as partners without Blake or Yang intervening to demand solidarity.

… Weiss Schnee was a human being. She was not a Schnee suit, smugly demanding compliance and showing offense at the implication there were self-serving strings attached. She was not a shrieking princess expecting the world to kneel and scrape and give her everything, she was… a dreamer. Somebody with hopes, strengths, flaws, fears, and a role model she clearly adored.

Blake stood in confusion as Ruby and Weiss talked out a plan between teasing barbs inside the theater, which Blake missed in its entirety as she tried to find some way for this alliance to boost the Schnee Dust Company's agenda at the expense of Ruby. Her brow tightened, her frown deepened, the long-standing image she had of a young, white-haired girl digging her heel into the back of the Faunus with a sadistic smirk on her face greying as the thought of a vulnerable young debutante looking to escape her own shadow took its place.

An elbow dug into Blake's side, and she looked up in surprise at Yang, who was grinning proudly. "Let's head back before they realize we're here." She ordered in a low, quiet voice so dripping with approval that Blake immediately thought of a mother seeing their baby make their first friend.

"Don't wanna see if they kiss after they made-up?" Blake asked in forced dryness, and Yang gave a small snicker.

"Cute as it would be, I'd break Weiss in half if she kissed my sister. C'mon, Blakey-pie, I'm still hungry." Yang lead the march back to the cafeteria with a mirthful swing in her step, and Blake quietly watched her legs as she fell in behind her.

… Weiss Schnee wasn't evil. Did that mean she was good to the Faunus? No. It didn't. Weiss was a _Schnee,_ there was still that strong possibility she was filled with prejudice, and she had clearly shown the self-centered sense of entitlement that no doubt infested the SDC boardroom. Even the most philanthropic of the human world could harbor ill-feelings towards the people they shared the world with, or just a casual disregard for who they hurt on the way to fulfilling their goals. But when your goal was to improve the world and live up to a heroic legend...

Blake only vaguely kept on track behind Yang, her mind crackling with the known and the unknown, her fist tightening as Weiss Schnee's calm declarations and reassurances ran through her mind. She was still dangerous, no matter what she said, and Blake needed to focus on that, and guard herself against her own weaknesses if she was going to survive Beacon.


	10. Physical Education

Velvet moved a few steps closer to the counter with a timid posture, her tall ears almost bent in half to make her look adorably wilted while she was presenting herself to Beacon's head chef with an expectant, though modest smile. "Hello Mrs. Kurri!" She said chipperly.

The bald, dumpy-looking woman put on a flat look as she reached underneath the counter and opened a drawer, her eyes flicking up to Velvet as she dug through the hot-hold below. "You know, you don't gotta come up and act cute, miss Scarlatina. Told'ja last year that we're always happy ta handle special needs."

"I just don't want to you to think I don't appreciate it..." Velvet's eyes dipped down, but the moment Mrs. Kurri scoffed and held up a tall styrofoam container, Velvet nearly bounced on her toes in delight. She took the container in both hands, the promise of the warm broth inside making her salivate in anticipation of a coming meal. She lifted it to her nose, sniffing at the steam escaping the tiny puncture in the plastic lid, and her eyelashes fluttered in delight.

The dish was gloriously close to her grandmother's recipe, and the firm reminder of home was always a welcome distraction from the day's stressors.

"I'm expectin' you every day, Velv, and trust me, you'd get a tongue-lashing if I thought you were actin' smug." Kurri said as amusement tugged at the edges of her lips. "Anyways, enjoy your vegetable stew, hon, I made sure we start'd sourcing tofu early this year."

"You're so sweet, Mrs. Kurri, thank you so much!" Velvet beamed, then turned on her heels after waving goodbye to the chef. The older women let out a rusty chuckle, and turned to deal with the next of the seemingly endless parade of starving young customers.

The dining hall was jam-packed with first year students who had yet to discover their hour-long lunch period could be spent away from the cafeteria. Velvet slowed her walk to casually examine a few of the dozens of new faces. It was certainly hard to believe that just last year she'd started her own education here. She hadn't been a fan of the dining hall then, and knowing there were better options available didn't improve her opinion of it now; it was still too open, too bright, and had far too many loud, pushy people milling about for Velvet to feel comfortable.

She loved Beacon itself though. It was picturesque and beautiful through all the seasons; it was exactly like the photos in the pamphlet! Despite the hundreds of students, if one knew where to look at the right times of day, you could find a nice, private place to train, study, or relax! Velvet had spent every weekend for the first month finding little pockets of quiet tranquility that spoke to her, and the school felt much less intimidating and more… cozy afterwards.

Velvet scooted around a group of students heading back up to the counter for thirds, her ears standing straight up in case they could be a bother to anybody. The long rabbit ears did more than just identify her as a Faunus, however. They afforded her excellent hearing, and being such a wallflower meant she had experience picking out particular conversations she wanted to eavesdrop in on. The brown furred ears swiveled gently above her, helping her zero in on any one voice almost instantly.

"—my third hunt with my dad, that's when I lost my ring finger, but you can barely tell with the prosthetic, right?"

"—like sixty-eight percent _girls,_ the statistics are ridiculous! We're outnumbered! There's _no_ way the four of us won't find a date before midterms."

"—five notable weak points: the mouth, each haunch, the underbelly, and the rump. Everything else on the front and the back is armored, so you'll wanna flip it or get behind it."

"—saw the new PE coach?! He is the _yummiest_ —"

Velvet's ears flicked left and right, drawing in the conversation around her. Her eyes were still pointed straight ahead, but she wasn't really seeing anything, being so busy listening in, and nearly collided with a pair of students. They almost jumped back as she hugged her cup to her chest for safety. "Ah!" She stepped away, a blush entering her cheeks as the two first years stopped in place in surprise. "Sorry, my mistake! Don't mind me!" Velvet waved a hand apologetically, then focused on the two.

One of the young women was completely unremarkable, a bit on the short side and with extremely dark hair that turned red at the tips, and a long red cloak around her shoulders, but her big, black goggles were certainly… unique. Perhaps they were prescription? It seemed strange to Velvet that anybody would keep wearing their goggles or sunglasses indoors, especially while at lunch, but then again, she knew _Coco..._ She didn't know what to make of the red-cloaked girl, but the other one…

"Watch it!" Weiss Schnee huffed, looking briefly annoyed. Velvet's ears drooped as she took in _her_ face. The moment the annoyance passed, Weiss's expression reset into a neutral frown, her posture calm, yet ladylike. She looked exactly like how Velvet thought she would from all her interviews and performances, refined and lovely, yet somehow tinged with a bitterness that Velvet couldn't explain… and kind of _short_ … "Ahem…?" Weiss prompted.

Velvet blinked, and quickly hurried past the two, slowing once she heard their footsteps resume behind her. She turned her head to watch Weiss Schnee, the heiress to one of the most controversial companies in Remnant, head towards the counter. She bat her eyes slowly, and set her cup of stew on a nearby table, craning her ears towards the two. "S-so…" The dark-haired girl started. "How do I be more… _leaderlike?"_ She asked, sounding unsure.

"Leadership is something that comes to some people naturally, but it's also a skill that can be cultivated. It means taking initiative and making decisions that reasonably balance risk and reward. A leader needs vision, to understand what really needs to get _done_ beyond the noise and bustle of business or combat around them. Listening to your subordinates is _also_ important, so when I say ' _this is a bad idea',_ it's not your cue to ignore me and commit petty theft or vandalize our room…"

"Sorry!" The cloaked one squeaked.

"And don't _apologize_ so much, you need to act sure of yourself! A leader must project control, it helps their team remain calm!"

"... Don't panic, Weiss, I've g-got this?"

"Ugh…" Weiss' voice dripped with disgust and the other girl squirmed, as if struggling to physically contain the desire to apologize again.

Velvet wasn't sure what would prompt such a discussion, but a familiar itch was in her palms. Biting her lower lip to try and contain a smile, she reached into her hip pouch and withdrew a large, professional camera before spreading her feet a bit for balance and focusing its sights on the retreating Weiss Schnee. A real-life celebrity, from a family of bullies and schemers, somebody whose voice graced the radio yearly, and whose family business earned her the ire of every animal-eared, clawed, fanged, and gilled individual in Remnant.

Her camera clicked and whirred–the flash turned off so she didn't have to worry about drawing too much attention–and she stared at the little screen. A tiny, candid, human moment of the recognizable Weiss Schnee's back, gesticulating wildly as she explained something to a confused looking friend. Certainly not worth selling to some gossip outlet, but it satisfied Velvet. Her moment of recognition and trepidation forever captured, for her to privately mull over and wonder…

She returned her camera to its holster and reached back to grab ahold of her stew, but only found empty air. A confused frown crossed her face as she turned, and confirmed it missing. However, her darting eyes quickly encountered someone's hip, before they slowly traveled up the broad torso of a boy much taller than her, his indigo eyes focusing on hers as he cracked off the plastic lid and sniffed at her meal.

"The heck's this, bunbun? All I'm smelling are greens." He asked in amusement, the red-headed boy putting the cup down roughly enough for some of the hot broth to spill out of the partial opening.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm a vegetarian, I get it special ordered so—" Cardin's laugh cut her short.

"You know, if you're aiming to be a huntress, you could at least _try_ to be less of a stereotype." The boy crossed his powerful arms over his chest, his eyes roaming Velvet's slender curves like a wolf eyeing a piece of meat. It made Velvet feel small, a nervous blush entering her cheeks, even as every muscle in her body coiled in response to her rapidly rising tension.

"I don't know what you mean…" Velvet mumbled as she took the soup and looked away from the tall boy. Many rabbit Faunus were vegetarians by birth, not just by choice; sharing a similar enzyme deficiency with other herbivore-based Faunus, meat was difficult to digest and lead to intestinal difficulties.

He put on a cocky smile, and Velvet flinched as his hand ran along the backs of her ears in a _very_ intimate manner. She did not want to make a scene, even as instinct told her to get _away_ as soon as she could. "Well, a little huntress has got to eat her meat, get big and strong to fight the Grimm." He leaned down, smiling in her face, his eyes so smug and self-confident it made her teeth grind unhappily. "But I got a perfect substitute for a little bunny like you to nibble on if she wants to stick to her greens…"

Velvet's nose twitched, and then his meaning hit her. " _... Don't…"_ She took a step back, away from his hand as his eyes narrowed and his smile shrank. "I'm not sure what you've h-heard, but I'm not like that." Her lips tightened into a thin, pale line as she did her best to set her shoulders and make her gaze firm.

The boy sniffed loudly, clearly displeased at the rejection, but then his smile came back, just as easy as before. "So we got off on the wrong foot," he walked forward, setting a hand on her shoulder. She squirmed to get away, but he squeezed, just hard enough to keep her still. "Name's Winchester. Cardin Winchester." He stared down into her eyes, watching them quiver. "I'm a big up-and-comer, a whole family tree of hunters backing me up. We got some good money, we got a lot of history, we got some _nice_ property out on Patch…" He smiled with all his teeth, and Velvet turned away, nervousness and disgust swirling within her like a maelstrom of revolting unease.

"Th-that's good, but… I really should be going. My team's waiting for me." Velvet tugged away from his hand, but he didn't let go. It made her sweat harder and reluctantly begin picking out soft spots on his body to aim for if she couldn't talk him down. "Please? We're second year, w-we have a first week test to focus on! I need to eat so we can study and-"

"Second year, huh?" Cardin's eyebrow shot up, and his smile turned feral. "Well I like my girls a little older. Why are you struggling so much, bunny?" He asked, pinching to keep her still. "I can be a real good guy, but if you push my buttons…" He squeezed until her autumn-brown aura sprang up to prevent her from bruising, "I can be a real bad one too. Quit playing hard-to-get, I'm good with pets, I can keep a little rabbit like you happy…"

"S-stop! Stop! Please!" Velvet finally squeaked, grasping his wrist tightly, trying to break his grip so the pulsations of sympathetic pain would _end._ Conversation around them slowed as people stopped to watch. Cardin let out a small, unhappy growl.

"Quit playing, _rabbit."_ He spoke through grit teeth, his expression suddenly furious. "Everyone knows you long-eared freaks'll crawl into the bed of whoever can keep you fat and happy! I'm your breadwinner right here, so stop making this difficult!"

Velvet's face turned tense as anger suddenly filled her, and she stared up at Cardin with a glare that completely masked the scared young girl from before. "I…" She gasped, her grip tightening as her aura surged through her, causing his aura to spark to prevent her from crushing his wrist. "I am _not a slut."_ She hissed. "I am a _huntress._ Stop right now, or—"

Without warning, Cardin's aura flared to a dangerous level, strengthening as she struggled to escape him, far beyond the acceptable level to handle another person. He was attempting to prove a point, to overpower her through his immense brute strength and raw aura; the exact _opposite_ of professional behavior between hunters. "Little rabbits shouldn't go around telling humans what to do. It doesn't end well for little rabbits, does it?" Cardin said in a low, controlled, but dangerous tone.

"This is- this is _Beacon,_ I won't be treated like some common _animal!"_ Velvet yelped as she was jerked closer to Cardin, barely able to stop herself from colliding with his chest. "This sort of thing won't be _tolerated!_ People like _you_ are why the White Fang have support!" Velvet didn't want to expand her aura, to cause a fight, a _scene,_ but Cardin wouldn't relent. She had to do _something_ decisive.

Cardin's smile made her skin crawl, Velvet focused her power into her leg while subtly positioning her knee, but before she could attack, a loud ' _clang'_ silenced every voice in the hall. Cardin leaned back a foot, a metal tray wrapped around his face. Velvet blinked her big brown eyes and took the opportunity to swat Cardin's hand away to take a step back. Three boys stood up from their seats a few tables away and raced to Cardin's side, as Cardin grabbed the dish and threw it to the floor, his face caked with a thin layer of vanilla pudding.

Nobody said a word; everyone just stared at the boy and his would-be victim.

"…That is _not_ what I meant." Weiss broke the silence unsurely, her eyes wide with plain surprise as Ruby drew her arms back, squared her shoulders, and put on a _very_ unhappy frown.

Cardin wiped the dessert off his face and focused his furious glare on Ruby. "Well lookie here…" His neck tensed, his face turning a violent shade of red as Ruby's firm expression began to slip into worry. "Today's just fulla surprises… I saw your fight with the pig in class, _Ruby Rose._ Musta been easy for a little _murderer_ like you." His jaw went rigid, his eyes wide, the three boys by his side looking to him in confusion, as did Velvet and Weiss.

"I-it was an accident." Ruby shifted herself into a more confident posture, only her quivering lip betraying her emotions. Cardin seemed to swell at her defense, his thick chest filling with air as she swallowed thickly. "But t-that's not what this is ab-bout! You s-s-shouldn't pick on people, Cardin. We're s-suposed to be the good guys."

"You know him?!" Weiss hissed in surprise. Ruby jerked her head up and down in a nervous approximation of a nod.

"You know _her?"_ Russel, Cardin's partner, looked up to him in confusion.

"Yeah, I know her. She's the bitch that _killed my dog!"_ Cardin's sucked his lips in angrily, stomping forward, finger pointed between Ruby's eyes. The younger girl tried to stand her ground, but slid back a step as Cardin drew closer, only stopping when she was in reach of him. The cafeteria was silent, everybody watching the drama unfold with big, curious eyes. "And it wasn't a quick death, _was it Ruby?_ Were you disappointed with the Boarbatusk? That it didn't leave you _soaked in blood?!"_ He demanded loudly, veins in his temples beginning to bulge.

"I-I-It- I didn't- it w-wasn't on p-purpose…" Ruby stammered through her grit teeth, her shoulders hunching in distress as Cardin grew a vile smile.

"Who the hell even let a b-b- _brat_ like you in here? You never went to Signal! Did Yang crawl into Ozpin's bed for you?" The accusation sent Ruby's heart right into her throat, and she turned a worrying shade of red as Weiss' own startled confusion turned into an icy glare of contempt.

"Hey!" Weiss grabbed his finger, wrenching it away from her partner angrily. "Who do you think you are, throwing around baseless accusations towards _anybody?_ You don't think she could have gotten in on her own merits?!" Weiss's voice rose, her eyes shimmering furiously.

Her face wrenched to the left from his open-handed slap, her eyes wide with surprise, her white aura spreading across her cheek. "Shut up, _Schnee._ Don't even _think_ about getting between us! This is Vale, your money can't- _what- what the f-?!"_ Cardin was thrown back as Ruby slammed into his midsection, roaring like a demon as her small fists rained down on his stomach. Russel, Dove, and Sky descended on her, grabbing her arms, kicking at her ribs as Cardin grabbed her face, but her teeth dug into his thumb, making him yelp as she, with surprising ease, thrashed her way out of his teammates' grip, her entire body briefly outlined in inky darkness from the burst of Aura. Sky Lark aimed a kick square at her forehead, knocking her off of Cardin and onto her back. She sat upright with a furious expression, her inky black aura fading from her face as a subtle, but noticeable clicking filling the air, while her shadow roiled beneath her, the monsters inside hidden underneath her cloak.

Cardin stood, shoulders squared as Weiss ran to her partner and grabbed Ruby's arm to help her up, but froze as the bigger boy strode forward, snarling as he flexed his thick, powerful arms. "This has been a _long_ time coming, b-b- _bitch."_

" _Cardin!"_ A new voice made him stop in place. Almost instantly, the heat of the moment turned ice-cold, and the boy snapped straight up, his eyes shivering in sudden fear.

Warmth enveloped the room, and a brand new terror sprang forth in the audience as a new person entered the scene. Her golden locks glowed like a wild flame, her eyes blazing a bloody red, steam venting from her uncontrollably as Yang Xiao Long stormed towards the taller boy like pure rage incarnate. Cardin turned away from Ruby, facing the older sister with sweat on his brow as his three teammates moved to his sides, taking ready positions as Yang slowed, finger extended towards the boy.

"It. Is our _first. Goddamned. Day."_ Yang spoke in a surprisingly controlled, articulate tone before jerking her thumb towards the exit. "You and your team better be out of my sight in the next five seconds or we are reliving that whole first year at Signal here and _now_." Yang cracked knuckles of one hand simply by forming a very tight fist.

Cardin, suddenly fearing for the safety and wellness of himself, looked to his teammates, then to Yang, then back to Ruby. His eyes narrowed, and spoke between furious huffs, "This isn't over, _killer._ When Yang's not around…" The statement hung in the air warningly, and only turning back to face Yang's savagely bared teeth did he realize his mistake.

He crumpled over, and only when he let out a delicate, unmanly whimper did Yang pull her fist from his gut. An elbow to the back of his head sent him to the floor with an unhealthy crack, his aura flaring up vibrantly to protect him, and Yang strode through his panicking teammates fearlessly, her tight lipped scowl and searing eyes daring them to _touch_ her. The three boys, having better survival instincts than their leader, wisely stood aside for her, and only rushed to collect Cardin when Yang had stepped on and passed him. They hauled him out of the dining hall, and with a final cloud of steam escaping her hair, Yang let out a long breath and went back to normal. She grunted, squeezing her right shoulder with her left hand as she looked over her sister and Weiss for obvious signs of injury. Finding none, she finally took note of the very still mass of students gawking at the three of them. She clicked her tongue and planted her hands on her hips with a frown.

" _Show's over, folks!_ Get back to lunch!" The blonde called. Most of the students forced themselves into conversation to try and alleviate the suddenly violent atmosphere, but some decided to take their lunch elsewhere. With an unhappy sigh, Yang reached down and took Ruby's hand, pulling her to her feet. Gentle fingers ran through the younger girl's hair, soothing her as Ruby's lips quivered, threatening to break out into a full-on wail. "If I knew that ass-and-a-half was roaming around I wouldn't have let you outta my sight." Yang murmured, pulling Ruby closer.

Ruby wrapped herself around Yang and hid her blubbering against her sister's collarbone, getting delicate head rubs and consoling whispers from her older sister. Weiss stared in a mixture of unease and anger, rubbing her cheek where Cardin had struck her. "...Who was _that?!"_ She finally demanded, her lip quivering, the anger of the moment fading to just leave her confused and anxious.

"A big nobody who thinks he's somebody." Yang scoffed, then tilted her head as she took in Weiss' wilted posture. "... You need a hug too, princess?" She asked, rubbing Ruby's back with one hand while offering the other.

"No!" Weiss snapped, then after a moment of consideration, deflated while staring at Yang's palm almost longingly. "... Such a thing is unnecessary, I'll be—" She was silenced when Yang tugged her into a one-armed embrace. Weiss worked her jaw furiously as she found herself wrapped up in another hug from this stupid, overly affectionate family. She pulled her head back to give Yang a thin-lipped pout. "We are going to need to discuss personal space. But, seriously, who was that?"

"Uh, yeah, seems like you three have history." Blake piped up from behind, glancing at Velvet, who quietly recoiled. Blake forced herself to leave the girl to join her teammates. "Well? Spill." She ordered, Velvet watching the four of them unsuredly.

"What, you skip out on the whole thing and just demand answers?" Yang scoffed. Blake crossed her arms and looked entirely unphased while Weiss cleared her throat as if to remind everyone she still wanted an answer. "... Ugh, fine." Yang grunted, letting Weiss go. "But not _here."_ She motioned towards the door before turning on her heel to stride towards it. Yang all but carried Ruby out the exit, while Weiss followed with a curious frown. Blake glanced to Velvet, nodded in silent sympathy, and followed her team, breaking into a light jog to catch up.

Velvet watched the four of them go, then glanced down to her cup of stew with a small frown.

Team RWBY walked far down the hall, taking a few turns to get away from the main halls connecting major wings of the campus, towards a cushioned bench mounted on a wall. Yang dropped down, essentially dragging Ruby along to plop down next to her. Weiss and Blake stood in front of them both, refusing to squeeze in with them or sit on the next bench over. It took a minute for Yang to check over Ruby and stroke her cheeks before realizing she had no more excuses to delay things. She emitted an unhappy groan as Ruby hugged her arm in silent comfort.

"...Well?" Blake quirked an eyebrow, agitated by the silence. "Who was that? And why was he saying Ruby killed his dog?"

"Because she _did,_ but it wasn't her fault." Yang growled, stroking Ruby's head as the younger girl paled, not wanting to meet their eyes. "I mean… it _was_ , but, like, she didn't want to."

"Right…" Weiss suddenly recalled, touching her chin and rolling her eyes upwards as she thought back to the heated exchange of words. "It... attacked her, correct?" Weiss frowned when she got a nod.

"Bastard thought it would be funny to take his hundred-pound mutt off its leash and let it come charging the house for whatever joke he thought he was playing. Ruby was doing whatever and… yeah." Yang shook her head, her eyes sinking at the memory. Ruby made an unhappy sound and cuddled Yang's bicep more tightly at the memory. "I don't know who attacked first, but it scared the hell out of her, and her semblance activated…" Yang trailed off as she looked from a rapidly paling Weiss to an attentively watching Blake, her lips going thin as she forced her mouth to stop. Blake's curiosity rapidly soured into impatience.

"And?" Blake tapped her foot. "Ruby's semblance activated…?"

"And it died! _Badly._ That's it." Yang huffed, making Blake's nose crinkle, unsatisfied with the answer.

"Not that we need details about _that_ particular incident, but Yang, you never answered us: who is he?" Weiss crossed her arms and gave her a demanding look.

Yang sat there, her face sporting a big frown as she huffed, puffed, and seemed like she was about to start her explanation, but ultimately failed. Ruby roused herself up to look at her teammates, her panic and misery gone for the most part. She sighed and, for once, it was her hand patting the top of Yang's head. "He's Yang's ex-boyfriend." She supplied, and Yang's unhappy expression became a full on pout.

Weiss and Blake stared at Ruby in quiet disbelief, then to the aggravated Yang in horror. " _... WHAT?!"_ Weiss shouted, eyes squeezed shut as if she had heard an atrocious lie. Blake's jaw worked but no sound came out, her mind completely failing to imagine Yang flirting with… _that_.

" _Two. Months."_ Yang grunted, pressing her hands to her face as she burned in shame. "We dated for _two months_ because, at the time, baby Yang didn't know how delicious chicks were and went out with a guy or two, including tall, handsome, and god-awful!"

"H-his name i-is Cardin Winchester." Ruby said with a rigid frown. "A-and he's an _asshole."_

" _Ruby, language!"_ Yang stared aghast at her sister's profanity, making Ruby pout childishly. Yang shook her head. "She's right though, he's a prick. He can be _charming_ if he wants to be, it's how he nabbed me, but then the dog thing happened, he hurt Ruby, and for the next year he was my go-to punching bag while I scored more chicks than he _ever_ did." She huffed. Weiss seemed… weirdly pleased to hear it, and Blake rubbed her temple a moment, lamenting that revenge seemed to be the most consistent way to make Yang focus on anything.

"Inspiring." Blake said dryly, her eyes softening. Something edging on concern tugged at her lips as she considered the implications of who Yang was, and what she'd seen of Cardin. "You two dated, but did you… I mean, did you ever…?" Blake raised a hand, awkwardly gesturing in nonsensical ways. She didn't want to guess _why_ she cared, but it was an odd drop of panic as she recalled a few of her own scars.

Yang rolled her eyes as hard as she could, more so to hide her embarrassment than out of any real annoyance. "I can tell you his _measurements,_ but no, he never got in me." Yang said flatly. Ruby and Weiss made near-identical little noises of disgust. Yang blinked and stared at them, wondering if they noticed.

"I think I can live with the mystery of what's in his pants." Blake shook her head. Silently, she moved to Yang's side, and took her hand. Yang snapped her gaze towards Blake with earnest surprise as the dark-haired girl soothed her by gently kneading the back of her hand with both thumbs. Her cool hands and the gentle massage made Yang's cheeks turn pink at the casual intimacy of it all. "We all make mistakes, and you clearly learned from it. You got away from him _far_ faster than most girls would have. It's okay."

"She's right," Weiss nodded, lowering her head and putting on a small, if forced smile, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, lord knows I've had to fend off my own scandals and rumors." She sighed, rubbing her cheek.

"... Right. I'm not the first girl to date a lemon." Yang grunted, her shoulders tensing in anger. "He _hit_ you." As she said it, an evil look went through her eyes. "I'm gonna _kick his ass."_

"I'd normally say 'please do', but I'll ask you to refrain from doing anything that might get us expelled." Weiss warned, finally sitting next to Ruby while quietly giving her a thankful look for defending her.

"Ruby!" A familiar voice called. Team RWBY glanced down the hall to see team JNPR running towards them with worried looks. Jaune lead the four to a halt in front of their sister team, panting in clear distress. "Dude, what the hell was with that guy?!" Jaune asked, looking from Ruby, to Weiss, to Blake, to Yang.

"We've been here for ten minutes, why bother running if you were going to take so long to follow us?" Weiss snapped. Jaune rubbed his neck sheepishly, but Nora just planted her fists on her hips and glared.

"A: we were in the middle of that crowd when the screaming started, and two: we can't exactly follow broken twigs and tracks in mud in the middle of the stinkin' school, can we, Miss Thankless!?" She growled. Ren sighed and lightly swatted his love's hip as a gentle admonishment while Weiss squeaked out an apology. Pyrrha wore her best, most plastic, smile.

"Sorry… but we are concerned about what happened between all of you and…?" she trailed off, looking among the four girls to see if one of them might provide an answer.

"Yang's ex-boyfriend, complete jerk." Blake recited, earning an unappreciative elbow to her ribs from Yang, which was answered with a dismissive grunt and an expression that begged if she was wrong. Yang sighed, hung her head, shrugged her shoulders, then nodded.

"That about sums it up. If you four wanna have a good time, don't mess with him. Macho meathead who thinks he can solve everything with a dick-waving contest." Yang stood, settling a hand on Ruby's head.

"... You _dated_ him?" Jaune asked with a slow blink.

" _Ugh."_ Yang quickly re-explained her relationship with him as Nora embraced Ruby, pulling her into an unusually gentle snuggle that made the smaller girl much less inclined to try and escape. "—and no we didn't bang."

"Well that's a relief." Jaune frowned, making Yang give him a curious, if amused smirk.

"Why's that? I prefer the finer sex, but that doesn't make me any less a player. He'd just be another notch on the bedpost." She tossed her hair and put on her most confident smirk, while Blake looked at the floor and frowned to herself.

"It's not _that,_ but, like… isn't it different between girls and boys?" Jaune was clearly trying to puzzle out something he couldn't explain in his head. "I dunno, giving him the satisfaction…"

"I'm sorta ticked that you think a penis being involved somehow makes it mean more but you're not _wrong,_ it would've sucked... but it didn't _happen_ , so it's fine. It's all fine. I'm fine! Why's everyone interested in whether or not I got physical with the guy?!" Yang threw her hands up, trying to end this conversation.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, a frown on his face. "I don't mean him being a guy makes it more important it's just… I dunno, I just don't like the idea of him holding it over your head!" He answered, hands held up in uncertainty. Yang's composure briefly gave out as she stared at Jaune, then waved the conversation away with a grouchy look and a glowing blush. The boy wasn't about to divulge his own family's drama, but he had half a mind to pay Cardin back based on some past, unexpressed tension.

"W-whatever, just don't get involved with the guy and you'll be okay, if he starts giving you crap, come tell me." Yang fought to put on a confident smile. "I have _zero_ issues bruising his pretty-boy face _and_ his ego."

Understanding, though uneasy, nods went through the other seven as the conversation turned into a question and answer session. When it was brought up, Yang retold the story of Ruby and the dog. Ren leaned against the far wall, watching his new friends socialize and comfort one-another, when a thump by his side got his attention. He glanced to Blake as the dark-haired girl frowned at nothing.

"Hm." He nodded to her when their eyes happened to meet.

"Mm." She nodded back, loosely crossing her arms and ankles to get comfortable.

Their acknowledgements given, they went back to observing their teams. Ren watched Nora as she and Yang took turns coming up with worse and worse names for Cardin, Jaune sat with Ruby and awkwardly rubbed her shoulder, clearly unsure if any more would be acceptable while Ruby not-so-subtly lowered her chin to offer her scalp, and Pyrrha inspected a blushing Weiss's cheek while gently holding the smaller girl's chin to keep her still. Ren tilted his head, looking to Blake thoughtfully, "Sort of makes you understand the White Fang, doesn't it?"

He took note of the way Blake tensed up instantly, but then forcibly relaxed her posture back to an easy lounge before she glanced over at him. "What makes you say that?" She asked in a tone neutral enough that he had no idea what to make of it.

"This all started because he was harassing that rabbit Faunus, yes?" Ren looked back at Nora. He put on a fond smile as Nora said _something_ that made Yang nearly double over laughing. "Had Ruby and Weiss not stepped in…"

"She would more than likely have been fine." Blake said calmly, even though her gaze was now on the floor. Ren shot her a questioning look she could barely make out from the corner of her eye. She took a breath and shifted to face him a bit more. "She's a huntress, and I don't remember her from orientation so she might be in a later year. She probably would have done _something._ Besides, if not her or Ruby, then somebody else would have stepped up…"

"We'd like to think that, wouldn't we?" Ren asked softly, a small frown tugging at his lips. Blake gave an ambiguous grunt as he shifted slightly. "A room full of people, and nobody else made a move to stop him. I'm ashamed to admit, we were not paying enough attention until things became physical. Yourself and Yang arrived before we could really get moving..."

"I mean, that's how it is, isn't it?" Blake wasn't really asking him, or anybody else in particular, it came off rhetorically, yet it drew Ren's questioning eye as Blake stared a hole into the wall between Ruby and Weiss. "People only seem to arrive right when the Faunus has already been mugged, or mutilated, or killed. They find the victim and call it a 'damn shame', but god forbid somebody do something five minutes earlier."

"Nobody likes to draw conflict onto themselves, it can take time for somebody to overcome their instincts to put themselves into danger." Ren murmured, as if knowing the feeling all too well. "But that's why we hunters—"

"Are trained to respond to Grimm attacks, to protect humanity from the monsters outside of our cities, rather than within. It's easy to say ' _that's not my job'_ when you're a hero, you have better things to do, but some of them have no issue getting a paycheck for hunting Faunus down." Blake's eyes narrowed into slits, deadly and razorsharp, planning something Ren dared no try to guess at, but then they melted away as her convictions failed to latch onto anything tangible nearby. "One day that's going to change."

Silently, Ren evaluated the girl before him, from the top of the bow on her head, down to her tailless bottom, and he concluded–incorrectly–that for all of her fire, she could not have been a Faunus. "And I'm sure the Faunus–as well as the White Fang–will achieve greater things with you fighting on their side." He meant for his words to come off as encouraging and friendly, but the way her eyes dipped and her posture wilted, he missed his mark.

"... I hope so." She whispered, too quiet for him to hear the pain in her voice.

"Hello?" The eight teens turned towards the new voice. Holding a styrofoam cup, her tall ears flicking nervously, Velvet blushed and took a few steps towards Ruby and Weiss.

"H-hi." Ruby shot up, shuffling forward to meet the older girl with a stiff gait, her fists visibly trembling as she forced herself to engage the rabbit girl in conversation with an audience. "Sorry w-we kind of left you behind, we had… stuff to work out. A-are y-you okay?" Ruby asked, awkwardly sticking a hand out.

Velvet took the offered hand with a small smile. "Fine, thank you. Err, thanks _to_ you, I should say. I didn't want to get caught fighting a younger student… you have no idea how strict Professor Goodwitch can get about that sort of thing." With a limp shake, both girls let go, Ruby's retracting as if Velvet had bared fangs at her. Velvet cleared her throat and blushed. "I'm Velvet Scarlatina, I'm a second year here at Beacon."

Ruby smiled a little nervously, fumbling to introduce herself. "Oh! Uh, I'm- err, I'm Ruby Rose! Th-this is my first year h-here! I-it's nice to meet you Velvet! Oh!" Ruby reached out, tugging Weiss away from Pyrrha, drawing a surprised yelp, to push the Schnee heiress in front of Velvet, the two women blushing as their bodies nearly pressed together. "This is Weiss! She was the one who t-told me we should do something!"

Weiss' nostril twitched in agitation at her forced inclusion, then straightened up and bowed her head, saving her ire for when they weren't entertaining a new acquaintance. "I'm sorry you had to experience such… _rudeness,_ Velvet. It's pathetic there are still people who will attack someone with a total disregard for their station over something as silly as being a Faunus."

"Oh, thank you…" Velvet took in Weiss, _all_ of Weiss, her ears straight up and her jaw flexing in discomfort, "Um… what do you mean?" She asked in trepidation, Blake watching while glaring daggers at Weiss from a distance, both expecting _something…_ but Weiss easily recouped with a small clear of her throat.

"I _mean_ that you're a huntress. Faunus or not, hunters should be respected, _especially_ by other hunters." Weiss explained with a neutral tone that betrayed no ulterior intentions, and Velvet gave a slow, unsure nod.

"Thank you, I think." She tilted her head. "... Sooo… if you're here, does that mean you're not putting out another album?"

"No time soon, certainly, but I was hoping to find inspiration in— _hey!"_ Weiss squeaked as she was shoved aside. Velvet blinked as another hand took hers, far larger and warmer than Weiss', and she found herself looking into the lavender eyes and alluring smile of her third savior.

"Hey cutie, name's Yang." Yang bat her eyelids, her voice containing a low rumble of approval that made Velvet feel heat fill her cheeks. Unlike the thug of a boy that had harassed her earlier, Yang did not intimidate her, but she was left wondering why everyone seemed to have a hankering for rabbit today... "Don't worry about that asshat, if he gives you any trouble, just call for me. I can handle it, or give you a cheering section while you kick his ass, whichever mood you're in at the time." She winked and Velvet let slip a giggle; Yang's eyes danced at the perceived victory! "In the meantime, you wanna talk rewards? I would _love_ to take you out…"

The heat reached Velvet's shoulders, and Yang was subtly inching a tad closer while maintaining eye contact, preparing the next crucial line to tilt this lovely older woman into saying yes… until she was unceremoniously tossed away by Ruby, drawing a surprised curse and an agonized wail of failure. The younger sister shot the older an annoyed glare, then looked back up to Velvet with a small smile. "D-don't worry, like Yang said, we're willing to help you if Cardin comes b-back. I hope he didn't spoil your appetite!"

"Not at all!" Velvet chuckled, favoring Ruby with a pleasant, happy grin while giving Yang an apologetic look. Nora rubbed Yang's shoulders, whispering for her to get back in there and try again! "If anything, all this activity's made me much hungrier, but thank you for your concern. Oh!" She perked up. "Listen, Ruby, if you ever need some advice or help around Beacon, don't hesitate to ask me or my teammates. I'm part of team CFVY, spelled _c-f-v-y_. My team leader will hear all about you, so I'm sure she'll be more than willing to return the favor. Coco's awesome that way."

"Th-that sounds great!" Ruby bobbed her head, shifting in place excitedly. "And, um, we're team RWBY." Ruby gestured for her teammates, and Blake and Yang stood with Ruby and Weiss, the four of them putting on a confident display.

"Team JNPR." Jaune waved, standing as Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren gathered around him. Velvet smiled, bowing low.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I wish I could stay, but I'm expected… and late. Fox is going to harp on me… anyway, I hope to see the eight of you some more around campus!" She waved to the eight of them, walking past them with her stew in hand before breaking into a swift jog. Yang reached after her silently, lamenting the lost chance to date a hot, older rabbit Faunus. Her life's dream… gone...

Velvet headed down the hall, stopping before turning the corner to throw them one last look, and smiled. Silently, she pulled her camera out of her hip pouch. The eight of them intermingled, teasing, chatting, comforting and poking one another. Their teams were once again indistinguishable from each other in the moment. She snapped a picture and smiled down at the preview on the tiny screen as she walked off once more. She would be able to tell Coco that there were at least eight new hunters worth getting to know…

* * *

"If you're going to follow me, you could at least _try_ to keep up!" Blake called down with a smirk. She deftly grabbed ahold of protrusions in Beacon's wall, hauling herself quickly and surely up toward the roof. Down below, standing on the balcony Blake started her climb from, Yang just planted her hands on her hips and grinned.

"Ya ever think I'm staying here 'cause I like the view?" Yang shouted back. Blake looked down from the ledge she was clinging to and at her skirt. _Right._ She'd forgotten she did most of her climbing before in _pants._ This certainly explained the sudden draft betwixt her thighs and the goofy intensity of Yang's stare.

Annoyance passed through her, then begrudging acceptance, then an amusing little idea. "Sorry I don't have a cotton tail for you to chase." She shot Yang a small grin and shook her rump, drawing an enthused gasp from below, then hauled herself onto one of Beacon's many roofs. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure _why_ it seemed like a good idea to tease her partner, but it had felt good to get such an enthusiastic reaction; not to mention it'd get Yang up the wall faster if she really was intent on following.

In the meantime, the flat-topped, square roof was pleasantly private compared to the opulent halls and vast rooms, packed with mingling, busy, or relaxing students. It was flanked by other buildings connected side-by-side, and backed by the tall, central tower of Beacon, providing a barrier to the wind and sun. Which would be wonderful if it was too hot out, but in the shade and caressed by a breeze, it was a touch chillier than she prefered… she'd be moving on soon to find some sunlight.

It was nice to be in the open air again, away from people, but also not surrounded by seemingly endless forest. If Blake had missed anything while she was still with the Fang, it was the sense of security a city provided. It was an exciting realization that she'd have access to central heating, hot water, and a cozy bed at all times.

Finding one's privacy just took a bit of effort, and Blake enjoyed high-places, cool breezes, and zero chance of running into anybody else. It was just her luck that, after dismissing herself from the rest of the group, Yang decided to follow her instead of Ruby and Weiss. She hid a twitch in her ear; it was irritating enough that her partner was one of the loudest people Blake had ever met, but that girl also stuck to her like flypaper.

Despite telling Yang she would be fine alone, the blonde continually followed her while endlessly rattling off jokes, musings on their surroundings, theories on things their team could do in Vale-proper once they were allowed to visit… anything, that popped into her head, really. It was looking to be an annoying day, and if it was any foretelling of what was to come, the future as well… but Yang's joviality and good-humor wasn't the worst thing in the world. If anything, her persistence in sticking with Blake was kind of nice, despite the associated spike in localized noise pollution. At least it meant Blake wasn't being followed around by yet another damaged, vengeful individual; a pain in the butt, maybe, but a normal one.

Still, Blake had come up here to _think;_ too much had gone on in the morning for her to properly internalize in an instant. Ruby was a dog-killer, had an enemy, and had openly attacked another student for harassing a Faunus girl and slapping her partner. Weiss had said a lot about helping her team and helping others, standing by Ruby's side when Cardin had made himself known… Yang, apparently, had terrible taste in men. Blake conceded that she could relate on that point, but she still wanted to think on everything, and needed the right place to do it.

"Nng!" Blake glanced over at the edge as Yang pulled herself up slowly. Not slow for your average hunter, granted, but slow for _Blake._ "Jeez, you make this look easy!" Yang stared up at her partner with some admiration, holding a hand out. With silent, grudging acceptance, Blake grasped Yang's hand and helped haul the blonde up, mentally noting that Yang's eyes were free of the anger and frustration she'd displayed during the confrontation. Blake wondered if her partner was truly capable of letting her emotions go so easily, or if she was uniquely gifted in hiding them when she wanted to. She stood back to let that idea bounce around her head while she watched Yang dust off the front of her skirt and turn, whistling at the view. "Okay, you're right, _way_ better than finding an open window to chill at."

"Mm." Blake hummed with a small nod, heading for the next rooftop, which stood higher and at a slant, but was less likely to be shaded over like the little nook they'd clamored onto. She stared up at the ledge, which would require a reasonable jump and a catch to climb up, but would provide no real issue. She was picking out the best way to scale the wall, maybe something a bit flashy to get Yang all awestruck again, the larger woman didn't seem to have much acrobatic flair...

"Boost!" She heard behind her, and she nearly screamed as she was suddenly picked up by the knees, Yang easily tossing her onto the roof like she weighed less than half of what she did, and Blake landed on her feet with an annoyed grimace, arms briefly spread out for balance after the unexpected launch. Her scowl only grew when she heard Yang land behind her, and could _feel_ that cheeky smirk on her face despite clearly hearing her struggle for balance a moment, apparently not anticipating how to shift her weight on the angled slope when she'd jumped. Using Aura to outperform Blake was _cheating..._ "So, watcha need ta be alone for anyways, Blake?"

"To think." Blake responded, testing her steps across the shingles to ensure they were stable, pleased to find that they were and even offered a good grip. Probably not purposefully, what establishment would want its inhabitants climbing around its roof freely? But, Blake appreciated the lack of slipperiness, and walked to the far end, where the sun shone down on it temptingly.

"'Bout what?" Yang asked, walked after her partner with only a slight balance issue that she resolved by angling her feet and occasionally holding out her arms, especially when the wind gusted a bit.

"Do you actually care?" Blake almost demanded, looking back at Yang with an arched eyebrow, but the blonde's curiosity was evident amid a quick bob of her head and an oddly cute little smile, and Blake let out a small, tired sigh. "Weiss, I guess."

"Oh, yeah," Yang's voice went distant, and Blake immediately gave her a surprised look, wondering if she was mulling over the heiress and the staggering implications of her behavior to a significant minority of the world, but of course, she was not, "girl's got some _damn_ fine legs, and the cutest little patoot!" Yang let out a perverse little giggle, and Blake resisted the desire to jump off the roof to escape.

Blake groaned and briefly rubbed her forehead instead. "Real question, do you have an _off_ _button?"_ She asked haughtily, only getting a bigger grin from her partner.

"Don't know watcha mean, Babs." Yang stuck her tongue out.

Blake turned away so that Yang couldn't bask in the way her eyes rolled. "I'll have to ask Ruby what gets your mind off girls, she seems like she'd know a thing or two…"

"Hah! As if Ruby could hobble me for long, I got my secrets!" Yang beamed. "'Sides, I'm not _always_ thinking about girls; sometimes, I wanna _hit stuff._ It wounds me that you'd think I'm so one dimensional!"

"Let's see, you flirted with me, you flirted with Weiss, you flirted with that Vacuan girl in class, you flirted with Velvet…" Blake counted on her fingers, a tiny smirk growing, despite herself, as Yang just stretched her arms above her head. "And, so far, only one punch was thrown."

"Hey, I just want people to know that there's a hot new piece on campus who is both smooth _and_ available." Yang wiggled her eyebrows, her smile as confident as ever. "I'm going to take my time picking the perfect Mrs. Xiao Long, so I might as well make sure I 'sow my seed' in the meantime. I am going to bring at least a _few_ girls a revelation on the better half of the gender line!"

Blake sank to her rear and looked up at the sky, taking in the breathless blue with an air of relaxation and peace, happy to be off her feet. "I hope you aren't trying to teach these poor girls humility; I can only take so much hot air."

Yang laughed, sitting down next to Blake with a cocksure smile. "Hey, when you're the sexiest babe on campus, you can't act humble."

"You think you're the sexiest?" Blake raised an eyebrow, offering a suddenly devious smile.

"Have you _looked_ at me?" Yang asked, lifting her bust tauntingly. Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know, was never a fan of blonde hair and big boobs. I like things small, sweet, cute…" Blake tapped her lip, a mean look crossing her face. "Your sister's single, right?" Blake tilted her head in obvious interest, and Yang's proud exterior crashed, her hands dropping off her hips as she gave Blake an offended expression.

"You _can't_ be serious. _Ruby?_ She's two years younger than you!" Yang huffed with a sudden anger. "And even besides that, she's _off-limits._ Big sister's orders!"

"Mm, but it's such a big school, not like you can always be there to stop me from stealing her away." Blake fluttered her lashes, making Yang lean over with a posture that practically _roared_ danger.

"I have _one_ rule." Yang said warningly, jabbing Blake's collarbone with one finger. " _Nobody_ lays a _finger_ on my sister. I don't care who it is, she's sheltered, _innocent,_ if she gets the wrong idea about what romance or sex is—"

"And _you_ are providing her with a good example?" Blake interrupted, raising an eyebrow. The question made Yang's speech screech to a halt, grasping at half-formed excuses that fell apart mid-word. Yang held her hands up, making an enraged noise as Blake just smiled in triumph, and laid back, ending Yang's attempt at a tirade as she stretched her body out in an almost sensual fashion, a low groan escaping the black-haired beauty that left Yang with a small, defeated blush.

Blake watched the sky with a calm sense of wonder as Yang gave her an embarrassed stink-eye, then shuffled to get comfortable before laying back alongside her partner. "Okay…" Yang finally said. "You got me."

"Mm?" Blake inquired, not looking to her partner.

"The whole 'make-Yang-grouchy-to-shut-her-up' thing? Brilliant." Yang didn't sound convinced even as she said it, and Blake snickered.

"I thought so. Better than asking you for some peace and quiet. I'm about seventy-percent sure you don't know the meanings of the words." Blake put on a half-smile, amused, but distracted as she watched a pair of birds quarrel in the air. "Besides, I don't feel like you're trying to eye-hump me anymore. I swear you only followed me to see up my skirt."

"You realize we'll be using the same showers, right? I've seen you naked, Blake." Yang snorted. That only made Blake's smile grow, though she didn't know why. It amused her more than she was willing to admit to show sudden humility after the display she'd given Ruby and Yang before… but… it tickled her.

"Mhmm. And if I recall, you couldn't take your eyes off me." Blake pointed out, lazily extending a hand and prodding Yang's nose with one finger. The blonde gave a dismissive grunt, leaving Blake feeling triumphant. She was vaguely reminded of going on recon with Adam or Ilia so long ago, before Adam began to… change. All the sniping, flirting, and quiet giggles, all the small promises of the future... "I bet you're all excited to see me again next time." Blake said, finding herself, perhaps, a little too comfortable with this strange, but friendly human.

"What can I say?" Yang suddenly leaned close, pressing to Blake enough to share some of her intense body heat. Blake felt two impulses: one to recoil as far away as she could, and the other to lean in closer, to feel safe, to feel warm, to feel _loved..._ "I'm in a school full of gems, and I spotted a diamond among them." She purred, boldly nudging Blake's human ear with her nose.

"...You're too much, Yang." Blake scooted away after a moment of surprised deliberation, her smile twitching nervously. Yang just laughed in victory, even if it was a small one. Blake resumed staring upwards, never looking at anything in particular. Yang laid in silence with her. The wind made the trees below shiver, the sounds of shifting leaves filling the air, followed by the call of a bird in the distance. It was warm, cozy, and boring.

Just how Blake liked it.

"So, watcha looking at?" Yang asked, trying to follow Blake's eyes.

"Nothing, really." Blake shrugged. Yang pouted, then began to kick her feet.

"Theeeen watcha doin'?" Yang cocked her head at Blake.

"Digesting, mostly." Blake answered dryly. Yang groaned.

"So… done thinking yet?"

Blake gave Yang an impatient look. "We've laid down for maybe a minute and a half, how could I possibly get any thinking done?" She asked incredulously, which only made Yang look… thoughtful? That didn't seem right, Yang's pursed lips, rolled eyes, and low hum were too… _patronizing._

"Well I just had a thought right now: _booored!"_ Yang stretched her limbs out, sitting up and drawing her knees up to give her chin a rest. She closed her eyes and made a low whine. "I figured you'd be doing something _fun_ while _thinking,_ otherwise I woulda gone with Ruby and Weiss to the library! At least that's _something_."

"We need to give them their space. They're still adjusting to each other, they need to have time to work on their partnership." Blake didn't open her eyes, her mind shifting towards Weiss again, the gulf of uncertainty widening once more… at least until she heard clothing shift, and a low, annoyed puff of air escaped her as she saw Yang sliding her skirt up enough to show some silky thigh.

"Then c'mon, let's work on our own partnership!" Yang wiggled her eyebrows, her smile confident. "What's a little fooling around between partners? Eh?" Yang grinned.

Blake turned back and closed her eyes. "No." No tan lines, she noted. Bold, but not surprising given how bold everything else about Yang was...

"Oh _come on,_ you can't think for an hour straight! Recess is supposed to be used for, like, _studying,_ or practicing, or doing _something."_ Yang grouched, arms crossed over her chest.

"Quit whining, just enjoy the sunlight. Might do you some good to take a breather." Blake sighed. Maybe this was a mistake, she should have figured Yang would be the overactive type. Blake just wanted to let the outdoor comforts wash away the daily stress before she was whisked back inside for more schoolwork, and more confrontations that contradicted the dearly held beliefs of her former group. She wanted to figure out what to do about Weiss...

"This is supposed to be the time of our lives!" Yang threw her hands out anxiously. "The years before we become full-fledged hunters; we're supposed to be going out there and making mistakes and memories! Fighting, fooling around, sneaking booze; what's the fun in just lazing around for an hour?!"

"The _fun_ comes from not having to _worry_ about having fun." Blake sat up, meeting Yang's eyes with a frown. "I spent years in a sleeping bag, under a tent, worried about Grimm, food, and basic hygiene. I'm finally back in civilization where I can live normally. I don't need to go out to have fun, I can lay here, count my blessings, and close my eyes for an hour and be fine."

"Isn't your life passing you by, then?" Yang demanded, hands on her hips now. "Like, what are you going to tell people, 'my Beacon years were great, I went to class, took a nap, then went to bed?!'" Yang grumbled.

"Yeah, and I'll tell them it was _amazing_ because I didn't spend the whole day wondering when my next meal would come, or worrying there was a Grimm hiding out nearby!" Blake matched Yang's growl, and her eyes sharpened. "Just because you're a bloodthirsty horndog doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."

"But- I mean- I'm not _bloodthirsty,_ I just like fighting! I _don't_ like wasting my time, though!" Yang gestured to the both of them, sitting there, doing nothing. "It just feels like a _waste._ You said it yourself, we're in civilization, it's safe! Sure we can nap, but… there's so much more to do when you want to do nothing."

" _Like?"_ Blake asked sharply, the comfort from before evaporating in their growing anger.

Yang thought for a moment. She shifted in place, trying to get her blood flowing, trying to think… then, with a little grunt, she finally spoke. "When I was laid up in bed with a broken leg, Ruby and I used to talk for _hours._ Playing little word games, playing board games, just discuss philosophy, and training, and hunting. It was so boring at the time, but once I could run around again, those talks and games became _fun._ It was bonding time with my sister, I wasn't _forced_ to sit there. I don't like being lazy for too long, there's too much to do in this world before I become a fully licensed huntress." Yang frowned. "I'm just worried I won't get to do it."

Blake considered the blonde for a moment. It was a small, but notable moment of weakness. Yang seemed easily susceptible to those, especially regarding her sister. Her boisterousness didn't seem like an act, but there was still a young, bruisable little lady beneath it. Blake sighed; she enjoyed silence and stillness, it allowed her to think, but Yang wasn't open to sharing that. However, Blake relented that, as they were both being selfish, some compromise must have been in reach. "... Shiritori?" Blake offered.

"Eh?" Yang blinked.

"Ever heard of it? Mistral word game." Blake stirred her hand in slow thought. "I'll start with a word, and you have to take the sound that word ends on to start the next word."

"Oh, er, I've heard of it." Yang nodded, watching Blake curiously.

"Alright. Flirt."

"... Flirt?" Yang blinked slowly. "You, uh, you rock that skirt?"

"No, fool, that's the starting word." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Oh! Shoot, uh…" Yang worked her jaw. "Tale."

"Love."

"Villain? Isn't this game only supposed to be played with nouns?"

"Love is an abstract noun. Nuisance."

"Slate."

"Tap."

"Pollen."

"Nuisa- uh… niche."

"Hah! Sugar."

"Rib."

"Back."

"Kebab."

"Hmm, bra!"

"F-cup."

"Eh?" Yang tilted her head to the side, staring at Blake with a raised eyebrow.

Where had that come from? Blake didn't know why she suddenly so confident with herself, easing into the game made her feel… loose again. Blake lazily raised a finger and pointed to Yang's chest. "F. Am I right?" Blake had a neutral expression, making it impossible to tell what her intention was, or that she was struggling to understand her own playfulness.

Yang fought the urge to blush again, and simply grinned. "Only one way to find out, Blakey."

"Mm. You're right. I'll go through your laundry over the weekend." Blake smirked.

"You're _so_ weird." Yang chuckled, giving Blake a fond look. "I think I like it."

"Then the next four years _might_ be tolerable." Blake sighed softly, closing her eyes as she gave a small smile. Okay, this was sort of fun; she would have enjoyed the silence just as much, but her brain lazily stirred with the game rather than going totally kaput… and it was kind of nice hearing she was liked. It was a far cry from being stared at like she was a burden because she'd spoken her opinion one too many times. She heard Yang lay down next to her, and she briefly wondered if she was going to actually enjoy the silence with her.

"... Puke."

Blake cracked an eye open and frowned. "Mm?"

"F-cup ends with a 'p'. Puke."

"... Cuddle."

"Is that an invitation?"

"No."

"Lair, then."

"Rune…"

It was strange, Blake thought stared up at the sky, absentmindedly playing the game, she had momentarily forgotten why she was here in the first place, she had momentarily forgotten about Weiss. Blake often forgot she was a teenage girl, and always wondered what she missed while in the Fang, but she came to realize how much she missed being out of it.

There was a… peace to it all.

* * *

" _..._ _Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…!"_ The squealing continued for at least another ten seconds as Weiss plugged her ears, quietly wondering when the joy would _end._ "It's so _huge!"_ Ruby shouted, running into the library with Weiss swiftly chasing after her.

"Ruby, don't go running off! And be quiet, _we are in a library!"_ Weiss hissed at her partner as they ran.

Behind them, walking at a more sedate pace, Jaune rested a hand on his hip as he came to a halt and stared blankly around the Beacon Academy library. Bookshelves four times his height stood row by row from the entrance to the back wall, with a second story way, way up high, where there were even _more_ bookshelves. Wall-to-wall, it was endless literature, and Jaune could feel his head spinning as he looked up to the tall, arched ceilings.

Ruby was right, the place was _massive._ The ground floor had such an enormous study area bisecting it that even the dozens of long, white study tables left perfectly comfortable walking room down the middle, or even into the aisles. Jaune scratched the back of his head as he felt an elbow brush against his.

"It is amazing." Pyrrha whispered by his side, eyes glimmering in delight. She glanced to Jaune with a pleasant, happy expression, and lead the way down the middle, glancing left and right at everything, to try and take it all _in._ "My goodness, not even Shade was so…" Pyrrha spun gracefully on her heels as she walked, beaming as she did. "I mean, it had a perfectly suitable library but…" She sped down an aisle, Jaune rushing to keep up. " _This…!"_ Pyrrha ran her fingers along the spines of the books on both sides of her as she walked.

A small squeal of joy told Jaune and Pyrrha that Ruby had found something of interest, and the loud hush that followed let them know that Weiss had caught up.

"I've never seen so many books in my life." Jaune admitted, looking to his left. ' _Following in Their Footsteps: Where Did We Learn to Hunt?'_ He examined the book thoughtfully, before tugging it off the shelf and putting it under his arm. "I think, back on the farm, we only had storybooks and, like, a Holy Trilogy set. Do all of these have stuff on being a hunter?" Jaune asked, bewildered.

"Not this one!" Pyrrha stood on the steps of a pushable staircase, perusing the table of contents in a thick book. She snapped it shut and waved it to Jaune. " _Camping Recipes for Game Hunters!"_ She put it back, then grabbed another of the shelf. "And here's one about the Vacuan Spice Industry, and here's an Atlas Home Cookware Guide! I really should learn to cook one of these days…" Pyrrha said idly, making Jaune smirk.

"Y'know, it used to be _real_ hard for me to read." Jaune mentioned, walking past the pushable stairs to look at an enormous book jutting out from the shelf due to its sheer size; ' _A History of Heroes: Hunters Through the Ages, from A-Z.'_ "Huh…" Jaune stared, then slid it off the shelf.

"In what way?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune backed away from the shelf as the metal staircase let out a low hum, reminding him of an old tv turning on, and suddenly began to move, slowly rolling down the aisle as Pyrrha simply read passing book titles, apparently unconcerned that the stairs were moving on their own. Jaune didn't notice that, when the stairs stopped, Pyrrha's shoulders relaxed.

"There's some condition for it, I dunno. Words just got all jumbled up." Jaune looked up to Pyrrha with a small smile. Somehow, it was hard to believe this girl was a world-class gladiator, but she was no doubt incredibly competent during their initiation. Jaune's hand subconsciously felt for his sword, for reassurance that he himself was skilled… he envied Pyrrha for her fame and talent, but he didn't let the feeling dig too deep. Glancing at ' _A History of Heroes'_ made him silently ache, wondering if his ancestors were in it.

"And are you okay now?" Pyrrha called from up high. She pulled a book off the shelf and flipped through it idly, a small smile on her face.

"S'long as I take it slow, it's no biggie." Jaune watched Pyrrha descend the staircase as they got to the end of the aisle. Underneath the second-floor balconies, at the far edges of the room, there was still plenty of space for students to walk shoulder-to-shoulder between the aisles and the bookshelves against the wall. However, the bookshelves on the edges were different, in that they contained other learning materials than books.

Audio CDs, plastic cases containing education flash-drives for their scrolls, magazines, even some children's guides to hunting for kids ten and under. They both stopped as they found a shelf full of movies. "Oh wow, look at these old tapes." Pyrrha slid a large, square case out of the shelf. The old tape inside had a faded sticker advertising the movie recorded on it. Pyrrha returned it, took a step, glanced… " _Eee!"_ She suddenly squeaked, making Jaune nearly jump out of his skin as her tone suddenly matched _Ruby's._ "They have the _Bunshido Blade collection!"_ Pyrrha whispered in awe, grabbing a case off the shelf.

Jaune leaned over to look at the cover of the movie, which prominently featured a male rabbit faunus in a traditional Mistral-style yukata wielding a katana. The cover was so absurdly cheesy that Jaune had to hide his mouth behind his hand to not burst out laughing as Pyrrha poured over the case carefully, reading the blurb on the back with a fascinated expression. "Y'know, when I think ' _gladiator tournament star',_ I _don't_ think 'movie fanatic.'" Jaune teased, making Pyrrha blush, huffing obstinately.

"Unfortunately, when your schedule is busy, sometimes the best thing you can do for entertainment is to load up a movie between classes and training. Believe me, I hadn't put much value in an advanced scroll until I found I could download ' _All My Shadows'_ on it."

"... Isn't that the forty year-running soap opera about the immortal, shapeshifting vampire dude whose girlfriends keep getting killed?"

"Life just keeps finding ways to torment his fragile heart…" Pyrrha sighed sadly.

Jaune decided to end the conversation early…

" _Ruby-that-is-a-staircase-not-monkey-bars!"_ Weiss's voice rang out across the library as Jaune and Pyrrha travelled upstairs. The second floor was packed to the gills with novels, everything from picture books parents would read aloud to their toddlers to modern dark fantasies written for teens.

Jaune couldn't imagine why a professional hunter school would keep so many fictional stories, especially when so many of them were aimed at kids, but judging by the pile of books marching along the other balcony, tailed by a facepalming Weiss, it made Ruby happy.

He and Pyrrha plopped down at a table with their books. Jaune opened ' _A History of Heroes'_ and began to search the index. As his eyes ran down the huge number of ' _A'_ names, Jaune sighed, thinking of his family.

Since he was a young man, just barely allowed to hold the garden hose, back when his mother's enormous sun hat would slip down and cover his eyes, he remembered his grandfather as an extremely slow, tottering man. He was always hunched over his cane whenever he came and visited with his wife, his smile warm, his eyes milky with early signs of blindness, always complaining about his joints, his back, his feet, and always telling Jaune to square his shoulders and speak up.

He always brought little hard candies for the eight Arc children, and liked to sit next to Jaune so the younger man could stealthily sneak his grandfather his vegetables, letting him leave the table early to go play outside with his older sister. His grandfather, Jaune Arc the 11th, spoke slowly, clearly, and fondly of his retired life in the country, and visited every week that he could to swap stories, rumors, and jokes with his son, Jaune Arc the 12th.

Jaune Arc the 13th's eyes stopped as he focused on a name in the enormous index: Jaune Arc the 4th. He flipped to the page number, watching the pages fly by like a movie effect.

His uncle, Jameson Todd Arc, wasn't a hunter, but was a border guard by trade. Vale had become a pretty safe place in the past few generations, but the Grimm were still restless and relentless, just not as numerous. When Jaune–the present Jaune–turned thirteen, he was allowed to sit in with his father, uncle, and grandfather and share a small sip of alcohol around the fire. It was there Jaune learned something that changed his perspective on his little farm life: his grandfather was once a hunter. Not just any hunter, but the 11th in line for a lineage of blonde, knightley hunters that dated back to a time when Vale still had kings, still treated Faunus like savages stalking the woods, and saw Grimm hunting as a glorious task of eventual martyrdom. There was an old saying Jaune's grandfather had shared: " _There's two reasons hunters turn old: they're cowards, or very very lucky."_

The Arc lineage was (in)famous as both.

The 11th, a decorated knight from the Color Wars, fought in sixteen battles, and was recorded to have gotten drunk and dumped a bottle of robin's-egg-blue hair dye on some Mistral captives before sending them back to their country; his regiment even came up with a drinking song in his honor. Every Jaune Arc before him had a record as either a man who saw the end of many battles until their old age caught up to them, or were court martialed for fleeing their positions.

The two exceptions to both of those, so far, were present Jaune and his father.

Jaune eventually came to understand why his father had broken the trend: Jaune Arc the 12th was a kind, loving family man, who, to this day, refused to get the arm on his glasses fixed, whose favorite breakfast was scrambled eggs and ketchup, who started a small farm with his wonderful, if stern wife to feed their coming brood. He could swing a sword, but had locked Aura. He was a man who was more than content with obscurity, wanting to take advantage of the post-war peace for a quiet country life, and thought his family would want it too…

Then there was Jaune Arc the 13th. A young man who spent his whole life believing that his family was as unremarkable as the tough, tasteless carrots they grew, who heard his grandfather's war stories for the first time while the old man and his sons were drunk on cheap bourbon. Never once had Jaune thought his family was anything more than simple farmfolk. His grandfather, old and bent like the gnarled limb of a world-worn tree, wasn't a general store owner all his life; he was an old warrior, one from a line of fondly remembered martyrs and disparaged charlatans…

Finally, Crocea Mors, his family sword, which had belonged to his grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather. It was at that time Jaune found out that he wasn't just some country boy, his family had a history. Maybe not a _famous_ one, but every noble Arc before him did their country and fellow man a service. At first, Jaune had felt betrayed he'd had this information hidden from him, but then he grew _dedicated._

Fighting lessons from his uncle using an old wooden sword, stories from his grandfather about his time on the battlefield, working until his fingers were bleeding to prove he was serious about taking Crocea Mors for himself… and slipping out late at night with a letter of acceptance from the most prestigious hunting academy in Vale.

As Jaune read about his ancestry in the book of heroes, he once again pondered what he hoped to prove by coming here…

"Here, Jaune." Pyrrha slid a book across the table, smiling at her partner as Jaune blinked, broken from his trance, and took the offered book. It was already opened to a page simply titled: ' _Aura.'_ "This is the book I used when I was young to understand Aura, and refine it into a honed shield and weapon. If you have any questions…" Pyrrha nodded to him, smiling in offering.

"Sure, thanks Pyrrha." Jaune looked down at the book, but the words were blurry, as his mind elsewhere. "Actually, know what, I got a question for you right now." Jaune sat up straight, squaring his shoulders, his grandfather's voice reminding him that girls liked that. Pyrrha's eyes fixated on him attentively, fingers lacing on the table in front of her. "Pyrrha, why do you want to be a hunter?"

Pyrrha drummed the table with her fingers thoughtfully, humming as she thought of an answer. "To become something greater than just a cereal box mascot." Pyrrha closed her eyes as the answer came to her. "This may sound selfish, but I loved when people grew excited by the mere mention of my name, to know that I was an inspiration and a hero. However, I felt that, as a gladiator, I got that sort of fame for all the wrong reasons. I want to be a hunter to protect people, and inspire them to stand against the terrors and wrongs of the world." Pyrrha spoke with confidence, but left out her desire to befriend people her own age, to grow that friendship and trust that teams of hunters cultivated in a way that no normal person could.

"Good reasons." Jaune smiled at his partner, causing her cheeks to redden as she returned it. "I think most people these days want to become celebrities, you kinda already have that, so this is just you being… what's the word? _Altruistic?"_

"Yes, but…" Pyrrha squirmed, her smile faltering. "I do crave that sort of fame again, just… not from the MRT. I have resolved to become the _best_ hunter this world has ever seen. Even if there are no ways to measure such a thing, I someday hope that, with the success and safety my team and I bring to the world, I will be remembered fondly as somebody to be looked up to."

"See? That's an _awesome_ dream. Save everyone and be a celebrity! That's kind of what I want too…" Jaune sighed, looking at an old portrait of his great great great etc. grandfather, his straight blonde hair draping around his head as Crocea Mors was proudly laid across his shoulder.

"Then what do you want out of becoming a hunter, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

Jaune was silent as he looked at his ancestor. His fingers twitched as he mulled the question over in his head, and he suddenly itched to hold Crocea Mors again, his connection to his family, an heirloom that felt natural and… _right_ in his palm. He hummed thoughtfully, crossed his arms, and leaned back to look up at the ceiling. "I mean, I guess I want people to know _my_ name. I wanna show up in books and on TV and stuff, but… I dunno. I spent a long time just living on a farm, I never thought about what was behind the hills, or over the mountains. When I found out my peepaw was this totally amazing soldier in the Color Wars, like… I dunno. I felt like I had to do something."

"You felt there were expectations you weren't living up to."

"Right, thanks Weiss. I want to make my family proud, I want to stand with the other Jaunes in my family as a hero, I don't want to be stuck on a farm pulling vegetables all my li— _Weiss?!"_ Jaune suddenly jumped away from the girl in white, who stood there with an almost sympathetic look, but as Jaune scrambled to regain his composure, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Can I sit here?" Weiss asked Pyrrha, earning a tentative nod. "Thanks. _Somebody_ came here to learn about the old leaders of great. _Somebody, instead,_ decided they wanted to read the whole Fox Hunter series instead."

" _They're signed by the original author!"_ Ruby's voice rose up from behind a shelf some distance away.

" _We agreed to work on your_ —forget it!" Weiss threw her hands up, plopped down next to Pyrrha, and cracked open a Remnant history textbook.

Weiss quietly groused below her breath. Jaune stared at his book for a second, then stood, hands on the table. "Ruby Rose, come here _right now!"_ He ordered at the top of his voice. Pyrrha and Weiss both stared at him in shock as, a minute later, Ruby shuffled into view holding an open novel.

"B-but I just started!" She squeaked, holding the book up.

"Young lady, you came here to _learn,_ so sit down with Weiss." Jaune stared at her firmly, and Ruby whimpered, sighed, and slowly slid into the chair by his side. Satisfied, Jaune sat down and went back to blankly staring at the chapter on Aura as both of their partners looked to each other in a bewildered fashion.

"D-don't gotta be so sh-shouty about it." Ruby mumbled as Weiss took a large, old tome and slid it to Ruby. ' _Jameson Bravo: The First Leader of Vale.'_ Ruby cracked it open with a beleaguered sigh, and began to read as Weiss inspected her.

"Hey, I grew up with seven sisters. I know what it takes." Jaune said triumphantly.

"... Thank you, Jaune." Weiss nodded her head. Pyrrha appraised her leader, her eyes sparkling as Jaune flexed.

"Anything for a lady in need." Jaune wiggled his eyebrows at Weiss, her pleased look turning sour. Jaune winced as Weiss rolled her eyes and stood by Ruby's side.

"So, what made Bravo a good leader?" Weiss asked her partner, and Ruby paused on a page prominently displaying his portrait.

"...His gigantic moustache. Definitely that." Ruby rubbed her bald upper lip. Weiss slapped her own forehead, then flicked Ruby's nose. "Oooowww… shoulda j-just stuck with Fox Hunter..."

"I'm starting to think that I'd be better off with your sister as a partner…"

Ruby pouted even more, and continued to read.

Jaune looked between the three girls around him, and the realization struck: three _girls._ His grandfather and uncle would have high-fived him. They were a diverse three too. A formerly-professional Mistral gladiator, an underage Vale shut-in, and an Atlas debutante who was just… _so…_

Jaune hid a shudder and tried to focus, but his musings on his home life left him distracted. He did not get much reading done before the class bell rang...

* * *

Beacon Academy's PE grounds were a professionally cared for field of green behind the school building. The grass was trimmed to a uniform height, an inch tall across an entire, empty mile, contained by a tall, sturdy, steel-cable fence in the event that the student's activities attracted Grimm.

Ruby looked up at the prominent feature set in the exact middle of the field: a simple obstacle course had been built using a tall, sloped rock-climbing wall, a long, simple wooden balance beam suspended over an above-ground pool, and a forty-foot wooden tower at the other end. The tower itself looked like a slender, octagonal grain silo, its sides made up of dozens of opened or closed slats. Sitting at the top was something metallic, shining in the sunlight. She couldn't immediately tell what it was, no matter how much she strained her eyes.

As good as her vision was, the stupid goggles still got in the way. She scratched at the edges of her headwear subconsciously, trying to get rid of the nervous itch she suddenly had.

"You should probably remove them." Blake murmured by her side. Ruby glanced over at Blake with a small frown, and shook her head.

"B-but my eyes…" Ruby sighed, sincerely wishing she _could_ take her goggles off. The breeze today was nice, it whispered temptingly into her ear, but Ruby only had to imagine the headmaster's disappointed frown to cease those rebellious thoughts.

"Whatever condition you have can't be _that_ bad." Blake ran the back of her pointer finger along Ruby's cheek consolingly, and Ruby blushed, leaning into it, ever hungry for a friendly touch.

"It really is." Ruby sighed. Blake took her finger back after a second and ignored her curiosity. Blake knew of very few eye conditions, but she had the feeling she would have at least heard of _one_ that demanded complete privacy…

She quietly mused over the idea that Ruby was missing an eye and wanted to hide such an obvious defect with those goggles. She quietly watched Ruby look around, seeing if she favored looking at people in one particular direction.

" _Oh my god."_ Yang whispered, leaning against Blake with an excited smile. Blake shrugged her off with a quirk of her eyebrow. "These PE uniforms are _amazing."_ Yang pointed to a group of girls not too far away, chatting amongst each other and paying no attention to Yang's lecherous gaze.

All of them wore a simple uniform: a white, fitted sports shirt made with a soft material to prevent skin irritation, emblazoned with the Beacon Academy twin axes on the left breast, and knee-length blue running shorts that clung to the thighs for ease of movement and no snagging on nearby scenery. Tall, white tube socks and running sneakers protected their feet, and the girls were given sturdy and stable sports bras that, to numerous students' disappointment, actually did a reasonable job of shrinking Yang's bust.

It had the exact opposite effect on the students' backsides, however.

" _Daaaaaaaaamn,_ check out those _buns."_ Yang let out a loud, audience-gathering whistle.

" _Please_ don't!" Jaune whimpered, hands shielding his backside as Nora cackled.

"I know who brought dinner tonight, arf arf!" Nora cooed. A snicker ran through the crowd as Jaune groaned, moving his hands.

"Work it, blondie!" A boy shouted from somewhere in the crowd of students.

"Hey!" Jaune whirled around, pointing to his audience. "I am _not_ just a piece of meat!" He insisted, only to draw out a few more giggles.

"Your skin and muscle say otherwise." Ren said, his lips tugging up into a ghost of a smile as Jaune turned his finger to Ren.

"Don't you go encouraging them!"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, watching her leader protect his butt from the suddenly curious eyes of his peers, though she had to admit, there was definitely an appeal to that muscled rump.

Ruby stared at Jaune, then to her older sister, who was chatting with some girls and boys as they openly eyed her up. Unlike Jaune, Yang soaked in the attention, almost revelling in having her good looks appreciated. Ruby turned towards Weiss, who stood off to the side, trying to ignore everyone else's hormonal childishness. "Weiss?"

"Yes Ruby?" Weiss responded, glancing to her partner, almost looking relieved she was being distracted from this tomfoolery.

Ruby then turned, looking over her shoulder, wiggling her shapely backside while staring down the back of her legs. "Do I have a nice butt?" She asked.

Weiss risked a glance down. Blake leaned closer to join in. "... No comment." Weiss grunted, turning away with rosey cheeks.

Blake just hummed.

"Hey!" Nora suddenly popped in, grabbing their attention with an excited smile. Ren followed behind her, giving Ruby the time to notice that he had quite a nice set of calves. "So while Ren and I were scoping out the best make-out spots—"

" _Exploring our school's facilities."_ Ren asserted with a small glare at Nora.

"So while Ren and I were scoping out the ' _school's facilities',_ we heard an _iiiiinteresting_ rumor." Nora's smile grew feral, while Ren rolled his eyes.

"Interesting how?" Blake asked, stopping her ears from quirking in interest.

"It's merely a rumor, and we only heard a bit from a pair of girls we were passing by." Ren said with a small sigh. "It's not amazingly thought-provoking or anything."

"Ren, hush!" Nora ordered, planting her hands on her broad hips. "So, according to a couple of clucking hens we overheard, _apparently_ the new PE teacher is, like, _the_ hottest thing since Fire dust." Her toothy smile told them all they needed to know about her excitement.

"Whoa, for real?" Yang stepped in, having excused herself from showing off to strangers. "Man coach or woman coach?" She crossed her arms over her imprisoned bust.

"Man!" Nora said with a confident nod.

"Ugh. Well, eyecandy's eyecandy, he'd better not start offering me some after-class tutoring." Yang snorted.

"Didn't dad break that guy's ribs?" Ruby perked up.

"Four of 'em." Yang nodded.

Weiss let out a bemused groan. "Why does it even matter? This isn't a fashion magazine, we're not here to look at cute boys, or hot men, or whatever you oafs are thinking."

"What's wrong with a little admiring, Weiss?" Blake asked with a tilt of her head. "Unless, princess is feeling all lonely without attention?" She added with a prodding lilt in her voice, keeping it playful, but unable to keep all the barbs under her tongue.

"I am _not!"_ Weiss stamped her foot.

"If anything," Ren barely had to raise his voice to get their attention, "It's promising. If he is attractive, then he is more than likely physically fit. We _want_ to get physically fit."

"Ren is correct, we should look forward to meeting our coach for his educational potential, not just his physical attractiveness." Pyrrha said with a pleased smile. She was only thinly aware that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, _and_ Nora were each checking her out. Between her long, long legs and shapely hips, she was a _lot_ of good-looking young woman. Ren, being a committed man, ensured Nora was distracted before chancing a look of his own.

"Ahem." Weiss sighed at Nora's enamored wiggling as the other girl shamelessly pressed on with her ogling. "Pyrrha's right, of course. We should make the most of the lesson regardless of what our teacher looks like. This appears to be an intriguing way to workout." She looked up at the obstacle course and pushed down a bubble of worry in her belly. She had been tried and trialed many times before, but while her knowledge was something to sing praises of, she was still afraid for her physical performance.

"Oh this is _nothing."_ Yang snorted, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Tell 'em Rubes. When we were kids, Uncle Qrow used to make us dig holes until we were tired, then made us climb our way out. Heck, remember the time he took us to the Patchwork Cliffs?"

Ruby shuddered, rubbing her fingertips together. "Every hole, s-scorpions… _Every. Single. Hole."_ She whimpered. Weiss raised a tall, curious eyebrow as Blake gently knit her brow in mixed concern for her teammates and confusion at the logistics involved with that task...

"Heck, we didn't even do our stamina swims in a pool! He took us out to the ocean, threw a javelin, and told us to go find it." Yang grunted, her muscles flexing at the memory. Her sister rotated her left shoulder, as if trying to work out a phantom kink in the lean muscles.

"He tied a rock to one and didn't tell us it would _sink._ W-we were swimming for six hours looking for it!" Ruby said grouchily. "We didn't figure it out until high-tide took us u-under and I ran into it! Th-the stick end, not the sharp end."

"Oh man, we kicked his ass for that one." Yang chuckled, and Ruby smiled widely, flashing her neat little teeth in a blend of a grin and a snarl.

" _I hope he still has that scar."_ She purred to herself, her tone dripping bloody vengeance. Yang nodded and laughed, slapping Ruby on the back, but everyone else felt a chill go down their spine as they watched their young friend flex her strong little fingers into angry claws…

"So, yeah, this'll be nothing. Ruby and I are pros at handling weird, random, physical crap." Yang said with a smooth, pleased smile, ruffling Ruby's hair and breaking her little sister out of her bloodthirst. Ruby squeaked cutely at the affection and leaned into it, the sisters ignorant of the relief that surged through their team and friends.

"I hope you're right." Weiss nodded, flicking the pair one last unsure glance before resetting her focus on quietly watching the obstacle course. As her friends fell into idle conversations around her, Weiss tried to recall the most trying physical task she'd had ever experienced as part of her training. She had climbed walls, ran miles, swam laps, jumped hurdles, caught rings fired out of spring-loaded launchers, she had done dozens of different physical activities, and she was somewhat pleased and entirely satisfied that none of them involved scorpions. The knot in her stomach eased… she'd probably done everything this course looked to offer, if not in a single marathon. Her stamina would be a factor, but she felt more sure of her ability to actually perform the tasks at hand. Her self-doubts somewhat mollified, she widened her musings to try and measure her teammates potential matchups with the challenges ahead.

Yang seemed like a physical beast, Weiss wouldn't be surprised if their most perverse teammate was also their ringer. Those curves were laid over potent, steely muscles… the only question in Weiss' mind was if Yang had persistence to match her raw power, and she strongly suspected Yang would make a lewd comment about being able to 'go for days' if asked. Blake was nimble, quick, so sure of her balance, capable of high-flying acrobatics, all with the casual ease of someone long used to such exertion… this wouldn't be too difficult for her at all. Ruby, for all her faults, was genuinely capable when it came to fieldwork. Swinging that massive scythe took core and upper body strength and Ruby's legs had worked like tireless pistons in the forest when the need to run arose. The younger girl's only questionable skill may be a lack of balance without her weapon in hand, Ruby somehow seemed… clumsier without her scythe. Weiss frowned a bit as her tabulation of her teammates strengths caused her to silently worry that she wouldn't measure up… there was no room for the skills of a promising Dust Sorceress in a test of physical prowess.

She took a deep breath, and let it go. She flinched as something brushed her arm, and she glanced over to see Ruby smiling at her. Weiss blushed, but when Ruby nodded at her, smiling like the day had done nothing but go her way, Weiss felt her tension ease. Yes, they could do this, _together,_ and if Weiss did not shine brightest, that was fine, since the whole point was to test and improve everyone's limits _._ Weiss was slightly unnerved that just one simple expression from someone she'd know for all of two days made her feel so much bolder, but she returned the smile, if smaller and less sure, regardless of her jumbled emotions.

Professor Port's advice whispered in her ears. This was a place of learning and growth… this was the one place it was okay to fail as long as failure made her stronger. She couldn't give in! She had to try… even if she fell over, she had to pull herself to her feet and drag herself to the finish line.. She, and everyone on her team had to work together to succeed. She wouldn't be the weak link… no, even if she was the weak link, she would still be strong enough to see her team through. Today, she might need their strength and skills, but tomorrow it could be her talents that won the day!

No looking down on herself.

They could _win._

Weiss' shoulders straightened and her eyes shone with silent determination as the rest of RWBY and JNPR intermingled, waiting for the lesson to start. A small gasp came from the back of the crowd, drawing all of their attention, causing the eight teens to crane their heads and, in one case quirk her pointed ears, as they heard excited cooing, squealing, and ' _awwww!'_ s from the back of the crowd of students. Weiss looked to her teammates with a small, curious frown, earning only shrugs in return.

" _A puppy!"_ Nora suddenly squeaked, having pressed closer to whatever was drawing everyone's attention.

"Puppy?" Pyrrha asked, following Nora's eyes. The other six swarmed the two to get a closer look. Pyrrha gasped. "It's… it's so _precious."_ She whispered.

"It… it has little dog goggles. Doggles?" Blake queried, rearing backwards as the dog trotted around the students, tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"And swim trunks?" Weiss cocked her head, staring at the mangy, flea-bitten little mutt as the urge to go swamp it in love filled her.

"And a shark's fin." Jaune blinked slowly, staring at the fake fin that swung on its back with each happy little step the dog took.

Ruby and Yang both stared at the dog as it stopped at the front of the group and fixated on them in particular. Its tiny tail wagged in absolute joy as it whined and yipped up at the two stunned teenagers. " _... Zwei?!"_ They both whispered in mounting confusion. The corgi ran in a brief circle, the yap turning into a short bark of excitement at the sound of its name.

"Zwei?" The other six repeated back to them, their quest for answers distracting them from the now whispering crowd and the tall figure pushing through it.

"Hey kids! Sorry I'm late, had to go dig something out of my luggage!" A voice rang across the crowd. Ruby and Yang froze, a sudden realization sending a shiver up their spines as they swiftly pushed through their friends to stare.

"... Uh…" Was all Nora managed, watching the coach strut forward.

" _Uuuuhhh…"_ Pyrrha's groan was significantly less dignified.

"... Hubba _hubba."_ Blake added under her breath as her eyes widened, trying to take it all in.

Ren, quiet, but no less impressed than the three ladies voicing their approval, found himself trying to quit a tremble that had started up his left leg.

" _Dad?!"_ Yang's screech made nearly everyone flee as her hair fired up in a brief, if radiant, fit of defensive surprise. Ruby just pointed at her father and made a sound somewhere between the muted shriek of an excited five year old and the pitiful noise of of a deflating balloon.

"Hey girls!" Taiyang Xiao Long strode through the throng of students that parted before him, a confident swagger in his walk, a large camp cooler in his hands. His broad, happy smile and quick, appraising glances toward the passing students sent more than a few heart rates up. Wearing a larger version of what his students were wearing, except with orange stripes along the sleeves and a whistle around his neck, Taiyang set the cooler down before him and stared down the daughters and their new companions with his fists on his hips, muscles bulging from his arms to his legs, the pool-ready corgi plopping down in front of him with an unwavering, dim joy that only dogs could have. Tai's ever-present blonde stubble and piercing blue eyes went from face to face, before finally settling on the only two that weren't utterly thrilled to see him. "Okay, so, before we get class started, I know what you two are thinking…" He raised his hands towards his daughters with a calming smile.

"You…" Ruby spoke up softly. "Y-you defeated the old PE teacher in a fight to the death and took his power?" She asked in uncertainty, her voice shaking. Behind her, Weiss would have buried her face into her hands if she wasn't busy tugging at the edge of her shirt in silent embarrassment.

"... Okay, so I don't know what _you're_ thinking, Ruby, but I like that train of thought." He rested a friendly hand on her head and rustled her hair, making her shoulders relax as an unsure giggle escaped her.

"Dad?" Yang finally spoke up, one eyebrow raised way up high as she leaned in with a small, bewildered voice. " _Why are you here?"_ She whispered.

"Hey, I told you two before you left I had a surprise when you first settled in here." Tai knelt down with a small, evil smile as he got face to face with his daughter. "And that's _Coach_ Dad to you, sweetheart." His smile grew as Yang's eyebrow twitched violently.

" _... How?"_ Yang whispered in disbelief.

"Well…" Tai's grin grew. "I got a call from Professor Ozpin not too long after Ruby got accepted into Beacon. He was nice and honest about Qrow wanting me to get a job to stay busy out of the house. Now, Qrow's usually not the most affectionate guy, so I was kinda surprised, I didn't expect him to be so concerned with me being all alone." Yang stared at him, comprehension dawning, mouth widening in a silent scream. "Good to see you too, sweetie pie." Tai winked and took a few steps back to start his class.

Ruby and Yang silently glanced to one another. " _... I did this."_ Yang whispered in horror. Yang didn't see it, but Ruby's eyes got as wide as saucers. She glanced up at her father as he planted his hands on his hips and looked among the gathered students. His voice raised into what Yang and Ruby thought of as his 'dad voice', strong and carrying, unyielding and firm, but only demanding attention and respect. He wasn't shouting… yet. It was simple habit that made Ruby twiddle her fingers and wonder if she'd finished her chores, and Yang's eyes darted a bit as she mentally reconstructed the last few weeks, looking frantically for anything she might get grounded for.

"Alright kids, unfortunately I don't have a fancy introduction for you, I'm Taiyang Xiao Long, but y'all can call me Coach Tai." With a heart-meltingly happy smile, he pointed down to Zwei. "And this is my good buddy Zwei! He's a hunting corgi!" Zwei stood up on his two hind legs, hopping in place and barking in excitement, drawing girlish squealing from the crowd… and not just from the girls. Taiyang jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the obstacle course. "I got this set up today to see how each of you works as a team. Don't expect this sorta stuff every day, I'm mostly gonna focus on buffing y'all up. I expect hard work, dedication, and a good attitude coming out to this field! That being said, if you're sick, hurt, or having a crap day, we can talk about it, but without further ado, the most _important_ part of exercise: warm-up! Everyone spread out and split into your teams, I want the leader in front of the team where I can see them."

The crowd did as they were commanded without a grumble of protest. After an attempt to slink off to a different part of the field was aborted by an intense look of fatherly disapproval, Team RWBY stood up front and center, with team JNPR immediately behind them, Ruby and Jaune standing in front of their teams.

Blake nudged Yang, her eyes firmly on the Xiao Long patriarch. "He's your dad?" Blake whispered with fascinated eyebrows.

"Yeah…" Yang groaned, staring at her father as if he'd magically change into somebody else if she focused her eyes the right way.

Blake swept her eyes up Yang's tense frame and put on an extra mischievous smile as she glanced to Tai, forcing a gleam of calculating infatuation into her eyes and voice. "Hmm, think you could introduce us? Put in a good word for your partner?" Blake all but purred, and Yang's entire face turned grey for a heartbeat, before being overtaken by a bright red hue as she reached over and swatted her partner's shoulder.

"Would you quit trying to fuck my family?! Seriously not cool! Don't- stop laughing dammit—are you kidding or not?!" Yang hissed too low for Ruby to hear her, as Blake hid her mirth behind her hands. Despite her irritated outrage, Yang made a mental note that Blake's eyes lit up as brightly as Ruby's smile when she was giggling uncontrollably. If only she liked cookies rather than Yang's suffering...

"Would the both of you calm down?" Weiss asked in a sigh, rolling her eyes as she kept her face pointing forward. Yang sighed and turned her back on the smugly grinning Blake.

"... At least you aren't interested." Yang looked to Weiss with relief and a tiny smile of approval. Weiss tossed her head, resettling her braid as her chin raised a proud fraction of an inch.

"He is an attractive man, but I am here to improve _, not_ to count his luscious abs through his shirt." Weiss stated factually.

"Right, _thank_ you Wei—wait, what was that again?" Yang glared at the shorter girl. Weiss shot Yang a victorious smirk over her shoulder, and Blake began to tear up trying not to giggle out loud as Yang growled at just the right pitch to mellow Zwei's mood and glance her way.

Ruby stood up front, ignorant to her team's foolishness, and focused on her father before her. Taiyang looked across the field, identifying the leader of each team, with Ruby being the last for him to settle his gaze on. A small, proud smile crossed his face, which Ruby returned. With a small bow of his head, he crossed his arms over his visibly powerful chest.

"Leaders, be sure to keep your team on task. We're going to be starting with some loosening warm-ups before we get into muscle warm-ups. Now follow along, try and keep up." Taiyang ordered.

To Ruby and Yang, this was perfectly normal; Taiyang was their trainer as much as he was their father. While Qrow was Ruby's combat and field instructor, it was Taiyang that helped her gain the strength, flexibility, and endurance to keep in the fight through daily, unbroken, at-home routines. She had memories of countless laps, endless lifts, and enough push-ups to last her a lifetime… and that was _before_ she entered a school dedicated to honing her into a weapon of protection.

Her father knew what she was capable of, but that didn't mean she couldn't surprise him. She would prove, even to him, that she deserved to be here; she would make her father proud.

It always started simple: rolling shoulders and wrists, curling and uncurling fingers, twisting their torsos, and carefully loosening their legs, but then came the push-ups, the sit-ups, the curls, and the side-hops; Ruby was just happy he wasn't demanding dragon flags. Ruby _hated_ dragon flags… but she kept her eye on the obstacle course the entire time. Her father wouldn't push them too far if he intended for them to run the course. He had his class warming up for a good twenty minutes, with barely any time to take a breath or a break.

By the time he called an end to it, Blake collapsed on her front, her limbs aching as sweat poured down her body, too sore to even care at the way her breasts complained at being used as airbags. She glanced up at her coach, who now seemed _sensibly_ buff if he considered _that_ a warm-up. The drills in the White Fang were tough, but those were the actual _work-outs_. If the coach was allowed to build an obstacle course, she could only imagine the sort of devices he could pull out of the gym to make the ache _worse._

"Everyone take a five minute break! We got water if you need it!" Taiyang called out. Plenty of students stayed on their backs or fronts to catch a breath, barely any of them having the strength to stand and shamble over to the cooler. Blake lifted herself up and watched Ruby and Yang head straight to their father, both sweating, their arm and leg muscles visibly bulging, and despite this, neither of them looked dog-tired.

It clicked: they were this work-out freak's daughters… Blake glanced over to Weiss, seeing the princess cooling off in the grass, sprawled spread eagle on her back, eyes closed, panting heavily, and Blake subtly shifted her ears forward to listen in on the three as other students dragged themselves to water.

"Well, some things aren't gonna change, I guess." Yang said, her tone a little more relaxed as she looked up at her dad. Taiyang chuckled, resting a hand on her blonde head. Blake marveled at how easily Tai made Yang, one of the tallest and heavily muscled girls Blake had ever seen, look lean and small under his hand. She swallowed, remembering another giant of a man with huge, warm hands, and violently shoved the memory away.

"Sweetie, as long as I'm here, you're gonna have no chance to relax, believe me." Taiyang's smile was daring in a way that would normally offend Blake, like he didn't _believe_ his own daughter was capable of keeping up, but Yang merely laughed.

"Yeah pops, I'm in _so_ much trouble. Not like I rocked your workouts before." Yang sipped at a water bottle, shimmying her rounded hips with a smirk.

"I'm not concerned about you getting fat, honey, but if you thought what I put you through before was bad?" Taiyang snorted, his smile growing more and more smug. "You and your sister are going to come out of this stronger than ever. Now that your pop's got a _job_ making you kids serious butt-kickers, I'm going to make sure you two will out bench Ursas."

"You're _such_ a pain in the ass, dad." Yang didn't sound angry, and Taiyang let out a happy laugh.

Ruby curiously stared up at her father, clutching her water bottle. "So you _are_ staying here? You a-and Zwei?" Upon hearing his name, the corgi toddled over and laid on Ruby's feet, yapping in delight when Yang knelt to pet him.

"Yeah Ruby." Taiyang smiled in delight at his youngest, a much different smile than how smug he looked towards Yang. "And I promise I'm not here to crowd you two, you both know how much I wanted to teach."

Ruby beamed up at Tai, nearly shaking in delight, her arms flexing in a suspicious way like she was trying to work out an excuse to jump onto her father. "We _all_ came to Beacon!... I-is it okay to hug you? I remember you beat up that one teacher for hugging Yang."

"That's because it was a bad hug." Tai explained, pulling Ruby close and stroking her back. "Real proud of you for keeping up with your sister, Ruby." He murmured, making Ruby squeak in joy.

"Gotta keep control of her somehow!"

Yang scoffed. "As if!"

The three turned to look as Jaune stumbled forward, flanked by his team. Pyrrha looked surprisingly fine; sweaty, but no worse than Yang, while Nora's small, compact muscles pumped up to the point of looking ready to burst from her limbs. It genuinely surprised her surrounding friends that she was built like a tree. Ren, meanwhile, took slow, light breaths, but he hunched and moved sluggishly, clearly as winded as Blake.

"Water?" Jaune rasped. Yang knelt down to open the cooler, tossing four bottles up to team JNPR, pausing briefly to grin at something in the chest.

" _Really,_ dad?" Yang snickered, and her father cracked a smile.

"Oh, just you wait and see, sweetie." Taiyang rubbed his hands together in sadistic delight as others looked on in quiet fear.

"Ah!" Ruby perked up, grabbing Jaune's arm. Jaune glanced down from chugging water, giving her a questioning look. "Weiss and Blake w-weren't any help, and I can't ask _Yang,_ so, Jaune?" Ruby managed a completely innocent look, despite the goggles blocking the view. She spun on her heel and stood on her toes, "Do I have a nice butt?"

Pyrrha covered her mouth, water shooting out her nose to her pained embarrassment, while Nora didn't even get far enough to cover her mouth, spraying water out through the gaps in her teeth. Ren took a step back, his eyes swiftly looking over to Taiyang and Yang and at absolutely nothing else. He was a survivor, and had learned long ago the difference between a tactically necessary risk and courting death through one's own idiocy.

"That's Jaune?" Taiyang asked Yang under his breath, his eyes darkening.

"Mhmm." Yang nodded, drinking as she her eyes fixated completely on Jaune, just _waiting_ for him to make one wrong move.

"Ruby's friend?" Taiyang recalled from Ruby's letter, and cracked the knuckles of one hand.

"Mhmm…" Yang hummed, popping the bottle out of her mouth and screwing the cap back on with a smirk.

Jaune, without a word, motioned for Ruby to hold still, and she obliged. He leaned back and glanced over her frame with the well-practiced, neutral objectivity of somebody who had far too many sisters asking the same questions. His team went stiff as Taiyang cracked the knuckles of his other hand, _then_ his neck.

"It's great." Jaune nodded his head, barely noticing the tension to his side as his eyes went back to Ruby's jubilant face without so much as a victorious smirk. "Why?" he asked as she turned to face him fully once more.

"Everybody's talking about how great _your_ butt is… Is having a great butt a quality of a great leader?" Ruby asked curiously, glancing back at her rear as best she could. Jaune turned an annoyed shade of red and Blake bit down on her lip as Ruby's attempts to check out her own rump showed off her lean but shapely legs in ways Blake usually only got to read about. What was it with the women in that family?!

"My butt's not _that_ great!" Jaune puffed. "And I'm not too sure about _me_ being a great leader…"

"I'm not sure I'm a good leader, either…" Ruby sighed.

Jaune fixated on Ruby's small frown, and decided that she was not allowed to doubt herself. He rested a hand on her sweaty back and smiled a goofy smile, shooting her a thumbs up. "But if we're basing leadership on _butts,_ you're a good leader!" He said confidently. Ruby turned a little red, her smile returning.

"Aww…" Ruby cooed, flattered. Then she paused, frowned, and glanced up to her father. "Dad, if you hurt Jaune, you're _grounded."_ She spoke with a firmness unbecoming of her normal sweetness.

"Yes sweetie…" Taiyang muttered bitterly, pulling his hands away from Jaune's neck in response, though his eyes still burned with malice, and his body remained a small inferno of aura until he took a few calming breaths. Blake suspected she knew where Yang got her protective streak from. "Get back in place, I'm gonna start the obstacle course runs soon. Ready to have some fun?" He asked Yang in particular. The blonde tossed him a smile brimming with confidence, and he nodded as the six of them returned to their spots, Yang tossing Weiss and Blake a water bottle each.

Taiyang's voice rose, booming across the field, "Everyone, back on your feet! It's time for the _real_ meat of this course!" He raised a finger, pointing to the conglomeration of gym equipment–and the grain silo abomination along with it–set up behind him. "We're going to have the teams line up. Team one will be told when to go, and as soon as team one clears the first obstacle, team two goes; this is _not_ a race, but if your team laps a team ahead of you… well, somebody is getting drilled _harder."_ Taiyang glared at the students in front of him, and the memory of their warm-up still fresh in their minds, a nervous wave crashed over the crowd. The only people who did _not_ look particularly worried were Ruby and Yang. "Your objective is to reach the bell at the top. Once you do, get down here, tell me your team name, and you'll be given the chance to relax. 'Til then… get in line."

As a solid mass of bodies, the students headed towards the first obstacle: a twenty-foot climbing wall. It didn't look too difficult, but Ruby knew that reaching the top wasn't the true goal; rather, it was doing so quickly. She'd read about too many teams failing to pull themselves to safety in a timely manner and losing lives and limbs to the dangers crawling after them. Her father and uncle were especially insistent that she and Yang knew how to climb quickly and surely, even with the threat of evil, angry, stingy arachnids waiting for fingers.. _._

Team RWBY stood second in line behind team JNPR, and Weiss grinned silently. This did not go unnoticed by Blake, who only briefly hesitated before deciding to indulge her curiosity and nudge Weiss with her elbow, "You look like a fox in a hen coop." Blake whispered.

"This is perfect." Weiss murmured, arms crossed over her chest. She pointed to Pyrrha, who stood by Jaune's side with a tender hand on his shoulder, speaking quietly with him while Nora and Ren stretched to loosen up behind them. "We're going second, if there are any _surprises,_ we'll see them before our turn. On top of that, that is Pyrrha Nikos in front of us, we'll know exactly where to go and what to do just by watching her."

"... Normally I'd accuse you of being far too happy to use them as bait, but intelligence is intelligence." The dark-haired girl nodded in hesitant agreement. A thought occurred to her: Weiss had vocally invested herself to being a team member, but words did not equate to actions. Blake stared at the wall, then the tower as an idea formed, a test to see just how much Weiss meant her words. It may put them on the wrong footing, but Weiss's reaction could tell Blake everything she needed to know about Weiss's honesty...

"It's the perfect position: early enough we won't get lazy, but not so early we won't know what to expect." Weiss nodded, her eyes remaining focused on Pyrrha.

"Like a dog with a shark's fin going for a swim?" Blake asked, her dry voice tinged with confusion. Weiss rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to chide Blake for being as irreverent as Yang until she followed where Blake was looking. Taiyang was petting Zwei's head, the dog resting his forepaws on the edge of the above ground pool, yipping and chasing his master's fingers with playful nips as his squirming rump and kicking back legs sprayed water behind him. Taiyang's smile appeared so innocent and childish as he teased the pooch, but after he ruffled Zwei's ears one last time, he turned to face the students. Zwei, meanwhile, happily doggy-paddled around, seemingly content to stay in the water all day as the plastic fin bounced and bobbed on his spine, while his short legs propelled him through the water with surprising speed and ease.

"Alright boys and girls–and whatever else you might be, I try not to judge–we're about ready to begin!" Taiyang announced. He planted his fists on his hips and stuck out his chest, chin raised so he could look down on his students, despite some of them being taller than he was. "What you're looking at may seem simple, but this isn't about challenging you, this is about proving to me you were taught right. You can be the toughest badass in the field, but if you die because you can't haul yourself up a cliff, nobody's going to _remember you_ as that tough badass. Ring the bell, that's all you gotta do. Oh! _And no Aura or semblance usage!_ This is about building up your _body!"_ He shot his daughters a quick glare that was met with far too innocent smiles. He reminded himself that, this time, it wasn't his stuff in the line of fire. Beside them, Weiss secretly squeezed something in her short's pocket. "Now get ready!"

Team RWBY stood in a readied position as team JNPR primed themselves. Ren and Nora entered the same stance, one leg forward, one leg back, eyes to the front of their team. Pyrrha was crouched in a runner's position, eyes straight ahead, while Jaune glanced over his team with a thoughtful frown. "Real quick," The blonde began, making them ease and look up at him, "Ren goes first." He stated, making the boy blink in surprise. Jaune squirmed in place, feeling compelled to explain himself to their questioning eyes, "Ren, you have a good eye for detail, good at high-flying stuff, I want you guiding the team."

"... Understood." Ren answered with a firm nod. A small part of the raven-haired boy was pleased to take point, and Jaune stepped behind him. The blonde looked nervous, but was quietly hopping on his sore feet, rolling his shoulders.

"I'll go next." Jaune ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair, a wince crossing his face, "I'm gonna hedge my bets and say I'm not the best climber here, so Nora? If I go too slow, you have my express permission to motivate me to hurry up." Jaune looked into Nora's eyes, which grew wide as a… _promising_ smile crossed her face. Jaune had the distinct feeling he would soon regret his decision.

"I'll be last?" Pyrrha asked, and Jaune hesitantly tore his eyes away from Nora's blatant glee, and nodded to his partner's vaguely uneasy expression.

"Not to knock your skills, I bet you could knock us all out of the park, but that's why I need you bringing up the rear. Keep an eye on us and tell us what's what, okay?" Jaune asked. Her shoulders squared, her face shifting to pleased understanding.

Pyrrha smiled confidently, tapping her fist to her heart and nodding at him, "You have my word, Jaune."

Team JNPR moved to their new positions. Jaune did not have much confidence in his classwork; history was full of stuff the old marm of the schoolhouse never even hinted at in her long, dry lectures on Remnant, and Dust? He'd only ever mixed together the compounds for the farm vehicles, creating homemade explosive Dust as opposed to the store bought stuff was complicated. And Professor Port just kept on yammering about his adventures… he shook his head. So he didn't have much to look forward to in classwork, but this was more his element. He was a physical boy, he was a farmhand after all, so he could do the strongman stuff no problem…

… Right?

Jaune stared at Ren's back, briefly blanking in concern. What if, somehow, he still wasn't good enough? Even if his teammates were each smaller than him, they trained in _harsh_ conditions compared to picking crops all day, they were probably more agile than him, maybe even more athletic.

Jaune swallowed thickly. He couldn't doubt himself now, he could _do this—_

" _Three!"_ The coach's voice thundered, and Jaune's mind turned into a frantically spinning set of tires digging into loose sand. " _Two!"_ He was second-guessing himself, he—" _One!"_

 _Crap crap crap crap crap crap—_

A piercing gym whistle interrupted his internal tirade. Ren shot forward, and a heartbeat later Jaune yelped, lurching into motion when he a painful sting erupted from one asscheek. He fled forward, arms swinging to catch up to the other boy.

The rock wall felt like it grew ten times its height as Jaune drew closer, staring up at its daunting edifice in worry, but a malicious giggle, followed by another burst of pain across his backside, ended his hesitation. Ren didn't even seem to slow while transitioning from running to climbing; Jaune couldn't see his eyes, but the black-haired boy was picking his path up the rocks with no pause between his movements.

Jaune matched him as best he could, but Ren's nearly mechanical movements propelled him like he'd climbed it a dozen times before _._ Jaune's did his best to keep up, clamoring up the plastic outcroppings while trying to see exactly how Ren moved. He felt gravity pulling at his back, and he put as much strength into his feet as he could to negate any chance of falling, but it locked up his joints and made him hurt.

Lessons with his uncle involved a lot of swordplay and exercise, but Jaune had to teach himself to climb. As he carried himself up the wall, he recalled a borrowed almanac on hunter training and the phrase: ' _A poor climber is a dead climber!'_ The little stick figure man had looked so sad falling into a pile of cartoon Beowolves.

Somehow, the image of that little stick figure's demise kept Jaune sticking to Ren's trail as quickly as he could. He couldn't even think about failing at Beacon, he _had_ to pass, to carry on his family's name. He would keep Crocea Mors' legacy alive!

He reached after Ren's foot with purpose in his movement, but Ren's foot didn't move. Jaune jerked to a halt, throwing his weight back down suddenly to avoid colliding with his teammate, and Jaune winced as his left foot slipped. He hung on with his right hand and right foot, off-balance, but not enough to go tumbling down the wall. Nora shouted something from below, but he was too busy making sure his hand, then his foot, found purchase once more to register what she said.

"Ren?!" Jaune called up after regaining his grip, and Ren glanced around rapidly, his head twisting left and right. It took Jaune a second to realize they'd cornered themselves beneath a ridge. What had appeared to be a grabbable rock was actually just a slightly discolored slope, not rugged enough to support Ren's weight, nevermind Jaune's or Pyrrha's larger, heavier frames.

"Hm... Trust me." Ren ordered. Jaune wasn't sure there was a choice in the matter, as the moment he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, Ren flung himself sideways, away from Jaune, arms outstretched like a chimpanzee's. Jaune stared in quiet disbelief as Ren caught himself on a rock far out of their current grabbing range, dug his toes into the wall to keep from swinging, and looked to Jaune with sharp, pink eyes.

Jaune glanced at his grip, then to his feet, then to the expectant girls below him. _Crap crap crap crap crap craaaaaaaa-_

Jaune bent at the knees, and launched himself towards Ren. The raven-haired boy held out a hand and leaned in, his fingers closing around Jaune's. Worry filled the blonde boy's eyes as his momentary leap began to turn into a fall, and he tightly grasped his teammate's digits. Ren's arm stretched, going taut as Jaune's weight began to pull him, but Jaune's free hand quickly closed around another rock, relieving Ren of most of his weight as he hung between the two handholds.

His feet scrambled, and he found purchase on a pair of stones, then looked up to Ren with a relieved smile. Ren returned it, letting Jaune's hand go. Ren scrambled up the wall as Jaune took his place, and nervously looked to Nora. The redhead curled her legs, eyes focused on Jaune's extended hand.

He could do this, he _had_ to. He needed to keep up, even with what he discovered was incomplete training, he had to focus every ounce of effort into this. He nodded to Nora, his jaw tight in nervousness, and she used those powerful legs of hers to fling herself at Jaune, hand outstretched.

She flew, faster than he'd been prepared for, speeding towards him like a rocket. His eyes widened, his hand flew out, he grabbed ahold of her wrist, but she just about slammed into his legs. A yelp escaped them both as Jaune's feet flew out from under him, and panic shot through him as Nora scrambled to find purchase on the wall. Jaune's one hand, still clinging tightly to the wall, briefly glowed as his fingers dug hard enough into one of the small, fake rocks for the plastic to begin to crack, his muscles bulging as he loosely hung in place, and Nora barely grabbing ahold of the wall.

"Little to the left, far to the right!" Nora shouted up. Jaune's mind was still at a stall, failing to fire as he focused on the immense pressure on his arm, but a hand slapped his leg. With teeth grit, his left foot found purchase on a stone, his right having to lift higher to find another. He finally slid his hand out of Nora's and grabbed ahold of the wall above him, his right arm aching as he rested a moment.

 _Pain!_ Jaune jumped with a yelp, his backside stinging as, down below, Nora's cheeky smile grew cruel. Jaune made the mistake of shooting her a glare, earning him a rough slap across the other cheek and a blown kiss. With grit teeth and determination to not be further humiliated in front of the entirety of his class, Jaune hauled himself up the wall, pushing through the aching tiredness already settling around him to clamber onto the top of the wall after Ren.

Down below, Nora lowered the center of gravity on her body. Her feet were pressed against the plastic stones, her weight evenly distributed, her stance sure and steady. Pyrrha eyed Nora carefully, then threw herself through the air. A nervous tick went through Pyrrha's expression as Nora reached out to her. Pyrrha's leap had been suboptimal: it was too high, and would put undue stress on Nora to catch her when Pyrrha inevitably fell.

They clasped hands before Pyrrha briefly plummeted. The extra height meant Nora's arm wouldn't be as prepared for the sudden weight put on it, and indeed, Nora's teeth grit at the strain and slight pain as Pyrrha swung underneath her, quickly grabbing ahold of the available stones. Once their hands released from one another, the redhead above her threw down a cocky smile and a thumbs up, making Pyrrha sigh in relief and nod.

A sharp 'smack' up above made her smirk, and blush a teensy bit. Of all people, why Nora? Sure, Nora took to it with great enthusiasm, but Pyrrha wanted a chance at that rump too…

Nora clambered over the wall, her feet disappearing, to be replaced by an energetic grin and an open hand. Pyrrha took Nora's offer palm, and used a quick kick to give Nora the momentum to lift her over the rock wall's edge. Not that she needed to, Nora might have been even stronger than Pyrrha herself was, but it just seemed polite to not strain the smaller woman after the slip up of her misaimed leap.

Down below, Coach Taiyang blew his whistle, ordering the next group to follow, and Pyrrha surveyed her team as their friends blitzed the wall below. Ren was flexing his fingers and legs, working out the ache of the climb, while Nora bent her knees, hands resting on her kneecaps, her smile as bold as ever. Jaune, meanwhile, was sweating, arms hanging limply by his sides. He had a worried frown, and what was visible of his legs was red and tense. He sucked in deep breaths, and wiped the moisture off his brow to keep it from getting into his eyes.

Pyrrha worked her strong arms, making sure they stayed supple and soft as she walked ahead of the pack. She looked over the balance beam, at the water below, and whipped her eyes up to stare at the tower as vertigo threatened to set in. She wasn't a fan of heights, but she pushed her worries out of her head and relaxed with a deep breath. "Same order, Jaune?" She asked, not wanting to waste time, but wanting to remain patient for her partner.

It was a delicate balance, but Jaune seemed ready to oblige. "Yeah." The blonde stepped out to the balance beam, and as Pyrrha did, glanced down… and took a step back, looking momentarily dizzy. "... Good time to find out I hate heights." He swallowed thickly and made a small, defeated noise from the back of his throat as he quickly made a decision. "Nora…?" He said in a tone full of regret.

" _... Yeeeeeeessssss?"_ Nora all but purred, her smile turning a shade of evil that made even Ren.

Jaune took a deep breath, and groaned. "I… may need your help crossing the bridge…" He trailed off, resigning himself to a fate of permanently red buttcheeks as Nora spit into her palms and rubbed them together eagerly.

"Well, you should get started then." A vaguely amused voice cut in, making Nora shriek and Ren and Pyrrha both twirl around in surprise. Jaune simply nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, don't worry, we're- _Blake?!"_ Jaune reeled back. Team JNPR quietly stared at the dark-haired huntress, who stood at the top with them with a look of slight boredom and casual curiosity, her arms crossed under her bust and hips cocked in a shockingly casual manner for someone with a cliff two inches behind her heels. Jaune stared at her, then peeked over the side, seeing Yang, followed by Weiss, and then Ruby just barely a third up the wall. He noted that the trio were making good, swift progress so… "... How?!"

"None of your business." Blake smirked, her tone a blend of mysterious and smug that she knew made everyone around her want to choke her a little, and Jaune groaned as he realized just how far behind he was in his skills.

It was honestly daunting beyond measure. His partner was a world-class gladiator, Ren and Nora were both skilled and barely winded, he was half-convinced Blake could teleport...

There was another moment of fear and worry: could he actually catch up? Could he even _keep up?_ The question had been cropping up a lot today, with every class he'd been to. His jaw shuddered, then firmed. He respected his father as a man… but the Arc legacy of knights wouldn't end with the eleventh. Jaune stood up, firmed his shoulders, and took a deep breath.

"Ren, get going, I'll be right after you." Jaune ordered, willing the numbness in his legs away. It took a lot of focus to stop feeling the ache in his body, but by remembering what he had to live up to, by focusing on the goals–reach the tower, ring the bell, climb back down–he could separate himself from the difficulty of the scenario. He'd barely begun his time here but he was already so much closer to where he wanted to be thanks to his team.

Ren did as he was asked, and Jaune stood behind him. Nora's fingers twitched, her palm itched, and she was at the ready. Pyrrha stood behind Nora, curiously eyeing Blake. Had she really scaled the wall so quickly…? Pyrrha turned her head forward, knowing Blake was watching the four of them, while Jaune barked: " _Go!"_

Ren was off like a shot, Jaune grit his teeth, his backside stinging from his ' _motivator',_ and the four started across the balance beam. Jaune had to remind himself to not look down as he tried to keep pace. The beam was a few inches thick, but Jaune was running on wobbly legs. He focused squarely on Ren's back. His safe, stable, not-twenty-feet-down back..

This wasn't that bad, they could make it easy. Just make it to the end, just—

 _PWOOMF!_

Jaune barely had time to consider what the hell that noise was when something collided with Ren mid-run. The black-haired boy was knocked off balance, and Jaune lunged to grab ahold of the back of his shirt, but was a second too late. Nora shouted after her boyfriend as he hurtled towards the water, his arm lashing out to grab ahold of the balance beam. He swung underneath it and hung there with wide, surprised eyes.

Ren's senses were finely tuned, but in his effort to reach the tower, he had gained tunnel vision, blocking out the world around him instead of actively examining as he usually did. It was a rookie mistake, to not expect the unexpected, which, in this case he had snagged right after it collided with his side. He berated himself for the lapse of focus as he stared at the white tube in his hand, squeezing the cloth once, then pinching a corner to let it unroll. His left eye twitched.

A _T-shirt._

He dangled by one arm, reconsidering his life choices; he'd been assaulted by a T-shirt labeled: ' _I got this shirt because I suck!'_ He slowly looked down to the ground, where Coach Tai was being stared at by the incredulous throng of students. Held in a minigun grip, Taiyang just smiled a happy smile back at him as he lifted his T-shirt cannon, the large, revolver-chamber making a loud ' _ka-thunk'_ as it spun to load the next shot.

Well... _That_ was new.

Coach Tai took aim, and his voice thundered up the tower, "If a Grimm has any sort of ranged advantage, you can bet your ass they'll abuse the _hell_ out of it at the suckiest moments possible! So keep your eyes open! Like now!"

 _PWOOMF!_

Jaune dropped to his knees to avoid the flying t-shirt, and the world tipped left, then right, then left again before Nora grabbed the back of his shirt to keep him steady before he lost his balance or his vertigo-induced lunch. Jaune made a low whine, but finally remembered what he was doing. He reached out for Ren's free hand, and after the T-shirt was tossed away in embarrassed disgust, their fingers lashed together.

Jaune tensed his arm, feeling the muscles groan in protest, but something made him pause, unsure. With unease, he stared down at Ren, whose face flickered in confusion. "Jaune?" Ren asked. Jaune couldn't explain it, but something down below had made him pause…

… Where was the dog?

There was a sudden geyser as something launched out of the water, an angry yip that approached a snarl, and Ren's eyes widened as a high-pitched squeak escaped him. He hung from Jaune's hand in silent shock, and Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha's jaws fell in silent surprise as Zwei began to growl and thrash like a playful puppy, his teeth sunk deeply enough into Ren's groin to allow the dog to hang on. Despite herself, Blake flattened her ears and peeled her lips back to flash her teeth in sympathy.

A collective whimper escaped the male students below as they stared.

"... _Jaune…"_ Ren whimpered pathetically.

Jaune couldn't hide the horror in his trembling voice, "W-we'll get you up, Ren, d-don't-"

" _Let me go."_ Ren ordered, his grip slackening, the blood draining from his already pale face, leaving him a chalk white.

"What?! No way! We're nearly to the-"

"Jaune. For the sake of my future children, please, _drop me."_ Ren was no longer staring at Jaune. His eyes were unfocused, clouding over as he watched the clouds.

"Ren, we-"

" _And take care of Nora."_

"Ren, you're not dying!"

" _Tell her I love her."_

" _Ren! I love you too!"_

"Nora, don't encourage him!"

"P-perhaps we're wasting too much time, Jaune-"

"I'm not going to-" But before he could finish his sentence, Ren slid out of his grip. Jaune stared in breathless disbelief as his teammate hit the water below, emerging to float on his back and stare at the sky with dead eyes. Zwei's little shark fin poked through the water, and the goggled dog grabbed ahold of Ren's sleeve, to drag the boy to the side of the pool.

Tai took a firm grip on the stunned student's shoulder and arm and pulled him out, waving him bonelessly at the surrounding students. "First catch of the day, boys and girls! See to it you don't end up the same way!"

A fearful murmur spread through the crowd, as, up above, Nora had to deliver an especially painful smack to Jaune's rear. Blake turned from the disheartened team JNPR and helped haul her three teammates up to the top of the wall, her face a little green. "Okay, it's official, your dad's a _psychopath."_ She whispered in disbelief to Ruby and Yang.

The two girls stood and straightened their shirts, their expressions full of confusion as they stretched. "Whaddaya mean?" Ruby asked quizzically, sliding a thumb under the tough, rubber strap of her goggles to clear out irritants.

"Yeah, this is totally normal." Yang shrugged, reaching down to pull Weiss up off the wall with one hand, placing the heiress on her feet and eliciting a surprised squeak.

Blake eyed the sisters in silent horror as they headed to the balance beam with unashamed looks of confidence, and her eyebrow twitched as she looked to Weiss. " _... Oh my god,_ this explains _so much."_ Blake muttered under her breath as she began making connections between the two teenagers and their father.

"What?" Weiss asked her, panting loudly as she stretched her arms and her legs for a moment before moving up to jab a sharp finger against Blake's collarbone, making the taller girl glare through a wince. "And what was _that?!"_ Weiss demanded heatedly, gesturing to the wall they'd just scaled.

"What was _what,_ snowflake?" Blake asked back in a deliberate snap, watching Weiss's eyes get stern, her cheekbones sinking as she frowned.

"You asked to be the lead, so why the hel- _heck_ did you leave us behind?! You went so fast, Yang had to take point!" Weiss pointed out furiously.

"You made it up here fine, I don't see the problem." Blake crossed her arms over her bust, forcing a roll in her eyes, but hiding her secret approval.

"And _that's_ the problem! You can't just _decide_ to go off on your own!"

"I'm the _scout,_ it's what I was raised to do!"

"Then resist the impulse to—"

" _Girls!"_ Yang snapped, ending their feud. They wordlessly looked her way, Weiss fuming with a pout, while Blake looked unperturbed, and the boisterous blonde pushed Ruby forward a step, making the younger girl squeak.

She blushed, staring up at her two older teammates as she realized she was being pushed to be the leader, despite Yang getting their attention. She swallowed loudly, looking between the two, her mind blanking as they looked to her for whatever guidance she might offer up, before finally… "U-um…" She gulped, thinking back to their objective. "Actually… m-maybe it's better if B-Blake goes ahead?"

"... Are you _serious?!"_ Weiss demanded angrily, causing Ruby to wilt, while Blake shot her leader a confused look.

"Really?" The taller girl asked in confusion.

"I-I-... yeah." Ruby bobbed her head, dredging up the reason once more, "W-we just need to ring the bell. Um, d-dad didn't say as a group, just… _ring the bell._ The sooner Blake does it—"

"The sooner we complete our objective." Weiss rounded off her thought in a calm voice, her expression softening as she glanced up at the top of the tower.

Blake… simply looked surprised at the revelation, and as much as she wanted to take credit for thinking of it first, it was immediately obvious by her expression alone that she _hadn't,_ and Weiss rounded on her with her arms crossed.

"Don't think this is an excuse for you to do this _all the time._ If something happens to _you,_ we should at least be in range to bail you out!" Weiss gave her a stubborn expression, and Blake rolled her eyes for real that time, shrugged, and sighed.

"Fine, fine, _just this once."_ So… Weiss apparently gave a crap about the team and sticking together. That was… _one_ step forward, though Blake refused to let relief seep into her veins…

She stopped her ear from twitching as she heard a whisper behind her, and she simply listened as Yang praised her sister, "Good plan, Rubes, but you gotta step it up yourself next time."

"I-I know…" Ruby responded, sounding embarrassed, but Blake could _hear_ Yang's smile.

"Then do it! Now c'mon, what's the next step?"

"U-um… oh! Same order as last time!" Ruby announced, pointing dramatically at the backs of Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha as they sprinted to the tower, trying to keep balance and dodge flying T-shirts at the same time. "Blake, you carve the trail! Then Yang, and then Weiss, and then me." Ruby gestured to herself with some confidence. After all, the order made sense in her head, and it was just a balance beam and a T-shirt cannon. They even had a pool to fall into this time! She glanced back to the ground to see Taiyang reload his weapon and watch the four of them with near-sadistic glee. She wiggled in place briefly; she was glad her dad was having fun!

"Got it." Blake bobbed her head, one foot out on the beam. Her golden eyes focused on Taiyang down below, who was now eyeing her expectantly. She flared her nostrils. This _should_ be easy enough.

She felt Yang's presence behind her, looming and somehow always too warm, and quietly noted that Yang wasn't humming like an appraising merchant… Either her partner had somehow learned subtlety in checking out her rear end just by climbing a wall, or Yang was focused on the objective and her proximity was just her way of being ready to help. Blake thought she had a pretty good handle on Yang by now, so she assumed the latter.

"Go!" Ruby shouted. Blake complied, launching herself across the balance beam as the cannon below tracked her. This was basic stuff, simple diversionary tactics. Make it to the objective, but be the first target. The chances of her getting hit were—

Blake skid to a halt, her eyes wide as wind rushed across her face, the tip of her nose stinging in scraping pain as a flying T-shirt skid across the front of her face with deadly velocity.

She glanced to Coach Tai, and saw he had abandoned the cannon on the grass, and was reeling his arm back like a quarterback, his smile as bright and cruel as the Vacuan sun. Blake fell to all fours, her palms and the knees planting on the narrow beam as the T-shirt was thrown with the force of a cannonball, ' _whoosh'_ ing over her head hard enough to make her hair and gym shirt ripple.

' _This is totally normal.'_ Yang's words echoed through Blake's head again, and the black-haired girl's eyebrow twitched. As she sprang to her feet and sprinted forward, dipping her head beneath another T-shirt, she thought of her training out in the forests. The White Fang was demanding, and harsh. It trained its members savagely, pitting member against member for combat, the courses were little more than sprints through the wilderness, through tree tops, cliffs, and raging river rapids, with the constant possible threat of the Grimm to keep them on their toes.

It was dangerous, it was tough, it taught her to climb nimbly and swiftly, to keep her senses tuned, to have excellent balance and endurance… but something about Taiyang made her hunger for the simplicity of bloodthirsty Grimm and a yawning chasm, as opposed to being at the mercy of a beaming psychotic.

" _You suck, dad!"_ Yang roared mockingly behind Blake after swatting one of the incoming projectiles away like an oversized fly. There was a happy cackle below, and Blake skidded to a halt as another clothing-turned-projectile shot past her ribs… then _another_ behind her back, making her clap her hands to her own bottom to make sure it was still there. He was throwing faster, his throwing arm more powerful and more accurate than the _cannon._ Blake launched herself off the balance beam and onto the side of the tower, fingers digging into the separated slats to escape the obstacle course from hell behind her.

At least she _hoped_ it was an escape.

" _MY FATHER WILL HEAR OF THIS!"_ Weiss roared somewhere behind Blake, her voice pained as Ruby hung onto her partner's wrist for dear life, yanking her back up before Zwei could snap at Weiss's foot.

"You know…" Yang's voice sprang up from below, making Blake wince, wondering if this could somehow get worse than it already was, "I'm glad he finally found something to do with these shirts. They were a hard sell on Patch." Blake glanced down. Yang had one of the shirts over her shoulder as she crawled underneath Blake, following her path up the tall tower.

"I can't imagine why." Blake groaned, looking up at Pyrrha above, focusing on the path that would take them up to the remainders of team JNPR.

"Me neither. There were _so_ many people on Patch that sucked." Yang replied evenly.

Blake twitched again. And she thought the anti-Faunus hunter groups were crazy…

Up above, it was Jaune leading his team to the top of the tower. The tower was not sloped, and there was no place to offer a moment of respite. Even if Jaune relaxed and hung in place, his weight would still be pulling him towards a thirty foot drop right to the ground.

Jaune knew that if he looked down, he was _doomed._ The thought nagged at him from the back of his mind; there was no way he'd accomplish _this._ How could they expect him to do this _regularly?!_ His body was already crying out for rest, it wanted him to go down, to make an excuse, to put a _stop_ to all of this…

… It wanted to give up, call it quits, and go home a _coward._

Jaune grit his teeth. The very last thing he wanted to do was admit that he wasn't good enough, but the ache in his limbs were the final warning he had before his body simply gave up. Pushing himself past his limit at this point would only hurt him, and he felt the urge to cry out of frustration.

His hand stretched out towards the next slat to climb, but his shoulder gave a small, audible, pained _crick._ His eyes squeezed shut, and he retracted his arm, so numb that he didn't even feel Nora's next slap to his backside.

"Are you okay, Jaune?!" Pyrrha called up from below, her worried eyes fixated on her partner as Nora glanced around their entrenched position.

"Yeah! Just…" Jaune took deep breaths, his fingers stinging, and slippery with his own sweat, "Just need a break." He needed far more than that, he knew that for sure. His body wanted down, but his spirit, desperate as it was, begged him to take the climb up.

"Jaune, there's a place to go to the right!" Nora called up, and Jaune confirmed it with a glance. He slowly, carefully crawled over to the slats, fully aware of how long he was taking. "... Okay, no." Jaune heard, wincing as he knew exactly what Nora was commenting on, "You need to get down."

In a clamor of movement, Nora was by his side, and Jaune was trying to not beat his head against the wall in his shame, "I _can't._ I gotta make it to the top or-"

"Or what?" Nora asked in a serious voice, leaning her face closer to his in an almost threatening way. "What, your dick's gonna lose an inch if you don't make it to the top?" Jaune grit his teeth at the mockery, and he shook his head.

"Nora, I just _gotta,_ okay? I wanna pass the class."

"Coach Tai didn't specify that _each_ of us had to ring the bell." Pyrrha's voice came from past Nora, and Jaune's jaw clenched. "He didn't disqualify us for losing Ren. Jaune, if it's too much, you should go down."

"It's _not_ too much, I can do it!" He insisted, despite the way his digits tried to tell him otherwise.

"Doesn't matter how loud ya lie, Jaune, I see _right_ through it!" Nora slapped his butt again, but this time, not with a threatening pain. "You got nothin' ta lose headin' back, Jaune."

"If I can't keep up with you guys, then what's the point of coming here?!" Jaune demanded, his voice scratchy from his heavy breathing, as well as tight with frustration. He just wanted to reach the top.

The two girls stared at him, quiet and stunned at his question. They shared a quiet glance, and Nora's expression flickered with a bit of annoyance, as if she'd dealt with this before. "Dude, your 'manly pride' isn't worth breaking bones over."

"There's no shame in retreat, Jaune, it's better to come back when you're stronger." Pyrrha leaned past Nora, reaching past her back to stroke Jaune's comfortingly, "Nobody will think less of you, I _promise."_

"Pyrrha…" Jaune whispered pleadingly.

"Everytime Ren broke a bone because he thought he needed to push himself that extra mile, it put him back _weeks,_ so don't be a stupid idiot, okay?" Nora ordered, reaching out to ruffle his sweat-streaked hair and make him swallow thickly. "You already got us all impressed with the Deathstalker from yesterday; take it from me, 'cuz I certainly haven't forgotten!" She gave him her cheeriest smile, and a blush crossed his face.

"I-... okay." He gulped, his body almost lightening up in the relief of his decision. "Okay." He'd already come so far, but here he was about to call it quits… though, he meekly consoled himself with the knowledge that, at the very least, it was the tactically sound thing to do. "Just crawl over me, I'll be okay. As soon as you do, I'll make my way down and rest, I promise." Despite his aggravation, he intended to keep his promise. ' _Don't go back on a promise with a lady, or they'll never trust you again.'_ His dad would say whenever he was doing something backbreaking for his wife.

His eyes closed and he focused on numbing the pain in his limbs as he felt Nora crawl over him. He managed to ignore the way Nora felt crawling over him, but he couldn't ignore it when Pyrrha's lips hovered near his ear, "We'll make it up just fine. Please take care getting down." With that, she climbed past him, and he felt a different sweat on his forehead. For a rock-hard gladiator, Pyrrha managed to be awfully soft…

With the two girls on their way up, Jaune took a deep breath, and internalized his new mission: reach the ground. With his foot guiding the way, he began to creep downwards step by step, hoping that each one would reach the grass. He passed by Ruby and Weiss, the latter looking more gorgeous than ever, despite being red-faced and covered in sweat, while Ruby hung below her, calling up encouragement to her teammate.

Up above, he spotted Nora and Pyrrha both making good progress up the tower, but around the same level was Blake. Somehow, someway, the girl had hauled some good ass and was well past her own team, though seemed to be stuck looking for a path upwards. Jaune was somewhat unsettled that he was easily being beat out by a group of girls, a feeling he tried to quash; his partner was the RTM champion or whatever, despite his turnip confidence, he couldn't disregard her strengths because of her gender. His big sister would have given him one hell of a rant if he'd brought it up...

His mulling was stopped as something closed around his ankle threateningly. He shot a frantic look down to meet the eyes of the brutish boys from the cafeteria. "You're in the way, blondie!" Cardin called up at him with a sneer, and before Jaune could so much as offer an apology or an explanation, the bigger boy hauled himself up, roughly grabbing ahold of Jaune's shoulders and arms to pull himself upwards, and Jaune felt his body turn into a giant knot of terrified muscle and _pain._

The bottoms of Cardin's soles kicked off of Jaune's head to push the boy higher, and Jaune's fingers felt ready to fall off. He wasn't sure if the numbness was a good thing or a bad thing, but he didn't have the time to question it when a mohawked boy grabbed his legs to follow his leader up and over Jaune, "Hope ya got a good grip, dude!" Russel jeered, leaving Jaune gasping in pain as his trembling knees threatened to give out.

A much heavier boy at least had the decency to try and climb around Jaune where he could, but Dove still shot him a withering look of annoyance before using his shoulder to boost himself up and over, sending Jaune's aching hand off the tower. Jaune couldn't lift it, which he _knew_ was a bad thing, but then one more boy started climbing over him, making Jaune violently shake. "Stop shaking man, this is hard enough!" Sky yelped in terror, barely getting up Jaune's shoulders to kick off him for a grip on the slats above. Barely a whisper passed Jaune's lips as he finally gave out.

The rush of air, the gasps of terror from across the field, the burning in his arms, Jaune couldn't even breath as the sky fell away from him. He was aware of what was happening in theory, but the panic hadn't caught up to him just yet.

"Down low!" A voice shouted. Jaune's fall was suddenly broken by a pair of thick, hairy arms. A surging ache shot through Jaune's back from the sudden impact and he hung limply, one arm under his neck, one under his legs.

Jaune stared up at the tower, the students crawling all over it, and the realization he'd just fallen finally hit him, " _... Holy shit."_ Jaune whispered hoarsely.

"I'd better not hear you curse like that around my daughter." Coach Tai said in a low, warning rumble. Jaune lifted his head to stare his teacher in the face… and yelped as he was dropped onto the ground.

"Ow." Jaune rubbed the top of his head. His fingers hurt like nobody's business, and he wanted nothing more than a hot ice bath. Or a cold steamy bath. He had no clue what he wanted more, he just wanted to get off this wild ride and gorge himself on his mom's beef stew.

The ripped, towering figure above him knelt down, looking Jaune in the eye with a slow roll of his whiskered jaw. "Alright Arc, you gave a good effort today." Taiyang said in a calm tone, a small smirk crossing his face. "I gotta say, that was a pretty sneaky way to get the girls on top of you, something I would'a done in my Beacon years." Tai smirked, and Jaune, panting, sweating, twitching… let out a dry chuckle.

"Ugh, I couldn't enjoy it though." He admitted, eyes slowly closing. "Everything hurts too much." He sighed, just happy to have the earth under his back and nothing to hold onto.

"Well, you made it a good distance. Your chew-toy buddy is lying out in the field somewhere, roll on over to the cooler if you need some water." With that, Tai walked away. Jaune slowly and painfully pulled himself to a sitting position to see the coach cackling as he assailed a team with his gatling T-shirt launcher, and some distance away, Ren sitting up, watching the tower with an ice pack on the front of his shorts.

It took a few minutes for Jaune to convince himself to move and settle down next to Ren with a small water bottle and a sympathetic look. Ren, for his part, had his ethereal calmness once more. His eyes calmly scanned the tower, before looking down to meet Jaune's. The two boys looked to one another… and Ren sighed.

"... How's the kids?" Jaune asked, while Ren looked back up at his girlfriend with a grimace.

"Still a possibility." Ren answered. He blinked slowly, and let out a small breath through his nostrils, briefly looking to the ground. "I apologize, Jaune." Jaune slowed in sipping from his bottle, staring at Ren curiously. "In my haste to complete our objective, I lost sight of my surroundings."

"Well, I mean… was _anybody_ expecting _that?"_ Jaune asked. Where was the coach getting so many T-shirts, anyway...? Did he have some sort of T-shirt creating semblance?

"I highly doubt it, but I still fell." Ren's lips tightened silently. There was an ear-splitting shriek, and the two boys watched a girl fall into the drink, where Zwei immediately latched onto her ankle and tried to steal her shoe.

"Happens to the best of us, man. I don't blame you." Jaune hummed, then took in some water with deep, greedy swallows.

Ren hummed. Jaune was a surprisingly forgiving person. In its own way, it was admirable, but it did little to soothe Ren's aching ego. He knew coming to Beacon would put his practiced stoicism to the test, but in one day, he'd felt such powerful pangs of jealousy, and now the resentment of failure. Was there a greater pain than letting down the people who trusted him? Than falling in front his peers in such a humiliating way? Embarrassing himself in front of Nora like that?

His pink eyes burned as he allowed himself a moment to truly wallow in his shame, using it to sharpen his resolve. Ren wouldn't let this stand; he silently resolved to do _better,_ to become worthy of his leader's trust, to earn Pyrrha's respect as a warrior, to make sure he was always there for the woman he loved... and so he'd never have to feel dog teeth digging into his nuts again.

'Cuz wow, that had _sucked._

The first ' _ding!'_ rang across the training field, drawing both boys' attention. Nora and Pyrrha both stood at the top of the tower, waving down to Jaune and Ren below as Nora flicked the bell. Standing high above, the two girls were stunning figures, casting shadows on everyone below, even as others climbed after them. Jaune let out a relieved groan, sitting back to wave up to his teammates, trying to shoot a thumbs up that they could see. Ren simply stared, filled with both approval at their success and shame that he couldn't be there with them.

From up top, Pyrrha could just barely pick out her two fallen teammates on the ground. This had been a far… _stranger_ trial than she'd could have ever dreamt it could be. Coach Tai's laughter could be clearly heard even from a-hundred feet up, and it wasn't looking to settle down anytime soon. Her old coach favored drilling the basics into her, improving her core, then sending her against assault after assault to strengthen her body and reflexes. Terrain wasn't as large of a factor in the MRT as it was in hunting, and despite the oddity of what they had done to reach the bell, Pyrrha simply had to recall the athletics involved in keeping herself and her friends alive the day before.

Pyrrha turned to her fellow redhead, who was flexing her fingers to remove lingering stiffness. "Nora, we should probably make our way down." Pyrrha advised, peering over the edge of the tower. It was rapidly filling with bodies. The maze-like nature of the opened and closed slats meant that there was no one sure path to the top, so it was encircled by people scrambling to get up before their arms gave out on them.

"Got it! Any ideas?" Nora asked. She wasn't too great at coming up with her own routes, and prefered to defer to somebody else on the matter, though climbing up had been a simple matter of following gut-instinct and ignoring the need to curse out the boys on her team for falling out early.

"Not immediately. Blake, any clue?" Pyrrha turned around. Nora followed her eyes to the edge behind her, where there was… nobody. They were alone at the top of the tower, and Nora shot a very idle, questioning look to the nervous Pyrrha, until a black mess of hair popped up and Blake peered at them with golden eyes. Pyrrha sighed in relief.

"What, am I predictable now?" Blake asked, her tone more amused than anything as she hopped up to her feet.

"You pulled that trick on us once already, Blakey!" Nora grinned, then suddenly tipped over as something collided with her. She caught herself from falling at the last minute as a T-shirt fell out of view, down onto the climbing students below. With a snarl, Nora leaned over the edge and _roared:_ " _TRY THAT AGAIN COACH, AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!"_

" _GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!"_

" _GIMME A MINUTE AND I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN TO SHOVE MY FIST UP YOUR_ — _!"_

"Looks like we'll have to wing it once the rest of my team gets up here." Blake's eyes scanned the tower, reaching out to idly flick the bell, sending a clear ring across the PE grounds. With her mission accomplished, she strut to the edge of the tower to watch the mass of first years struggling or excelling in the unorganized climb to the top, and she recalled watching numerous panicked races to safety or weaponry during White Fang raids before… "This is completely chaotic."

"I suppose that would be normal in a fight against Grimm." Pyrrha acknowledged, _not_ looking forward to trying to pick her way down with other teams in the way. "We cannot possibly expect consistency in the field."

"Even still, this seems… _extreme,_ and excessive and…" Blake sighed. It went a long way to explaining at least _one_ of her teammates. As Blake watched for her team, Pyrrha and Nora began to descend.

Yang stared up at the path she assumed Blake had taken. Her climbing hadn't slowed in the slightest, but trying to keep up with her partner proved to be difficult. "Rassa frassa climbing…" Yang grunted to herself. Weiss and Ruby were still further below her. Weiss, as Ruby and Yang had both predicted, was not a climber, so Ruby was down there providing encouragement for the Schnee heiress.

Yang was by no means a climber either, being more heavily built and unable to press flat to the surface, but she wasn't a liability. She moved slower than her partner, that was for sure; Blake seemed in her element just shooting up the wall. It reminded Yang of those tree lizards she always tried to catch as a kid; blink once and they were gone, already around the corner or up in the branches. It had made for a fun bit of personal training trying to catch them, and it was remarkable thinking she used to struggle with it.

Yang could only chuckle a little before she jumped, grabbing the slats over a closed spot and hauling herself higher. Blake really was an amazing huntress. Watching her move, gently prying open that sarcastic personality of hers, Yang was enjoying herself. It certainly helped that Ruby and Weiss were both much more open themselves, giving Blake some pressure to join the conversation. Yang hoped she could get more out of Blake, to separate what Yang idealized from reality, and see who the black-haired huntress truly was.

Yang lifted a foot, taking a slow, steadying breath to ease the ache in her body, but flinched when something closed around her ankle. "Oh ha-ha, Ruby." Yang grunted, glancing down. Her smile slid away into disbelief, then into red-eyed anger as a cocky smile and a douchey red haircut peered back up at her.

"Hey babycakes." Cardin snarled, showing all of his teeth as he glared up at her.

"Cardin." Yang spoke warningly, her foot gearing up to plunge straight into his stupid, smug grin. "Let go of me _right now_ or—"

"Or I'll get kicked in the face? Whatever, blondie." His fist tightened around her leg, and Yang thrust her foot out, just grazing his sweat-soaked hair. She tried to retract, but Cardin held fast, ensuring she couldn't move. "Y'know Yang, once upon a time, I tried to be a nice guy."

"And you nearly _broke my sister's jaw."_ Yang growled, her fingers tensing, digging into the wooden slats. A disquieting crumble alerted them both…

"Uh oh, better be careful, babe. Get any angrier and you're gonna do my work for me." Cardin pulled, and Yang grit her teeth as her leg extended, and her body tightened up, trying to stay coiled and still on the wall. "Y'know… you still owe me a round. We had a pretty good two months at Signal, and all those times you put me in the nurse's office? I think I should get my chance to show you how _good_ of a guy I can be."

"Piss. _Off."_ Yang's other foot suddenly slid off the slat, and hammered into Cardin's forehead. Had Yang kept control, and not been focusing on her grip, it may have actually done some damage, but Cardin simply hissed, his amber aura spreading across his forehead.

"I took you to dinner, took you to the movies, bought you some jewelry, and I've heard you gave it up for a _lot_ less than that. So drop the raging dyke act, maybe we can work this out..." Cardin crowed.

"Cardin…" Yang growled, barely able to keep the edge in her voice as he kept tugging, threatening her grip with each pull. "Y'know something?" Yang glanced down at him, her eyes red, her hair glowing gold. Cardin's smile grew, his brow furrowed in smug triumph. "I got _all_ up in Evera's business." Her glare became prideful, and Cardin's grin turned soft. "Your ' _darling little lady'_ had a lot to say about your bedroom technique." Yang chuckled darkly. "Must suck carrying _just_ a pencil in your pan—" Yang felt her fingers slip.

Cardin let go of the blonde's ankle, and she fell, trying to murder him with her eyes. The two of them locked gazes, and a shared message of _hate_ ran between them, as Yang plunged, screaming in rage. Up above, Cardin sneered, pulling himself towards the top with a look of enraged self-satisfaction.

"... Oh, _hell_ no…" Blake whispered, her fingertips digging into the edge of the tower from where she watched. Her throat tightened and her eyebrows knit together, her teeth beginning to show. Where was this anger coming from? Yeah, the dude was being a dick _and_ cheating, but she had a sudden flare of worry for her falling partner, who had been _robbed_ of her chance to finish the course.

There was a splash from the pool, and Yang threw herself through the water's surface, gasping for air. Her mere presence caused the water to churn and bubble around her, and she let loose a skyward roar of fury, making a couple of the students above lock up in terror, one getting smacked right in the face by a T-shirt she had rightfully earned in that moment.

Yang jumped in surprise when Zwei hopped up into her arms, and Yang had to stop herself from throwing the panting corgi, then hugged him close. Despite all her anger–and venting heat–Zwei licked her chin and cheeks while Yang ranted. " _When he gets his ass down here I'm sticking my foot_ —aww, Zwei, no, it's okay I'm just— _going to kick a new hole in his groin and_ —no no, don't whine baby, I'm okay, just— _utterly goddamned furious and I will_ —"

"... Ruby." Weiss spoke up while listening to the tirade of profanity-laden threats from below. Her eyes were locked on the long, strong legs of Yang's attacker, and the three boys that were following him to the top.

"Yes, Weiss?" Ruby's voice was tight with displeasure, partially from Yang's sudden loss, and partially because she realized they had been overtaken by _Cardin._ They were only six feet higher, but still higher than Ruby was able to retaliate from.

"Throw me." Weiss ordered.

"Huh?" Ruby looked back up, and Weiss stared down at her with a serious expression. "Th-throw you?" She squeaked.

"Trust me." Weiss ordered, her hand pressing against a small tube in her pocket as her mind worked out a plan of vengeance. Ruby's eyes went to the vial.

"B-but you can't, d-dad s-said-"

"I'll handle the repercussions in due time, Ruby." Weiss spoke logically, offering Ruby a small, if cruel smile. "For now, that ape needs to be taught that _nobody_ messes with a Schnee or their friends and gets away with it."

Ruby wasn't sure what to think about that. She watched in quiet worry as Weiss suddenly hopped off the tower, falling for a brief moment before Ruby grasped Weiss's hand. Weiss squeezed the vial in her pocket, and a large, black glyph appeared beneath her feet.

Ruby pulled and the glyph spun, pouring its energy into Weiss. Ruby let go at the top of her reach, and Weiss was launched as if from a catapult as the glyph dissipated, having spent its energy.

The rush of wind through Weiss's hair felt… triumphant, like flying in for the kill against a now-disarmed opponent. Theoretically, it was the same situation–her target was off his guard, swamped in distracting thoughts, hands and feet occupied–so when Weiss flew up past Cardin, making the boy pause in surprise, then fell feet first onto Cardin's face to bounce off his head, it was well within her predictions that the surprise and shock of being used like a springboard would loosen his grip, and send him tumbling down the tower with a surprised yelp.

Airborne again, Weiss looked to the tower, scrambling to find a safe place to grab, but a hand caught her attention. She took ahold of the pale arm, and grinned in cold triumph up at Blake. The dark-haired girl held onto Weiss's elbow, staring the heiress in the eye. "Wow, Weiss." Blake said, not making a move. "That was ice-cold." The words made Weiss wince, and hesitate, second-guessing herself… but Blake simply smirked, and pulled Weiss to the top of the tower, letting the heiress collapse to her knees now that she had stable footing.

"He deserved it." Weiss insisted, looking to the bell behind Blake. It was _right there,_ waiting to be rung, but… Weiss didn't deserve it. She sighed thickly. She got her vengeance, but it required her semblance. All-in-all, she had failed… but there was a certain righteousness to it, one that made her stomach get all worked up in conflicting pride and disappointment in herself.

"You aren't wrong." Blake leaned over the tower. The other three members of team CRDL were racing to the top, and just below them was Ruby. Though they weren't being graded for this, Weiss had disobeyed a hard-set rule for righteous _vengeance._ Blake felt an absurd amount of warmth fill her belly at the thought of Cardin being chewed up by the dog below, and she let the knot in her chest go loose.

Blake took Weiss by the arm, yanking her to the other side of the tower as Russel, Dove, and Sky pulled themselves to the top, one-by-one, and focused their glares on Weiss.

"Cool move, ice queen." Russel sneered, lurching forward a step, ducking his head and narrowing his eyes to put on an intimidating face, his cruel smile making Weiss tighten her lips. By her side, Blake entered a simplistic fighting stance, her golden eyes going from boy to boy.

Russel was walking around the left, his own fists raised. To the right, Sky was trying to sneak his way around, looking angry, but becoming unsure whenever Blake snapped her gaze to him. Weiss had her hands out, looking more ready for a slap-fight than a brawl on a ten-by-ten, forty-foot high platform.

And Dove… well, Dove rang the bell, bobbing his head in calm accomplishment.

"So, white and black… what, that's, like, Checkers, right?" Russel looked to Sky, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Chess." Dove and Weiss both corrected immediately.

"Checkers is white and black too! So we're gonna make you king us!" Russel's smile was filled with confidence and a promise of violence, and Blake simply grit her teeth.

"Checkers is red and black. Also, the order should be _black and white."_ Dove corrected, arms crossed as he watched through slits formed by his eyelids. Russel shot him a quick glare. "It sounds better. If you want red and black, their leader is pulling herself up now." Dove stepped aside, and Ruby hopped onto the platform, immediately entering a low, amateurish fighting stance.

" _Thank you for the entrance, good sir!_ A-also, it's red, b-black, _a-and_ white now." Ruby spoke quickly, facing the other two boys as Dove simply nodded his acknowledgement.

"Like a newspaper." He surmised thoughtfully. Then, without another word, the rounded boy lunged with a straight punch, aimed for Ruby's solar plexus. The smaller girl jumped, flipping over his head and landing by the bell. Her fist lashed out and punched the bell, signalling her team's victory… as well as the start of a fist-fight on top of the tower.

On the ground below, Yang was wordless, surprised, and soaked through as she stared at the top of the tower. At her feet, Cardin laid face down on the ground, groaning in pain, a green shoeprint on the back of his running shorts. Behind her, Jaune and Ren slowed in drying Yang's curtain of blonde hair to just watch with her. Ruby was throwing a couple of punches based on Yang's style, but without the control or precision Yang practiced. Dove's slower fighting style tanked her weak blows as he tried to catch her off guard, but Ruby's speed lent well to dodging him. Blake and Russel were performing an intricate martial dance: sweeping kicks, driving palms, aggressive headbutts, and grapples that sent the two perilously close to the edge of the platform, but compared to actual martial artists, they looked like rank amateurs. Weiss and Sky were yelping as they slapped and kicked at each other while wheeling around the tower's edge, trying to not fall. "This is the greatest thing _ever."_ Yang muttered.

"Your team sucks." Taiyang suddenly spoke up, watching with a mixture of amusement and annoyance as other teams tried to sneak in between the fighting to tag the bell, or worse, ended up joining it. "I _really_ should have taught Ruby how to throw a punch…" The coach sighed thickly. Zwei plodded over and sat between the father and daughter, watching curiously. "Alright. I need to go break it up so everybody else can score. Zwei?" Taiyang knelt down, holding his open palm towards the dog. With a happy bark, Zwei leapt onto his hand, and was then lifted by the belly.

"What's your dad doing?" Jaune whispered to Yang, watching with worry as their teacher took a step forward, bent at the knees, and brought Zwei back over his shoulder, just like a javelin thrower.

"Breaking up the fight." Yang shrugged. Up above, Dove had Ruby in a headlock, and was trying to not get kicked in the back of his knee. Russel tossed Blake onto her back, only to get kicked square in the chest, nearly bowling him off the tower. Weiss slapped Sky, and the gray-haired boy yelped and lunged, trying to shove Weiss over.

Then, Taiyang threw Zwei. Jaune and Ren both blinked in disbelief as the hunting corgi flew like a rocket, trailing golden flames as he broke the brawl up top by rapidly releasing Taiyang's aura. A bright, sun-yellow explosion of concussive heat and fire stopped all activity in the PE grounds, shaking the tower's foundation as students simply stared in open-mouthed disbelief.

Six smoking figures fell from the structure, and with an intricate series of gestures, Weiss threw out six black glyphs under each and every one of them, slowing their fall to the ground. Zwei, meanwhile, sat at the top, bell in his mouth, offering it to each student that approached for a quick ring.

The trial, which had started with a whistle, ended with a cacophony of tired, pained, and relieved whimpers. There were still hunters-in-training reaching the bell, but on the ground below, team RWBY and team JNPR sat in a semi-circle around Taiyang, while Cardin had been dragged away by his team, leaving the eight alone.

"I'm gonna make this quick, since I gotta watch the other teams." Taiyang stood before them, hands on his hips, chest and chin pushed out to signify his authority. "Blake," he spoke her name, making golden eyes flick up to him curiously, "You raced ahead of your team, leaving them to blaze their own trail. You have talent, but frankly, this isn't about being a lone wolf. In future team activities, I expect you to work as a unit." Blake remained silent, and cast her eyes down. "... You did amazingly though, don't get me wrong, but keep in mind who's behind you." Blake nodded as Taiyang turned his attention to Weiss.

"Weiss," he said, getting the heiress's attention. He internally said Weiss's and Blake's name over and over in his head, wanting them to sound natural. They were his daughter's teammates, which meant he intended to be a friend to them. "I think it goes without saying you broke the rules." Weiss fidgeted, refusing to meet his eye. "I'm not grading this performance, so consider yourself lucky, but in the future, failure to follow instruction will result in not just _you_ failing, but your partner as well. Remember, you're graded as a pair." At that, Weiss shot Ruby a very sorry look, and curled her knees to her chin. "... but, it was a hell of a move, and while, as a teacher, I am not allowed to say it was as cool as it was deserved, I can imply it. Good work slowing everyone else's fall too, heroism is what separates the hunters from the legends." He gave the girl a wink, making her blink slowly and suppress a small smile.

Tai looked down at Ruby, who aimed her face in his direction curiously, a bit of anxiousness in her posture. "... You did good, Ruby." Tai spoke gently, putting a hand on her head affectionately. "But as team leader, it is _your_ job to keep your team in line. Cohesive unit, follow the rules. Okay?"

"Yes dad." Ruby nodded slowly, swallowed thickly, and squirmed in discomfort at her failure.

"There's my girl. And Yang?" Taiyang looked to his eldest. Yang sat silent and despondent, her eyes only briefly flicking up to him as he took a deep breath through his nose, and let it go. "I know that was not a good position to be in—"

"I know, dad."

"—but we trained for this sort of thing."

"I _know,_ dad." Yang did not raise her voice, but her tone grew aggravated.

"Next time that ass is trying to bring you down, I expect you to _do,_ not just _know._ I have faith in your sweetheart. Next time, blow me outta the water, got it?" Though his words were optimistic, his voice carried the edge of command. Not just as a teacher, but as a father. Yang nodded slowly, sighing.

Coach Tai turned to face team JNPR now, his eyes focusing immediately on Ren. Even if the boy had failed first, and frankly, the hardest, Tai wasn't about to lay into him since he hadn't known what to expect. "So, Lie Ren, next time…?"

"I'll keep my eyes open, and expect the unexpected." Ren nodded slowly. Tai liked that the kid met his eyes, even when he was discussing his failures.

"Good. And you, blondie?" Taiyang focused on Jaune. Jaune hesitated to meet the coach's gaze, but forced himself to look up, his breath caught in his throat. He still hurt, but he fully expected to be reprimanded for what he'd done. Or, rather, what he hadn't been able to do. Silently, Jaune wondered if the jig was up… "You made it far, so there's no shame in retreating to protect yourself. Half your team still reached the objective, so it counts as a win. Out in the wilds, sometimes that's all that can be done. Good job, kid, we'll get you up there before the end of the year." Taiyang nodded, and Jaune sat silently, stunned at the praise. "As for the girls…" Taiyang looked to Nora and Pyrrha with a lopsided grin, earning red-cheeked smiles and silent squirms of elation. "Good job, both of you. It might not feel like a total victory, but you both did all I asked for, without hurting your team. Everyone here deserves a water break, so get to it, I'm going to go throw more T-shirts."

"Yes, coach." The eight students replied collectively. Taiyang cast his gaze from the left to the right. Each of them showed promise, and according to Ruby's letter, kindness, a heroism that made hunting the noble profession that it was, not just dying to a ceaseless horde. Satisfied, Taiyang walked off to assault more teenagers with clothing.

Water in hand, the eight students rested and brooded.

For the most part, they were silent. They sipped at water bottles and relaxed under the midday sun. In spite of the day's excitement, the eight of them weren't in high spirits; Taiyang's dressing down still weighed on them, if not their own actions.

Weiss in particular was mulling over her decisions. She was a confident what she had done was, in some way or another, defendable. She took in Yang's form and expression beside her; the blonde was no less the near-peak of human beauty she had been since they first fought in the dining hall, but that relaxing warmth, daring smile, and her comforting words were replaced by annoyance and melancholy. It seemed strange to Weiss, it made her teammate no less beautiful, but less… approachable.

In its own way, that was more enticing than Yang's overt socialization. There was something entrancing about a beautiful girl wallowing in silence. It made Yang seem thoughtful, as if she was pondering the greater mysteries of the universe as opposed to teasing her sister, or her teammates.

Weiss had seen Yang angry before, and being the target of that anger hadn't been frightening until Weiss could see the way the blonde's lips curled in resentment, or the way those lavender eyes filled with red amidst her furious thoughts. Having gotten to see Yang in a more positive light, it was clear Yang wore her negativity as brazenly as her cheer.

With no prompt, Yang suddenly spoke. "Thanks." Weiss shook herself out of her contemplation, and blinked at Yang curiously. Yang looked her way, her face still slack with displeasure. "Is that why you're staring at me? Thanks for booting Cardin."

"W-well, I—" Weiss calmed herself, reminding herself she was not Yang's source of anger. She wanted to retreat and not subject herself to Yang's rage, but… she reminded herself that being antisocial helped no one. "I was more thinking about myself." Weiss admitted, only half-truthful. "Whether or not I did the right thing."

"Heh, yeah, you kinda did the _one_ thing you weren't supposed to." Yang admitted with a small smirk, and Weiss groaned. "But… but y'know, I can't be mad; you kicked Cardin in the face, you did good by my count, Weiss." Yang wordlessly reached over and grabbed Weiss's upper arm. Weiss blinked as she was tugged close, and her cheeks bloomed with color as she was given a small peck on the temple.

" _W-well_ then!" Weiss grunted, stroking the spot Yang had kissed as the blonde returned to her sitting position, now wearing a tired smirk as she watched Weiss bluster. "It-it was a matter of team honor! I couldn't let it go without _reprisal!_ Who are you to lay your lips on me?! I am Weiss _Schnee!_ Y-you can't just—ah! Ruby?!"

Weiss turned bright red as Ruby pulled the heiress into a tight, one-armed hug. Ruby stared down her older sister as Weiss was forcibly snuggled into Ruby's side. " _Off limits."_ Ruby spoke tersely. Blake and team JNPR silently sat up to watch as an electric current sparked between Ruby and Yang's eyes, with a trembling Weiss heating up between them.

"Aww, c'mon Ruby, I'm just thanking her for avenging me." Yang snickered, her spirit returning at her little sister's fire. She quickly glanced down at Weiss, giving her an open, approving purr to get a growl out of Ruby.

"She's _my_ p-partner! I had her f-first, so _dibs."_ Ruby insisted, making Weiss let out a small, embarrassed whine as she was pulled closer.

"D-don't I get a say in this?!"

" _Shut up Weiss."_ The two sisters spoke as one. Weiss just looked scandalized.

"We're all teammates here, you can share your _partner_." Yang's smile turned sly, prompting Weiss to give her a sharp glare, an unspoken command to _end_ this train of thought. "I mean, we all sleep in the same room…"

"In separate beds!" Ruby pointed out with a bottom-lipped pout.

"We can _change_ that." Yang purred.

"If a-anyone is sleeping with Weiss, it's me!" Ruby announced, making Weiss grow as stiff as ice as her face bloomed with heat.

"Ex _cuse me?!"_ The pitch of her shriek made Zwei give a small, panicked whine from across the grounds.

Blake was doing everything in her power to keep her water in her mouth. Nora was wearing a wolfish grin, snuggling closer to Ren to watch the show, while Ren silently wondered how somebody as pale as Weiss could even _get_ that red.

Yang's eyes were shimmering with mirth, and she spoke in a high, sing-song voice. "Aww, pwease Ruby? Can't you loan me Weiss for just _one_ night? I'll keep her nice and warm—"

" _No!"_ Ruby firmed her lips and her jaw, and held the currently flailing Weiss tighter. "She's _my_ first friend, _you_ d-don't get to put your icky fingers on her! She will remain p-pure and chaste and l-like _me_ more than _you!"_ Ruby's voice went somewhere north of ' _brat'_ and stopped just short of ' _possessive.'_

"Okay, okay, I concede!" Yang snickered, one hand over her mouth as she watched Weiss try not to combust in embarrassment. "You get to be the first person to share a bed with Weiss."

With a smile of victory, Ruby cuddled Weiss closer, causing the latter to flail in terror. "H-hear that Weiss?! I'll be the first person to sleep with you!" Nora hid a laugh, Pyrrha began to tear up the grass as the tips of her ears heated up, almost overwhelmed with secondhand embarrassment. Ren simply sighed. Jaune watched in silent bewilderment.

" _Oh my god."_ Weiss whimpered.

"It'll be like a-an adult sleepover!"

" _Oh. My. God."_

Ruby gasped. "W-we can bring _Zwei!"_

" _OH-MY-GOD-RUBY-SHUT-UP-OR-I-WILL-SMOTHER-YOU-IN-YOUR-SLEEP-YOU-AIR-HEADED-MUNCHKIN!"_

Blake failed, splashing her bare legs with water as she hacked, wheezed, and cackled painfully. Yang fell onto her back, howling with laughter. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren just stared in complete silence. Jaune raised a finger as if to say something, but lowered it, shaking his head; Ozpin himself couldn't untangle this mess without making it worse.

Nora turned to Ren, her predatory smile stretched across her face. "Wanna bet who falls into bed with who first?"

Ren sipped from his water, pursing his lips in thought as he watched the three girls' squabbling turn into the wimpiest fist-fight he'd ever seen, with Weiss attacking both of the sisters as they snorted and giggled at her rage. Little ideas swam in and out of his head, but ultimately, he had no definitive answer. "Let them sort it out themselves." He said dryly, subtly avoiding losing any more lien to his lover.

* * *

"Hit me." Mercury ordered. His confident smile widened, his gray eyes narrowed, and the Faunus appraised him with an annoyed stare, reptilian pupils briefly disappearing under a second set of eyelids, his nictitating membrane masking an eyeroll.

"Are you ssure, ssir?" The tanned male asked, licking his lips with a forked tongue.

Mercury's smirk never wavered, he just stared at the Faunus with an unrepentantly smug look. "Sure as I've ever been." He answered, leaning forward to show he wasn't intimidated by the Faunus' unusual appearance.

The dealer, a hood-wearing snake-Faunus with a buzz cut and a limber build, tossed a card towards Mercury. It slid across the table and stopped just short of Mercury's other cards: a black queen of spades, and a red eight of hearts. Mercury took the card and flipped it over, revealing a red two of spades, a grand total of twenty. His smile grew wider, and he silently pumped his arm as the Faunus dealer rolled his eyes.

Next to Mercury, a smallish female with a long, hairless tail grunted in disinterest and leaned back, dismissively giving up on the stack of lien cards sitting in front of her pair of nines, while to the other side of her, a limber, fox-eared male chewed his thumb, looking from Mercury, to his nine and two. He drummed his fingers in idle thought, evaluating his chances, and with a sigh, looked up to the dealer. "Hit me."

The dealer tossed a card, and Mercury leaned back, closing his eyes with confidence. His smile grew thin as he heard the man give a cheer, and he glanced over to see the man showing the red jack of spades he'd drawn.

"I'm ordering _so_ much pizza!" The man exclaimed as the dealer tossed him the pile of lien cards sitting in front of the three players, and Mercury narrowed his eyes sharply at the celebrating man. The fox Faunus glanced towards Mercury, his grin almost as cocky as the assassin's, and he asked in a smug voice, "Something wrong, _human?"_

"Nah, nah, you won, fair and square." Mercury stated with an unusual evenness in his voice, lifting his leg to rest on top of the table. There was a metallic thump as his leg banged against the wood, and the three Faunus immediately drew back, their expressions changing to slight panic in an instant. "You know, I wouldn't mind a pizza or two thrown my way." Mercury smiled maliciously, and the fox-Faunus defensively pulled the cards closer, his smile turning to a sneer.

"You're in the wrong place to be making threats, human." The rat-girl touched her thigh, a pair of nunchucks at her hip. Mercury snorted as the dealer wisely walked out of the sights of Mercury's foot, and the assassin slid up straight, affectionately stroking his leg.

"Oh, you animals are _so_ paranoid!" Mercury rolled his eyes, the two Faunus by his side bristling, but with hesitation in their expressions. "I thought the White Fang was supposed to be the top predators in Vale! What, are you afraid of some vintage leather boots?" Mercury shook his foot tauntingly, lying further back into his chair.

"You can't trick _us."_ The male insisted, standing slowly, a large pistol hanging at his hip. Mercury saw the fox's hand creep towards the handle, and the human suddenly glanced into the Faunus' eyes, his eyes wide, his pupils completely still as his gaze pierced the fox's, his smile almost _manic._

"And why not? Will those fluffy ears of your save you?" A surge of aura down Mercury's leg caused a slug to load into the chamber of his boot, and the Faunus' hand lurched towards his pistol as Mercury stood, whipping his foot towards the Fox—

And the door clicked open. The small room, formerly a Janitorial closet, lit only by a hanging bulb, flooded with light as Emerald strode in, took one look, and groaned. Behind her, the snake Faunus slipped out of the room quickly, and Mercury lowered his foot from the fox's face, setting it on the table. The fox and the rat shot out of their seats and ran past Emerald as the green-haired girl strode in.

"What, he take your lunch money?" Emerald snorted, holding up the fox's winnings in one hand, making Mercury grin and smooth his hair back.

"You know I'm a bit of a sore loser, Emmy." He put on what could have been a thankful smile as he reached for the cards dangling between Emerald's fingers, only to grow a sharp frown when Emerald swiftly pocketed the lien. His voice fell to a low growl, "I'm getting sick of sitting around, playing games over petty cash here. Tell me you got _something_ for us to go off of." He ordered, arms crossed over his chest.

Emerald rolled her eyes and turned away, heading back into the huge, open hangar of the portside warehouse. Mercury followed with a frown, arms crossed over his chest as they watched the activity. It would be slow until nightfall, and then the Faunus would be loading several crates full of stolen dust into cargo containers, which would be loaded onto the backs of legally registered trucks to be transported to an outlying town on the other side of Mt. Glenn. Once checked out by the disguised White Fang members, those containers would be taken to the long-destroyed city, where their leader was planning something big.

"So, _do you?"_ Mercury asked insistently, following Emerald along the wall, watching her head towards the office in the back where the red-haired idiot was no doubt talking about what an amazing criminal he was to whatever poor soul had the misfortune of sharing breathing space with him.

"Jeez, you're _extra_ annoying today." Emerald sighed, stopping just before the door to shoot Mercury a look. "Look, I spent all day tugging at people's heartstrings about how I needed to find the girl who 'saved my life', and somehow, _someway,_ everybody in this town knows of a different short-haired, pale-skinned brunette who exclusively wears goggles and hoodies but _not the one_ we _want."_ Emerald waved her arms in front of herself wildly. "It's like trying to pick a needle out of a pile of _needles!_ Could we get a more generic description?!"

"... Well the goggles are different." Mercury pointed out. Emerald's face fell, and she gave Mercury a look _begging_ him to succumb to some fatal disease then and there.

"Do you have any idea how many female _welders_ I shook hands with today?" Emerald hissed, wringing her hands unhappily. "I didn't even know there _was_ a Female Welders Union! They _all wear goggles!"_

Mercury frowned at Emerald, and puffed up his chest as he took a deep breath. "Emerald, that doesn't answer the most important question though," Emerald snarled as he raised a finger, "were any of them cute? 'Cuz I _dig_ burn scars."

"... I hate you." Was all Emerald managed before throwing the door open, almost _roaring._ "I couldn't find the stupid girl!" She shouted from the doorway, freezing in place almost immediately.

Roman didn't even look her way as he focused on the two girls before him. He stood to the side of the scavenged office desk to stare at Cinder's back as the woman stood before a girl. Pale skinned, brunette, thick goggles. Emerald looked between Cinder and their smirking target, and let out a distressed noise of pure _hate._

"Whoa, you found her?" Mercury asked, cracking his knuckles as he stepped into the room. The short brunette stuck her tongue out at him, while Cinder shot him a glare that made him stop in his tracks.

"This _isn't_ her." Cinder spoke calmly, though there was an apprehension to her expression. She'd worn that apprehension since she'd found out about the little Grimm-girl, who apparently _wasn't_ standing in front of her, despite all logic saying otherwise. "You still haven't found her, Emerald? You told me it would be easy." Cinder said in a low, stern voice, which belied very real anger.

Emerald wilted, her hands balling in front of her chest as Mercury stepped back, out of their leader's sight. "Look, I don't have a lot to work with, Cinder. I've tried, I really have been, I was out all morning in the factory district. She wasn't in the shopping area, nobody saw her around the factories, nobody even knows who I'm _talking_ about. Other, than, like, a bunch of women with blowtorches…"

The sound of crunching glass filled the air as Cinder swept towards Emerald with a furious expression, stopping just short of raising her hand to backhand her. Emerald cringed away from the implied strike, but Cinder shook her head. In her hand, shards of black glass formed, and the pale, gorgeous woman gently kneaded it between her fingers, the crunching and crackling bringing her a calmness. "We're going to be acting more overt then." Cinder let out a sigh, then crushed the glass in her hand loudly enough to make even Roman flinch.

"Yeah, great, ' _more overt.'"_ Roman snarked, his brow tightening unhappily. "You're already pushing your luck here, Cindy." The name made Cinder go rigid, and she shot Roman a dark look that made him hesitate. "All I'm saying is you, your precious kids, and now my boys are working almost 'round the clock out there! The cops are getting the all the wrong ideas about my little charity organization here, they're starting to think we're a bunch of criminals or something!" He couldn't mask the sarcasm in his voice, and Cinder grunted.

She turned back to face the girl-that-wasn't-their-target, and slid her scroll out of a small handbag. Their faux-target stuck her tongue out and threw twin peace signs as her picture was taken, and Emerald and Mercury both checked their scrolls as they received the picture. "Use that picture to find her. Show as many people as you have to until we get answers. The sooner she's dealt with, the sooner she's no longer a problem. Do you understand? You _will_ succeed, as she is very likely to disrupt _everything_ if she is allowed to roam freely."

Emerald, Mercury, Roman, and their not-target stared sideways at each other as Cinder seethed, staring down a heavily marked map on the wall. Dozens of x's, soon to be joined by more as Cinder's fingertip burned with enough intensity to glow, were struck through the shops and buildings they had paid a visit to to find this goggled girl.

When this operation first started, when Emerald was given a home, Mercury a purpose, and Roman a promise of survival, Cinder had been calm and in control. She spoke almost soothingly, giving too-good-to-be-true promises and showing proof of her seriousness.

This was _not_ that Cinder. Every piece of the plan had fit together like a puzzle, snapping into place with no hitches. There was a plan, and a back-up plan, and, as Cinder stated, they only needed time and resources, of which they had plenty. With their trail covered up thanks to media focus on the White Fang, and their deep and almost intimate access to Vale's private governmental and emergency networks, they knew who was suspicious of what and where certain interested parties were investigating.

It seemed ingenious—Roman had relied on police radios and counter-predicting their stings—but Cinder's resources made Roman feel near-omniscient about the going-ons of the city. Of course, all of this was before _she_ showed up.

Just one little girl, whose shadow stretched and warped, who summoned the avatars of death to her command, turned all that on its head. He'd watched that sly, cold, and confident smile turn to panic and fury in just a few seconds. She'd ranted, raved, and just barely kept herself from burning the room to ashes in her anger, and now _this?_ Roman was a survivor, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get involved with a lunatic who threw hissy fits over a little girl.

Almost as if she'd read his mind, Cinder turned, glaring at the four others in the room. "All of you, out, back on the streets." Cinder barked. Emerald and Mercury awkwardly showed themselves out, the not-target lifting a little parasol from the corner of the room to follow. Roman stared at her, judging her quietly, before he stepped out of the room with a shrug of his shoulders.

Gears turned in his mind as he strode towards the middle of the warehouse, idly watching the proceedings around him. The girl was young, school age, but nobody in their right mind would let her be a student… would they? Summoning Grimm would spook people… but also intrigue people, especially if there was even the possibility she could control them. Heck, he would have hired her on the spot if he could, that was some primo fear-power in making distractions and bargaining with the authorities.

However, getting close to the schools wasn't good for business. Too much protection, too many worried parents, and _so_ much security… if he wanted to follow this hunch, he'd have to get a bit creative.

Some of his best places to push his 'products' were places popularly visited by students from Beacon and the intermediate schools. Put some extra eyes on the street and in the shops, make sure they knew to keep their ears open for anyone discussing a Grimm girl.

Maybe it was just a hunch, but Roman was running short on patience and options. He slapped a bell hanging near a meeting room door, and with some grumbling, several members of his gang, along with White Fang higher-ups, followed him in.

It was time to discuss a new strategy.


	11. Two vs Two

Beacon Academy's combat classroom seemed significantly less formal than its history, Dust, and Grimm classes, but it was certainly a step up from the sweaty, ragged affair that was PE.

Despite having been covered in layers of sweat, grass stains, and somewhere between a little and a lot of blood, each student smelled fresh and clean after an exhausted trip to the locker rooms. Hot water, a nice cleanse, a moment to unwind, and some Aura usage did a great job of easing muscle aches and boosting energy, as did a ravenous near-ransacking of the small cafe situated inside of the gymnasium for students fresh off the fields. Only the hardiest of cafeteria workers were assigned to the gym, and more than a few students walked away with new, pan-inflicted bruises for their efforts at cutting in line and snagging food.

The students sat high up in a semi-circle around a sunken, empty arena, appearing more like a surgery theater without all the bells and whistles (or the dying patient, for that matter). The low lighting made the dark walls and floor seem that much more foreboding, but Ruby recognized it as the tough, scratch-proof metal hybrid that was made with the specific intent of cutting down on the number of yearly renovations practice rooms went through, thanks to the sheer strength of the average Aura user. It was more or less a successful procedure, with its only real fault being its gloomy look.

A holo-jumbotron projector dominated the wall above the arena below, and Ruby immediately picked out the forcefield emitters that would protect the audience from the fights in the arena, as well as the Aura-scanners and security cameras lodged into the ceiling. It was a technologically-advanced room in most aspects, which was perfectly sensible considering it was meant to let them freely practice without destroying the arena–or the audience–in the process.

"So…" Blake spoke up, breaking Ruby out of her investigative scan of the room, "Think we'll be fighting more Grimm in there?" She looked nervous about the prospect, but gave Ruby a little smile when the goggled girl hummed in thought.

"I-I think so?" Ruby answered, wondering how they would wheel the cages in, or where they would get enough Grimm for every student on a daily basis.

Weiss interjected with a small raise of her finger, "It's doubtful. If I recall from the course's description, this is meant to prepare us for fights against other hunters."

"Mm, for fighting in wars I suppose." Blake murmured, recalling Oobleck's announcement that combat was less and less relevant between nations… but contrasting it with her memories of trying to survive against the Anti-Fang hunters that were hired to deal with her chapter out in the woods.

Yang, relaxed and picking at her teeth with a wooden meat skewer, had her feet up on the waist-height partition meant to keep students from falling into the arena, smiling cockily and flexing her fist in idle preparation of the fight to come, the wood spontaneously flaring up with a burst of her Aura, and just as quickly turning to ash into her hand to be tossed away, "Whatever the reason is, it's finally time for some _real_ fun!" She all but _purred,_ leaving Weiss and Blake rolling their eyes, but Ruby simply _shuddered_ as she recalled Yang's enthusiasm in one-on-ones…

A soft touch to her elbow whipped her head to face Weiss, who did not notice Ruby's worried expression as she held her chin and seemed to be thinking hard enough that Ruby could almost read her thoughts. "What should I do against another hunter?" She asked, shifting her eyes after a moment to look at Ruby's goggles.

"U-um…" Ruby's response was small and unconfident, prompting a sharp look from Weiss that made Ruby wilt, before swallowing thickly. In wars, hunters were often fielded alongside soldiers and other warriors of the nations. Despite technically being a neutral party–as afforded by the global necessity of hunters allowing for ease of travel and less complicated job politics–hunters were still people, raised in their nations to be loyal patriots to support their governments and citizens.

Ruby… did not care. Vale was where she was born, true, but she was never involved in it due to her condition. As far as she was concerned, it was as foreign to her as the plateaued cities of Mistral. Her house was her home, her family was her home, she wanted Beacon to be her home… and she did not want to fight under any banner that forced her to fight other hunters. Hunters were her heroes, how could she justify killing one that was doing the best for themselves and their kingdom?

The mere thought of fighting people made Ruby squeamish beyond belief, but she knew the world wasn't a kind one; people sacrificed their lives for another's cause because of misplaced nationalism and not knowing the full picture. There was greed, wrath, and pride on the line, and nobody wanted to admit to being the bad guy, even as graves began to outnumber able fighters.

She had learned to fight from her family, but her heart was never in their dueling. Whenever Yang faced her down with that cocky smile, and Ruby assured herself she could get closer to beating her in a fight, there was a pervasive thought of that smile being torn asunder… by blade or claw, all Ruby could imagine was a look of fright at the betrayal, and suddenly, her spirit was quashed.

Ruby's tongue went dry, but Weiss was growing more and more agitated with her silence, and more roughly smacked her elbow to make Ruby jump out of her deep thought. "A-ah!" Ruby squeaked, blushing with embarrassment when Weiss tugged her sleeve.

"You promised you'd teach me how to fight more effectively!" Weiss reminded her with a glare, and Ruby smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, taking yet another moment to think. " _Ruby!"_ Weiss whined, and Ruby shook her head.

"J-just gimme a sec!" She insisted. After a few seconds of thinking and racking her brain for the lessons her uncle drilled into her. "... F-first thing's first, identify your opponent's weapons; the way they'll fight is u-usually dependent on their weapon and where they're from."

It was strange having Weiss's rapt, silent, unwavering, attention as she went into the state of mind a person went into battle with, while Blake and Yang periodically chimed in with some additional information based on the lessons they took. "You never know what sorta semblance you'll be facing unless you know who's coming, so always play it safe with any weird mistakes or tricks they have up their sleeve." Blake offered, Weiss watching her with a slow, understanding nod.

"Yeah, my girl Rees back on Patch liked to mess with people in the ring. She'd charge, like, little bitty toys with her semblance and throw them all over the place. Give it a minute of doing that and jack-all else, and all of a sudden all those toys are blowing up. Scared the _hell_ out of the freshmen every year." Yang snickered, and Weiss furrowed her brow.

"So, I'm at a disadvantage with my semblance." She surmised, and Blake could only nod in agreement.

"The Schnees are famous for their genetics, after all." She drawled with false empathy, making Weiss look worried.

"But, it's versatile! Everyone m-might know what your semblance is, but there's s-so much you can do with it, so they have to guess what's c-coming next." Ruby mended Weiss's worries with a gentle smile, and Yang bobbed her head in agreement. When Weiss looked to Blake for reassurance, the beauty simply rolled her shoulder and gave a half-cocked smile of agreement, and a sweet smile crossed Weiss's face. "S-so, you're never really at a _dis_ advantage."

"While true, keep in mind that a fight isn't just about numbers and knowledge." A new voice chimed in, and the four girls glanced up at Pyrrha as she leaned over the backs of their seats to offer a gentle smile. "I hope you don't mind me interrupting?" She asked, and Weiss's face flushed of color for quite a few reasons.

"No! Please! Interrupt all you want!" She offered with a squeak, and Pyrrha chuckled.

"Yeah, c'mon, Nikos, tell us how a champ does it!" Yang shook her fist threateningly.

Pyrrha gave a smirk, and directed their attention with a waving, educational finger, "A fight is not a dance; it is not coordinated, not choreographed, nor answerable through knowledge alone. I've faced many opponents who studied my fighting style and attempted to formulate a strategy around it, and were defeated through my own counter-strategy. You must always be considering your next move; freezing up in a fight is almost always instant-death, as it gives your opponent the chance to recover and move a step ahead of you. A good fighter marries their brains and their bodies to formulate plans and counterattacks, then act them out with strength and speed, then plan around their successes and failures."

"I see, I see…" Weiss bobbed her head, though Blake wondered how much of that had been lost on the girl who was so dreamily staring into Pyrrha's enviably green eyes.

"I just hit stuff 'til it stops movin'!" Nora announced, hanging over the back of Ruby's chair to grapple the younger girl into a fidgety snuggle, "That's _my_ strategy!"

"And that is why you lose when we spar." Ren pointed out, making Nora puff up her cheeks and glare.

"Don't embarrass me in front of my girlfriend, ya show off!" The hammer maiden huffed, her captive squirming for freedom as Yang took the opportunity to tickle Ruby's ribs.

Jaune, watching from nearby, wore a small, confused pout as he spoke up, "I thought you were dating Ren, you and Ruby aren't _actually_ girlfriends, are you?" His question was met with a blank stare from Nora and Ren both, while Ruby's wailing reached a peak when Blake joined in on the tickling assault to her team leader. "... Are you?" He asked again.

Nora silently let Ruby go, allowing the young lady to flail about and smack anybody laying their hands on her wildly, and the redhead reached up to rest her hand on Jaune's head, "You're lucky you're cute. And _hung."_ Jaune's face turned as red as a tomato, and he shot Ren a hard glare that left the Mistralian boy shrugging helplessly, as if he'd had no choice but to share his observations with Nora.

The eight of them prattled on together, regardless of the silence that had befallen the rest of the classroom at the sound of an opening door and clicking heels. The talk lasted nearly a full minute before the sound of an immense crash caused the entire room to nearly leap out of their skin and quiet immediately, turning their attention immediately to their instructor. Glynda Goodwitch stood next to a strangely smooth spot on the black floor, her riding crop pointed towards the middle of it like a Grimm she had just put down. She shot teams RWBY and JNPR a glare like ice, making the eight of them instinctively straighten up and meet her eyes, and once she was satisfied she held the entire room's attention, the blonde woman lifted her chin and spoke with the same tyrannical presence she'd had in the locker rooms the day before.

"Yesterday, Beacon tested two-hundred and thirty-one applicants in a variety of tests in the Emerald Forest, and today, two-hundred and two of you remain." Her voice filled the silence with a sense of dreadful relief at both their success and the loss of potential hunters. Some were more enthused, pleased with the prospect of making it among the elite few to be admitted to Beacon and stay there for at least one day. "I offer you each my congratulations, you have earned the opportunity to study and grow here at Beacon, but you will see no progress from classwork alone; you must remain vigilant in both course, home, and independent work, otherwise you _will_ fall behind."

She tapped a button on her scrollpad, and the jumbotron lit up behind her to show not a diagram of some combat feat that would help them against other hunters, not an epic duel between two hunters, or even some cool graphic introducing the class for what it was… it was their syllabus. It was Professor Goodwitch's weighty presence alone that kept the class from yawning as they read the word.

"I am Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress, and your professor for this class. While I have whet my blade, so to speak, against the Grimm innumerable times, the lion's share of my experience goes towards combating a more subversive element to our society: criminals." She looked around the room, her condemning eyes seemingly judging every student for the mere possibility that they could meet such criteria. "The criminal elements of the world seek to undo the fragile peace we keep within the walls of our cities, some unknowingly, others purposefully. It is an awful truth that there are people who have enriched themselves in the light of their souls, then use it at the expense of others. It is my job to teach you, students, how to combat the men and women that undermine society with their misdeeds. Your instruction starts today, and while under my watch, there will be no breaks until the end of your fourth year. I'll be starting with roll call, then we'll move on to individual talent analysis. Rouge Manbavar?"

"Here!"

" _This_ is the only class I need." Ruby's ear quirked at the voice of a boy she so desperately wished to avoid, but she quietly glanced over at Cardin and his team, who sat five seats away with plenty of students between them, but the room's silence let their voices carry.

"Mm, you don't want to hunt Grimm?" Dove asked, his rounded face tightening in question.

Cardin shook his head with a smug smirk, Russel leaning over the bulkier boy to answer with a toothy grin, "More money to be made in bounty hunting! Only villages pay for Grimm hunts these days, and those can't buy a house and a flock of wives!"

"Yeah, and I get lien for tossing degenerates into the cells where they belong." Cardin said with a pleased tone, and Ruby managed to look away before he turned a glare on her.

"You said your dad was Patch's sheriff, right?" Sky asked, tussling his hair idly as Cardin gave a confirming nod.

"Sheriff for thirty-eight years, and there's some crazy pieces of work out there. He rounded up a van of Fang protestors that wanted to set up in Patch's square once, had a chest in the back full of weapons and crap underneath a bunch of stupid signs." Cardin looked rather proud of that. Ruby remembered hearing about the incident on TV, and her father couldn't give her a straight answer on whether or not the protestors had the weapons for protection or… something else. "I figure once I graduate, if the Fang are still around, I'm gonna join a Neuter squad and get those goddamned animals outta Vale."

Ruby's face creased with a frown, and brooded on Cardin's words for so long that it took a sharp pain to break her thoughts. She pulled her wrist out of Blake's tight grip, and her teammate's expression went from cheek-twitching outrage to shock at Ruby's squeak of distress. "Are you okay?" Blake asked in a worried tone, drawing Weiss's and Yang's stares from the boy as well.

"'M okay." Ruby nodded, rotating her wrist for a second before turning to Blake, recalling the expression she'd worn a moment before. "... Are you?" She asked tentatively, and Blake's eyes cast downwards in guilt as she awkwardly nodded.

"Fine, just…" Her lips tightened, "Starting to not like that guy."

"Join the club." Yang grunted, while Weiss merely looked puzzled.

"I can guess based on context clues, but what, exactly, is a Neuter squad?" The heiress inquired, and Yang, once again, spoke up with cool, harsh voice.

"Vale's government put together this group of hunters that specialize in handling terrorists and the like, but—"

" _However,"_ Blake cut in with a heated tone, but she kept her voice low enough that Cardin couldn't hear her, "the White Fang's actions in recent years have them labeled as a terroristic force, and the group, collectively known as Pacifiers, attracted a large number of hunters with anti-Faunus sentiments with the intent of punishing and eradicating the White Fang."

Weiss's nose crinkled cutely, and her jaw rolled, "' _Pacifiers',_ right, such an _unfortunate_ name. It's their own fault the Faunus keeping putting baby toys on their signs…"

Yang gave a half-hearted snicker, then nodded, "No kidding, but the guys Cardin's talking about joining are the same ones Blake mentioned—"

"Yang Xiao Long?"

" _HERE!_ — they call themselves Neuter squads and work specifically to hunt down and counter White Fang operations, whether they're violent or peaceful. They've got one hell of a propaganda machine too."

"I remember being a-about eight when I got a flier from them." Ruby muttered in soft shame, "Th-th-they made the White Fang look like baby-eating _monsters,_ dad burned the flier once he found it and we sorta had a kid-talk a-about it. They have all sortsa controversy and bad press because of some of their members. S-some guys are out to stop terrorism, but others... they f-found _nine_ cases of," Ruby's voice dropped an octave as her stomach tightened, " _ear taking."_

Weiss's expression went a little green as she relaxed from shock. "That's _disgusting."_ Was all she commented in a voice that bristled with contempt, and despite the unease that had settled, it was Blake who looked the most… _curious._ Her eyes took in Weiss's features, every bit of annoyance, anger, and sorrow, and she silently turned away. Her eyes flickered towards Weiss's face every now and then, and she swallowed a bit of hope, as well as paranoia.

She had a great number of questions and pent up anger, but what could she do? She felt useless, and for all of her well-deserved fury, trying to fix the problem here and now would spawn a lot of questions she never intended to answer. She hung her head and wondered why she even _came_ to Beacon…

Until she remembered the southern, stammering accent of an old truck driver, hands up, surrendering his stock… sent down the river not an hour later with a bullet through his skull. She remembered the taste of bile on her tongue, and the realization the people she had grown up with, trained, and hired were suddenly strangers on the edge of becoming the caricature the media painted them as.

Blake side-eyed Weiss, watching this girl who, despite everything she'd ever been told, everything she'd seen on TV, everything she thought was confirmed in the first twenty-four hours, was idly stroking her ears in throat-clenched sympathy.

… What _did_ Weiss feel towards the White Fang? Towards Faunus in general? _She_ had suggested they intervene to help Velvet, and Blake suddenly felt a tightness in her chest loosen as she realized just how little she knew about Weiss as a _person…_

An almost stressful whine escaped her throat as that damned feline curiosity bubbled up and threatened to spill out unbidden, but was mercifully saved from it when Professor Goodwitch ticked off the last name on the list of students, and raised her voice, "It is now time to begin your first class in Combat Instruction." Conversation stopped immediately at the statement, and Glynda quietly, if not proudly, adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose as she was met by attentive eyes, "Being that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of unique combat styles in the world, we will be taking the next few days to have each of you show me your technique in a series of two-on-two matches." Without prompt, Yang's arm lashed out to snag Ruby and drag her to her side, drawing a squeak from the younger sister, and a bright grin from the older. "The reason for this number is two-fold: it will expedite the process of having each of you perform, and it will teach you to work with your teammates as well as expand on your ability to fight against multiple hostiles. Do we have any voluntee—?"

" _Professor Goodwitch! PROFESSOR GOODWITCH! WE WILL!"_ Yang shouted, jumping up to her feet and bouncing giddily, holding Ruby over her head like a theme park prize. Ruby's whimpering and wailing filled the awkward silence as Yang gave their stone-faced teacher a pleading expression, while Weiss buried her face into her hands and hoped nobody associated them together. Blake was somewhat dismayed that Yang passed her over, but also pleased that she wouldn't have to fight; she was not in the right state of mind for it.

"... _Very well."_ Glynda sighed, nodding her head up at the two, "Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long shall form our first team in the left prep room."

Blake curiously watched Yang trap her squeaking little sister in a tight hug of excitement, and she couldn't help but be curious, "You're not going to try and drag me down there?" She asked. She needed to do some meditation while watching the action below to mentally arm herself. Doubly so, since Weiss was more than likely going to be her combat partner.

"Heh, nah, Ruby and I make a good pair." Yang all but equipped Ruby under her arm like a piece of luggage, and the smaller girl looked somewhere between frustrated and frightened. "I wanna kick some ass with my little sister, make sure if anybody hits her, I hit them back _harder."_ A dangerous gleam entered Yang's eye, and Blake immediately understood: this was to keep Ruby calm. The smaller girl did seem more limp and lifeless thinking about how to fight other hunters, so having her older sister by her side would give her confidence in her partner and her combat ability.

"Yang, I'm not a _baby…"_ Ruby complained, only to be noogied and giggled at.

"Either way, make sure the both of you don't go too far, these are fellow students." Weiss reminded them, and Yang simply shrugged her shoulders, an answer that refused to make a promise. "In the meantime," Weiss's elbow brushed Blake's, and the hidden Faunus stopped an itch from shooting up her arm at the touch, "Shall we discuss strategy for our pair-up? I have a few ideas."

"I, uh… sure." Blake answered, unsure how else to respond to the strong-willed gleam in Weiss's eye.

Below, Professor Goodwitch went on, "Would anybody else like to volunteer to fight first?" A few hands raised, one of which was Cardin's, his eyes focused on the Xiao Long girls with a vengeful intent, but Glynda's eyes skipped over him for a more interesting target: "Pyrrha Nikos," Yang turned her head to see Pyrrha with her hand proudly, and silently, raised. Their eyes met, and Pyrrha gave Yang a small smile, earning a rebellious grin that made Pyrrha chuckle softly, "please choose a partner and head to the right prep room." Goodwitch ordered. As Yang carried Ruby away under her arm to head left, Pyrrha kept her eyes on Ruby.

The young, squirming little lady fought Yang's grip with all of her might, but Yang only laughed and bounced her in her arm. She didn't seem impressive on first glance, but watching her fend off the Deathstalker, then rescuing her off the cliff made Pyrrha… curious. They were actions expected of a huntress, and Pyrrha may not have been so impressed if it had been Yang who had done it, but Ruby had something unique to her: a _scythe._

Pyrrha had faced a grand total of two scythe-wielders in her years as a gladiator, and both times had been in exhibition matches to show off. They hardly could have been called challenges, spinning the weapons like overgrown batons and awkwardly striking with a blade they clearly weren't used to. Scythes were historically ceremonial, used to signify the dreadful hand of death more than actually be used in the art of combat.

That association with death and punishment was so strong that a number of memorable villains and morally questionable heroes used them in fiction. Wherever they were present, scythes took heads and lives, even as the cliche had caused the weapon to be viewed more humorously over the ages.

However, some people went beyond the realm of fiction and attempted to master the improbable. Scythe-fighting was one of the most difficult styles of combat on Remnant. Very few recorded hunters were successful with the scythe, and many of them used it only as a first or last resort, usually carrying another weapon on hand when their scythe proved too cumbersome to use. Pyrrha had seen scythe fighters fail in the ring, with depressingly poor showings, and the possibility of never meeting somebody who had taken the time to master the weapon irritated her.

She'd practiced with numerous weapons that were more commonly used in both the gladiator ring and in hunting; spears, swords, axes, hammers, bows, guns, and even more exotic and less practical weapons, like the kusari-gama. The time and energy necessary for mastering a _scythe_ drained her will to do so, so she entertained the notion of simply hunting a master down one day to ask for a demonstration, but retreating down the staircase into the locker rooms below, tucked under her older sister's arm, a potential candidate was within her reach.

And Pyrrha was about to fight her, and see what what a scythe could really do in the hands of a trained user. "Jaune?" Pyrrha looked to her partner with a curious smile, and Jaune felt a trickle of worry go down his spine as he realized what she was waiting on.

"Oh, um, y-yeah, fighting and…" He swallowed thickly. Ruby and Yang? His brow scrunched together, and a little cough escaped his throat, drawing some curious looks from his teammates, "How about, err— I need some _time."_ He stated as forcefully as he could, looking up at Pyrrha with a concerning little smile. "To, uh, _prepare_ myself, so… m-maybe next time?" He squeaked.

Pyrrha evaluated him for a second longer, a frown crossing her face… and then she decided she would press him for details later. She looked over at Ren and Nora curiously, and Nora shot out of her seat. "Oh! I'll do it! Girlfriend and her hot sis need a _spankin'!"_ She giggled evilly, but stopped when a hand touched hers.

"Nora, would you mind if I went?" Ren asked, a flicker of adrenaline running across his eyes as he worked his jaw.

" _You_ wanna fight?" Nora asked testingly, and Ren nodded.

"Yang is a hand-to-hand fighter, and I've met relatively few hunters I could practice martial arts with. Given the opportunity, I'd like to test my style against hers." He flexed his fingers, then formed a tight fist, more tense than he'd looked since the Emerald Forest.

Nora watched him for a moment longer, though Glynda's loud reminder that they were on a time limit caused Nora to grunt, groan, and poke his nose, "Don't you get any wrong ideas down there, Ren, I'll be watching you _real_ close-like while you handle the girls." She flared her nostrils, smirked, and stood out of the way for Ren to stand up, look to Pyrrha with an acknowledging nod, and the two made their way to the tunnel leading down towards the assigned prep room.

It was a simple room, with four wall panels to summon a team's worth of lockers to change into their hunter outfits, retrieve their weapons, and grab a quick, moistening drink from a water fountain. It was minimalistic enough to make Pyrrha hide a smirk. Her locker rooms and prep rooms in the MRT were always furnished to hell and back. Selections of food and bottled drinks, a couch to lounge on, a TV to watch before entering the ring… here, the only entertainment was Ren's well-muscled buttocks under his briefs as he slipped into his green and white outfit.

Pyrrha hid her embarrassment at changing in front of him, but for Ren's part, he did not glance in her direction as he checked Storm Flower. The redhead wondered if she should have been more offended that he didn't so much as chance a look at her as she tied up her leather bodice, but she let it slide; he was committed, and Pyrrha had a fight to ready herself for.

Miló and Akoúo̱ leapt into her grip like old friends. Her hand closed around well-worn leather handles that felt more natural in her hands than anything else in the world; her fingers slid into natural grooves with little adjustment, her palms stopped itching as they filled themselves with her purpose, her shoulders relaxed immediately as the upcoming battle stopped seeming so dangerous…

She was Pyrrha Nikos, _the_ gladiator. As much as she hated what the MRT made of her outside of the ring, the promise of a good bout still made her heart beat encouragingly inside her chest. She was not born to smile plastically for cameras and give soundbites to the microphones, she was born to fight.

Though, now, she was directing her career path towards the hunt, she was no less excited to fight somebody new. A pair of new somebodies, even, people she was tentatively friends with, one of whom appeared promisingly strong with her powerful fists, and the other…

The other whose weapon and talents intrigued Pyrrha. She… doubted that either would provide much of a fight at her absolute best, but she maintained hope, and silently resolved to give them both the opportunity to show their stuff before she gave them her all. It was the polite thing to do; after all, nobody liked a braggart.

"How shall we approach this?" Ren broke the silence as he opened the metal door that would lead them to the arena. Pyrrha nodded to him thankfully as she passed through, the boy obediently on her heel as they walked down the dark hallway towards the light-filled arena.

"Professionally and with victory in mind; I am sure Yang will do the same, she seems the sort." Pyrrha replied, getting the smallest of smiles from Ren.

"I did not plan to underestimate them; however, I will point out that they are more than likely better acclimated to one another's abilities than we are, we should discuss a strategy."

At that, Pyrrha nodded, "Yang is more than likely going to run in first, and, I would guess, attempt to pin me down as the greater threat…" She trailed off, and gave Ren a sorry look, "Apologies, I don't mean to make it sound as if—"

"No need to apologize, I am in agreement. Even if I were miraculously better than you, your fame far precedes mine." Ren nodded, and Pyrrha smirked to herself; coldly logical, she liked that.

"If my assumptions are correct, Yang will attempt to occupy both of our attentions, her attitude and build lends itself well towards a fighting style that thrives in the thick of the action. Pair that with a smaller, more agile partner—"

"—with a long-ranged weapon to compliment her close-ranged weapon—"

"—in which they have the opportunity to condense, distract, and strike from the rear—"

"—thus defeating without dividing us; instead, using our assumed cooperation to exploit us." Ren held his chin, unable to keep himself from grinning, "We're fighting some truly treacherous foes."

Pyrrha gave a small laugh as she nodded, "Ones that, we should keep in mind, are more than likely not going to follow _our_ assumed plan to the letter. However, at its base, that is a basic strategy for such a pair to build up from."

"In which case, being a pair of closer-ranged fighters than Ruby, it would be in our best interest to divide them and conquer them individually. Keep them from assisting each other, exploit their obvious weaknesses without fear of interference." They stood at the cusp of shadow and light, staring out into the arena where Yang sauntered into view in front of the crowd, showing a gold-clad fist and flashing a smile as Ruby meekly shuffled up to her side, Crescent Rose clutched tightly to her chest as she tried to ignore all the eyes peering down on them. "... I would like to fight Yang."

"How convenient, I was hoping to fight Ruby." Pyrrha and Ren's eyes met, and a flash of understanding ran between them. "This will be quite the treat."

"With any luck. Expect the unexpected, however, if my understanding of Yang's feelings towards Ruby are correct, any blow you land on Ruby will be answered with exceptional force." Ren's eyes flickered over Yang's curvaceous form, but all he cared about was the muscle he spied on her bare legs and arms.

"I trust you'll take advantage of her distraction?" Pyrrha asked, and Ren nodded with an expression of grim purpose.

"You have my word."

With that, they stepped into the arena, walking out underneath a pale red spotlight, pulling their weaponry as Yang bounded over to join Ruby under a similarly pale blue spotlight across from Pyrrha and Ren.

The lights grew brighter, and each of them took a combat stance, Ruby a second behind the rest as she hesitated, staring down her friends and fellow hunters. Underneath the colored lights, the machinery above crackled and buzzed, scanning the fours' Aura as Professor Goodwitch stood on top of a platform beneath the jumbotron, behind the force field, and where she could get a good view of the fight. "This combat exercise will last until there is at least one person on a team standing with over fifty-percent of their Aura; this is _not_ a gladiatorial fight, you will be buzzed and ordered to the sidelines once you reach forty-nine percent or lower, even if you manage a recharge." The portraits of each of the combatants appeared on screen, a green bar under their headshots and names representing their remaining Aura. "Use whatever tools you have brought into the ring, try to out _think_ your opponent, and remember that you are fighting in a _team._ Lone wolf hunters are few and far between for good reason."

Pyrrha's eyes focused on Ruby's goggles, and she could see the girl swallow thickly; they were already in her head, which was a strong start for both herself and Ren. She readied herself, ready to dive past Yang once Ren had her attention to go for the softer back line. She only vaguely made note of Yang putting on the aviators she had flown into the Emerald Forest with.

"Students, are you ready?!" Professor Goodwitch demanded, and drew three nods, and one hesitant thumbs up, "Then your fight shall begin in five, four, three, two, one, _go!"_

Yang's arm thrust forward, Ember Celica firing what Pyrrha immediately pegged down as what would have been an anti-Grimm missile–most likely traded for a practice version–and she leapt in front of Ren to block the explosion with Akoúo̱. What she did not expect, however, was for Crescent Rose to twirl in Ruby's grip, and slice the missile cleanly in two before it reached halfway to its targets, and Pyrrha's brief confusion turned into painful _white._

The two halves fizzed violently, glowing for a brief second as they trailed upwards and downwards from each other, and a brilliant flash filled the arena, drawing pained hisses from the audience as they had to squint through the sudden, blinding light, and, her eyes stinging, Pyrrha trembled as she realized what was happening; the sisters had been a step ahead of their expectations, and with a gasp, she blindly felt a fist lodge itself into the left of her stomach, and Pyrrha's instincts immediately had her skittering away from the follow-up explosion, trying to blink the spots out of her eyes.

Yang was barreling down on her as Ren poorly fought through the temporary blindness, attempting to deflect Ruby's scythe by catching the staff on Storm Flower's teeth, only for the curved blade to rip towards Ren and bite into his mid back, sending him tumbling away to try and gain space. Ruby bounded away the moment Ren was separated, and Pyrrha found herself quickly backed into the arena wall as Yang came in towards her left, Celica scraping against the dark metal to ring against her shield.

Pyrrha felt the power behind the blow, and hid a twitching smile; Yang was built to bust Ursas, that much was clear. Her heel lashed out, and Yang twisted her leg to take the kick to her thigh, and Pyrrha forgot something crucial: this was not a gladiator fight, and she had taken her eye off of Ruby.

She heard the crowd gasp before she'd even felt the scythe, and the thin line of pain that crossed her throat made her go stock still. Her Aura burned brightly, her expression twisted in disbelief… and then her backhand knocked Ruby flat onto her back, and she caught Yang's fist underneath her armpit and twisted her towards the wall, kicking her into the metal as she quickly gave herself some distance.

Ruby tried to dive in on her, her scythe spiraling around her to make a vicious noise, but her assault was interrupted by a hail of automatic fire that made her yelp, turn, and try to deflect the bullets with her spinning weapon. The instant Pyrrha saw her chance, she was sprinting towards Ruby, Miló shifting into its javelin form.

A shock of blonde, a hand on Ruby's head, and the smaller girl dropped to her knee as her sister flew over her head to intercept Pyrrha's charge with a fearsome combo of lashing fists and shotgun blasts. Every twist of Pyrrha's body saved her another layer of her Aura, and her shield intercepted the attacks she had no chance of dodging.

She stared at herself in the reflection of Yang's sunglasses, stepped forward into the blonde's open guard, wrapping her sword-arm around the bigger girl's ribs, and spun to throw her out of the way, sending her sliding, then scampering to her feet to be confronted by Ren. The boy wasted little time in taking hold of Yang's attention as he tried to rain knife-like finger jabs onto Yang's midsection, but Yang's stellar footwork kept him from landing a decent blow, just as his glancing limbs and subtle fades saved him from her fists.

Ruby made a move to interfere with her sister's fight, but the click of a heel and a crushing shield bash to her stomach sent her flying away. The younger girl somersaulted on the floor, barely getting to her feet without flopping forward, and she looked up to see Pyrrha approaching with her sword and shield raised, emerald eyes glowing at her.

Pyrrha's tongue slid along the back of her teeth as she watched Ruby go into a hesitant stance. The younger girl clearly lacked confidence in a singular fight, as she kept subtly moving her head in Yang's direction. Still, Pyrrha had felt that blow earlier. The little girl before her was _not_ lacking in power. A silent glance to the jumbotron confirmed her suspicions: a single cut had knocked off nearly a quarter of her Aura, which steadily rebuilt to the march of her pumping heart, and the horns of war blaring in her head. This was _not_ a gladiator fight… but her excitement would not quell, and here was the opportunity to see a curious ally–a scythe-wielder, at that–in action.

Yet, Ruby did not display the stance of a warrior. She mimicked the basics, perhaps, but she stood stiffly when she did not tremble, and her footsteps were unsure. At this distance, Ruby should have had the advantage with her sniper rifle and her elongated weapon, but she was more concerned with trying to get back to Yang with no clear plan on how to do so.

With little warning, Pyrrha moved in, startling Ruby into launching a strike with a heel-to-head slice that, should it have connected to her attacker's chin, would have no doubt disqualified Pyrrha from continuing, but Pyrrha had simply sidled around the strike to hold her sword under Ruby's throat, lifting her locked chin so that their eyes met.

There were no stakes, there was no prize, there was no prestige, and Pyrrha felt… awful trying to menace somebody who was so clearly inexperienced with fighting hunters. She leaned her head down to whisper, "You must relax, Ruby, your fright will be the end of you."

"B-but…" Ruby trembled, her face flushing as she was intimately aware that she was being coddled once more, "I don't like fighting other people…"

Pyrrha quietly sympathized. Hunters were taught to fight to the death, that their strength won them another day out bargaining with death through their skill. Miló left Ruby's chin, and imitating what she had seen Yang do, Pyrrha rest a hand on Ruby's head to stroke her scalp, causing the younger girl's shoulders to drop so her head could move into it, despite her nerves. "We'll both be more than okay, win or lose. It's in our best interest to show off, will you please show me what Crescent Rose can do?"

The mention of Ruby's beloved scythe made the girl glance down at her weapon, and Ruby's shoulders tensed up once more. Pyrrha suspected such a reaction, and she stepped back to neutralize their advantages once more, allowing Ruby a moment to collect herself, shake out her head, and twirl her scythe. She was still stiff, still awkward, but she tightened her lips, and at least did not look for her sister.

Pyrrha flew forward with a kick off the floor, watching Ruby shift Crescent Rose low. Another upperslice? It was simply too predictable, and Pyrrha once more stepped around it, her mind racing to match Ruby's as she closed in with her sword aimed at the younger girl's gut, when Pyrrha found the spear capping the bottom of the scythe's pole in her face.

She spun, moving around the point before it could take any more of her Aura, and she slapped the the pole towards Ruby's farside, sending the girl reeling the opposite direction and exposing her side. Miló was primed to push into Ruby's ribs when the girl's head ducked, and rather than try and recover with the deflection of the spear, she twisted her arms to continue the motion, and Pyrrha found herself sliding underneath the curved blade, then all but jumped as the scythe discharged a powerful sniper round behind her head.

The gladiator twisted around and pulled her shield up to catch the sharpened hook that formed the back-half of Crescent Rose's head, and with a determined cry, Ruby twisted to drag Pyrrha out of the open and into the wall behind her. Pyrrha grunted, her arms stiff from the power of the blow, and a trickle of something entered her bloodstream…

This was _fun._ Three attacks from both sides, thwarted, redirected, and quickly recomposed, and they had only _just_ begun! She dropped her shield in time to see Ruby twirl her scythe and glance away from Pyrrha, and she was once more reminded that she was in a two-v-two. A practice bullet erupted from Crescent Rose, and Ren nearly crumpled backwards as the round struck his lower back, his green Aura blooming brightly across his rear, then across his face as Yang capitalized and slugged him to the floor.

So, even then Ruby's attention was elsewhere, but not for long. Ruby turned, but not in time to stop Pyrrha from dashing past her, sliding into perfect position behind her to jab Miló's hilt into the back of her leg, sending her to one knee. Ruby shrieked as Pyrrha held her sword across her throat, stopped only by a palm that glowed with a black force of personality.

The struggle of power ended when Ruby pushed the blade out just far enough to dip her head, and Pyrrha's pull was stopped when Ruby caught Miló between her teeth. Pyrrha wanted to applaud the riskiness of the move, but, instead, her shield arm ripped back before diving for the base of Ruby's neck, but the smaller huntress fell onto her back between Pyrrha's legs, causing her to stumble forward.

Pyrrha jumped, flipping over Ruby's attempt to use the awkward position to kick her in the crotch, and both girls got to their feet to face each other, neutralized once more. But, while Ruby panted, Pyrrha merely smiled, "You're endangering yourself with such risky defenses." Pyrrha spoke plainly, not expecting Ruby's stern answer.

"S-says the one in the _thong."_

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and merely charged, perhaps a little more ferociously than she'd intended since Ruby paled dramatically and simply dove away rather than try and meet her head on. With a twirl of Pyrrha's hand, Miló transformed into a rifle, and she answered Ruby's shot with her own. Pyrrha was thrown back two steps before she caught herself, her upper shield arm trembling in phantom pain from the power of Crescent Rose's rifle, and Ruby stroked her right breast, where her Aura was fading back into invisibility.

Both still stood, neither rung out, and Pyrrha wore a firm smile; Ruby was putting up a fine fight, not staying still, responding blow for blow, thinking her way out of danger with both her weapon and her body; she may not have made it high in the MRT rankings, but she would have gone far enough to capture more than a few fans.

Ruby back-pedalled as Pyrrha swept in, serpentine, Miló turning into a javelin. Ruby was clearly on the wrong foot against a spear, as the speed of its thrust left the girl pushing herself back against a wall. It was harder to deflect than a sword, and Ruby hadn't been prepared for the sudden shift, so it took her six steps to start moving around Pyrrha rather than simply away.

More than once her retreat was met with a shield battering her closer to the wall, opening her up to the taunting jabs of the spear, and of course, as many did, Ruby did something drastic: she jumped. Airborne, over Pyrrha's head, the gladiator had plenty of time to prepare for what she suspected would be a dive kick, but raising Akoúo̱ left her unprepared.

Ruby flipped in the air, her feet remaining curled near her body, and Crescent Rose swinging like a pendulum to bury its tip into the small of Pyrrha's back. The blow sent shocking pain across her body, her arms stiffening, her legs trembling, her heart beating harder than it ever had before at the surprise blow. Her mind blanked from the pain, and she briefly recalled what it was like to be on the other end of such a blow.

The looks on her opponent's faces as their Auras crackled and sparked in great distress when her spear tried to perforate their throat, the dread that crossed their bodies as the threat of loss, possibly death, flashed through their minds. The terror left them rattled and uncoordinated, their attempts at continuing the fight little more than desperate flailing…

But Pyrrha was _better_ than them.

The pain was meaningless, her Aura still stood, she was still in the ring, and as Ruby's feet touched the floor, turning to face Pyrrha in her weakened state, Miló's edge slashed across the younger girl's throat. Her scream of pain was interrupted by a loud blaring from the jumbotron, and the little huntress stumbled back, holding her neck where her black Aura had shielded.

Facing her, Pyrrha panted, the pain in her back receding to the sound of her drumming heart, confident she had won the exchange.

" _LIE REN! OUT!"_

Pyrrha paused at the professor's shout, her mind slowing in order to absorb its surroundings as she recalled, for the third time, she was in a team fight, and she had little opportunity to react appropriately when a golden meteor slammed into her side.

The sudden shock sent her mind reeling as, all at once, she remembered Yang, who was now hammering her stomach with blows until Pyrrha got her shield between them, her head bobbing and weaving as Yang tried to get around it. Yang's smile was large and toothy, her aviators hiding the pure delight in her eyes, and every punch was punctuated with a quick, snappy release of breath, half a second passing so Yang could slide to a new angle and breath, and Pyrrha found herself rapidly on the defensive.

She had been correct, it was impossible to take her attention off of Yang; even a second of hesitation or misreading and Pyrrha would have been opened up to a rain of strikes that were capable of bruising to the bone. The machine gun flurry of fists didn't seem to stop, and though Pyrrha got a quick few stabs in with her javelin, Yang simply tanked the hits like they were little more than finger pokes.

It was little wonder Ren had lost, Ruby's brief distraction opened him up to a lot of damage, and unless he could have centered himself again quickly, Yang's endless tide of strength would have swallowed him in an instant. She was merely applying a steadily greater and greater force to the wall Pyrrha was presenting, waiting for one crack to open up…

And _Ruby_ was still a threat. The girl constantly skirted at the edge of Pyrrha's vision trying to get behind her, but Pyrrha and Yang kept revolving and moving randomly around the arena, leaving Yang equally in danger unless the blonde decided to set Pyrrha up.

Pyrrha couldn't allow that, she needed to discourage their team tactics before they fenced her in. Her gladiator's instincts briefly hesitated as she formed a plan, earning her a good sock to the jaw, but Pyrrha didn't let it go unanswered. Yang stepped back as Akoúo̱ cracked her in the throat, her breathing interrupted by the shock of pain, just long enough for Pyrrha to twist and sprint to meet Ruby. The little huntress skid to a frightened halt as Pyrrha charged her, missing her chance to respond to Pyrrha's attack in kind, and their arms briefly tangled as Pyrrha quickly identified the position of Ruby's thumbs.

A twist, a flip, and a throw, and Ruby was skidding across the floor on her back, while Crescent Rose glowed a strange, murky grey in Pyrrha's hands before being tossed high into the air, floating aimlessly in a threatening spin, but not coming down.

Despite taking the fight on for fun and curiosity, Pyrrha had no intention of losing, no matter the odds.

Yang suddenly appeared by her side, her hand just barely missing a hold on Pyrrha's ponytail, and as her other fist came up for an uppercut, it's momentum suddenly shifted wide. Yang's stumbling gasp told Pyrrha everything she needed to know: Yang was not used to mistakes at this point; of course not, a pro relied on muscle memory and experience to make a simple attack, such a sloppy punch would incite confusion and hesitation, long enough for Pyrrha to close in with a violent headbutt.

Yang stepped back, her teeth grit, her glasses askew, and Pyrrha whirled and blocked a number of shots from Yang's gauntlets as she closed in, her sword tugging at her hand as her semblance took ahold; fists went wide, and with barely perceptible strikes, Pyrrha chased Yang, her body moving with the assistance of her soul-infused weaponry, giving her an unnatural speed and strength while Yang's fists could never quite make a solid blow.

"The _hell?!"_ Yang finally declared, and as Pyrrha aimed a spear-strike at her throat, her control over Ember Celica very suddenly disappeared as Yang's Aura turned white-hot. An insidious hiss filled the air as steam vented from Yang's brilliant white-gold hair, the redness of her pupils visible even through the reflected lenses of her glasses.

The next punch refused to be deterred from its path, and though Pyrrha managed to catch it on her shield, a bolt of pain shot up her arm, drawing a soft gasp. Yang's strength was comparable to former champion Brom Bones, and Pyrrha still felt her spine twinge, instinctively watching for an overhead axe chop that would have followed the aching blow.

Yang refused to flinch, her gauntlets refusing to move at Pyrrha's command, but Pyrrha was not deterred; Yang's fury made her strikes more powerful, but more obvious, and Pyrrha took to side-stepping and cutting with one or two strikes, whatever the moment allowed.

Her push forward stopped when she felt small, but strong hands grab ahold of her sword arm, a foot cross over hers, and she knew Ruby was trying to throw her off balance for Yang to take over once more, but taking ahold of the smaller girl's hoodie, Pyrrha instead flung Ruby straight into Yang's path, her momentum stopping cold as she instinctively threw out a bone-pulping punch to Ruby's stomach.

Her high-pitched, whimpering wheeze made Yang go stock still, and the older sister's expression went from rage to horror as Ruby doubled over. Unnoticed by any of the combatants, both Weiss and Jaune stood up to lean over their seats and watch, awaiting for the horn to signal Ruby had lost…

… And Pyrrha flew in from overhead. Ruby was knocked aside as Yang hit the floor, Pyrrha sitting on her arms as Miló speared into Yang's Aura'd throat, drawing a cry of pain and fury as the second horn of the match went off, signalling Yang's defeat.

" _YANG XIAO LONG! OUT!"_ Professor Goodwitch roared.

Pyrrha let out a relieved breath as one of her foes rested on her back, limp, and loosing a howl of defeat and humiliation, but Pyrrha didn't have long to celebrate. She felt hands around her shield arm, and she quickly hopped up into a lunge to drive Ruby back, the smaller girl gritting her teeth and scrambling to grab ahold of the gladiator.

Ruby was flung away with a hasty toss, and it took Pyrrha a moment to realize she had lost Akoúo̱ in the process. She glanced up to see Ruby catch herself on her feet, and fling the shield like a discus into the air, knocking Crescent Rose out of its leisurely float at its useless altitude, and Ruby jumped to meet it halfway.

The young huntress, fury matching her sister's etched across her cheeks, fell with her scythe at the ready behind her, falling like a cannon shot right at Pyrrha, all her strength going towards her arms to swing with fatal might, the gladiator's green eyes briefly widening in worry…

And Ruby's vision went blank as Akoúo̱, on its return trip at Pyrrha's behest, collided with the back of her head. The horn blared, and before Ruby could hit the floor in a collapsed heap, Pyrrha threw her weapons aside and hopped up to catch her young friend in strong arms.

" _RUBY ROSE! OUT!_ Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren are the winners!"

Pyrrha knelt, Ruby resting on her limply like she'd been drugged, and the young girl groaned as Pyrrha stroked the back of her head comfortingly, lifting her up to take the disheveled, shivering girl over to her sister. Yang stepped out of the sidelines with Lie Ren, looking displeased, but not furious.

"It was an excellent final attempt, I apologize that I had to interrupt it." Despite her words, Pyrrha wore a relaxed, confident stance, and Yang just grumbled and mumbled before finally nodding her head.

"You are a _brutal_ bitch, Pyrrha." She sighed, taking Ruby to set her on her feet, jostling Ruby to shake the brewing headache off. "Just so you know, if you weren't such a sweetheart, I'd be feeding you your own teeth for making me hit Ruby."

"Ah, yes, well…" Pyrrha trailed off, looking briefly concerned she had overstepped her boundaries, but Ruby shook off her disorientantment enough to speak.

"I-it was the smart thing to do."

"Mm, underhanded for certain, but it won you the match." Ren stood up from the wall, holding out a water bottle to each of the girls for them to drink as they exited the arena, the next names being called down for a fight. "Yang?" Ren glanced over to the blonde, who shot him a somewhat cocky grin, "We need to spar again."

"Are you lookin' to improve, or just wanna see my tits jiggle s'more?" Yang winked saucily, drawing a sharp jab from Ruby's elbow to make the bigger girl snicker. Ren, for his part, was not flustered.

"I'll say one is my intention, the other is merely a bonus." He answered, and Yang gave him a charmed grin as he flexed his fingers thoughtfully. "I pinned you as a mere bruiser, but I was the one struggling to keep up, there was hardly a moment where I felt like I was winning."

"Ah, don't put yourself down, those little finger jabs stung like _hell,_ what _was_ that?" Yang asked, causing Ren's lips to curl upwards.

"Aura pacification; it's meant to interfere with your nervous system via quick, controlled bursts of Aura through my fingertips, numbing and weakening you, but your Aura was too strong for me to penetrate. At best, it was an annoyance."

"Well it still _hurt!"_ Yang huffed, brushing her arm at the memory of the numerous, painful jabs it had suffered.

Pyrrha pleasantly glanced down at Ruby, who was stroking Crescent Rose in her arms in quiet thought, and the queen of the ring felt the flame of competition finally die with a single, deep breath. She had won once again, in nothing more than a spar, but it had proven that, yes, there were challenges to be found outside the MRT. Ruby's use of momentum with such a large, heavy weapon made up for her small size, while the numerous, dangerous blades at every end of her scythe ensured that, no matter how she spun or where she was blown away, she was not without options.

Pyrrha still felt the blows to her neck and her back, and her toes curled… what power, what a thrill it was to fight not one, but two girls with versatile tricks up their sleeves, and an opportunity to have seen a scythe in action… she needed more! She wanted to see everything Ruby was capable of with that weapon, whose complexity and make was as intriguing as the inspirations it took from.

"Ruby?" Pyrrha spoke up, drawing the girl out of her own head to glance up at her fellow redhead curiously, "I was impressed, scythe fighters are a rare breed, and you really seem to know how to make use of your weapon."

"O-oh, um, thanks." Ruby bobbed her head, a blush crossing her features as they stepped into a locker room, letting the next pair pass by so they could change back into their school uniforms. "Y-you were really good too, I-I was j-just kinda… I-I mean, I used to be s-super trash until my uncle taught me."

With a chuckle, Pyrrha took her uniform out of the summonable lockers, and happened to not notice how hastily Ren was trying to dress himself while staring into the corner of the room. "Well, you're quite the young fighter now, you merely need experience."

"Y-yeah… though, I'm not sure how useful it'll be s-since I only wanna fight Grimm." Ruby sighed, hesitating for a few moments before meekly starting to change along with the rest of them.

"Practical experience against hunters is an unfortunate necessity these days, however." Ren spoke, his eyes firmly on the minimalist stone serving as the wall. "Far too many rogues out in the wilds, even in the cities, many of which who will turn their blades on even the young if it means profit and survival."

"Yeah, world's fulla assholes, we gotta be prepared." Yang absentmindedly agreed, her eyes not so subtly on Pyrrha.

"Well, if you'd like, I wouldn't mind practicing with you, Ruby." The gladiator said offhandedly, and she could feel Ruby's eyes on her face in curiosity. "I don't mean to sound selfish, but I did very much enjoy our fight, your use of Crescent Rose was… _inspiring."_ It was a good word, as it made Pyrrha consider the versatility and strength of her own blade. "I'd like to see more of it."

"Oh…" Ruby seemed hesitant, but, after a second of considering the boxy shape of Crescent Rose's rifle form, she ultimately forced a smile, "w-well, if you don't m-mind fighting a n- _newb."_

"Quite the contrary." Pyrrha winked at her, patting down her skirt confidently. She meant her words; fighting with an amateur let her see and experience interesting, abnormal things. The MRT could get horribly stagnant with the number of similar styles Pyrrha had seen over the years, every now and then livened up by a fresh, young competitor who was strong _and_ flashy. Still, she was trading the strength and experience of her old foes for the inexperience and uniqueness of new friends… and considering the way Yang gave her a favorable smile, it was a trade she was happy to make.

"Oh, u-um, Pyrrha, can I ask you a… _personal_ question?" Ruby kept her voice low, and Pyrrha gave her a curious glance. "... Why a _thong?"_

Pyrrha looked away quickly, her face burning with embarrassment, and thinking about Jaune, she lowered her voice to match Ruby's, "I... wanted to feel sexy."

The answer seemed to mystify the younger girl, but after a second or so of considering it, she shrugged it off, like she simply had no comprehension of the thought. Pyrrha was relieved there was no follow-up questions, nor that Yang had heard them.

When they were back in their seats, Pyrrha watched the fights below with interest. The girl with the strange chain… _axe_ thing was the better hunter fighter of her pair, as her larger companion seemed to be having trouble pinning down the swift twin boys running circles around them when they weren't tangled up. The boys were as well-coordinated as Ruby and Yang, but lacking in either's phenomenal power, meaning they were excellent harassers, but easily put down when the goliath of a girl kneed one across the arena.

"Speaking from a purely analytical standpoint, you two did very well for having absolutely zero chance of victory." Weiss spoke like a teacher who followed up every compliment with a backhanded ' _but I see room for improvement.'_

"I can _really_ feel the f-faith in us, Weiss." Ruby deadpanned, drawing a snooty sniff from her partner.

"You were fighting _Pyrrha Nikos,_ that you two managed to deal more than superficial damage to her Aura is an accomplishment in and of itself!"

"B-but we had a strategy and everything!" Ruby gestured to Yang nearby, who was flipping Weiss off. "Yang distracted her and I-I was gonna slice her in the back! _Backslice!"_ Ruby made a chopping with her hand to punctuate the statement, and Pyrrha secretly grew a grin behind them.

"Anybody with significant combat awareness isn't going to fall for a pincer attack so easily; you had the fortune of getting _one_ successful sneak attack off, your over reliance on a singular strategy defeated you, not that you had a chance against—"

Blake, who up to this point had been sitting back and listening to Weiss's emasculating prattle with a half smirk and her eyes threatening to roll with every word, reached out to press a finger against Weiss's spine, then swiped it down with a loud, " _Backslice!"_

The whimper that accompanied Weiss's involuntary shudder drew giggles from her three teammates, and she whirled on Blake with a finger nearly pressing against the beauty's nose, her face taut with fury, " _Blake Belladonna!_ You little _pest,_ I am trying to educate our team leader! You can't—"

" _Backslice!"_ Ruby announced, and Weiss shot up straight, her eyes wide and teeth grit as a tickle ran down her back under the little leader's finger. The heiress mashed her back against her seat, her face a bright red as she glanced between her laughing teammates with a furious expression.

"I'm being _attacked!"_ She announced melodramatically, "My teammates are _traitors!_ Cease this tomfoolery before I have each of you _hung!"_

Weiss peeped in horror as an arm wrapped around her neck, and Nora hung over her shoulder with a toothy grin. "We talkin' about Jaune down here?"

"Nora, shaddup!" Jaune ordered in a whine.

The fight in the arena below grew more one-sided as one of the speedy boys below used himself as a distraction to capture the chain axe, and his twin used the disarming moment to strike her from the back, causing the horn to blair. The larger girl spun her massive morningstar in nervous warning as the two boys turned their attentions on her like wolves, and Pyrrha silently thought of how, exactly, using her weapon and size, the girl could defeat the boys with their own strategy. Strike one, sweep backwards, kick behind, lunge forward, grab and twist, wrap chain around neck, choke until—

Pyrrha's train of thought was interrupted as her team devolved into laughter with team RWBY. Even Weiss snickered, despite trying to hide it behind an unamused look, and Jaune deflated considerably. Pyrrha blushed, realizing she had missed a joke, a chance to socialize and be with her friends, having focused purely on strategizing against a pair of opponents she likely would not face anytime soon…

She sucked in a deep breath, put on a smile, and tried to draw her focus off of the twins and the goliath below. "Oh, hey, did we finally get the champ's attention?" Yang shot her a look, and Pyrrha's face flashed with a splash of red as she nodded.

"My apologies, old habits die hard." She met Yang's eyes. Not even ten minutes ago Pyrrha had thrown Ruby into Yang's fist and disqualified her with a knockdown strike that would have draw groans of despair from the MRT audience. Not even ten minutes ago Pyrrha had given it her all and quickly put down Ruby and Yang with impunity, and Yang wasn't glaring at her for her defeat, and Ruby wasn't beating herself up.

Both girls smiled at her, knowing their competition had had no stakes, and even if they'd lost, they still held Pyrrha in friendly regard. She felt bad that she'd taken the end of their fight so seriously, but her drive to win felt no regrets. She was still the champion, there was little point to not giving it her all after a certain point had been reached. She'd probably have been beaten without her semblance, which was a testament to the sisters' talents and teamwork…

She cleared her throat, and leaned forward, eyes off of the arena; she needed to join the group, and she knew the perfect icebreaker to introduce herself to their conversation! "Um," She cleared her throat to think, and found seven pairs of eyes on her, "what do you call a Grimm by the beach?" She asked, drawing nothing but silence and blank stares.

"... What?" Ruby finally ventured, and Pyrrha couldn't hide her jubilation.

"A _bay-o-wolf!"_ She beamed from ear to ear, wondering why none of them had laughed as hard as she had when she'd first heard it. Then, Yang snorted.

Yang's snickering drew a confused look from the rest of them, though Pyrrha was delighted, "Okay, okay, I think I heard that one back in, like, first grade. But! I got a totally original, _super_ clever one for ya!"

"Oh?" Pyrrha's eyebrows shot up in interest, and Blake began to stroke her temples as she realized she was about to hear a lot old, shitty jokes.

"Yeah, _Ruby_ made this one when she was like, nine."

" _Yang! No!"_ Ruby gasped, shaking Yang's shoulder to try and convince her to stop, but Yang grabbed her in a headlock to stop her from interfering. "S-somebody stop her! _Help!"_

Yang, however, went on as the rest listened in curiously, "What sound does a yellow gun make?" She waited with a particularly cheesy smile until Ren took the bait, if only to end the agony of the coming pun sooner.

"I don't know, Yang, what sound does a yellow gun make?" He asked, sounding tired about the whole thing.

"' _Yang Yang!'"_ Yang's voice reached a high, squeaky pitch, matching a young Ruby's voice, and Ruby went limp with embarrassment as several of them groaned, Pyrrha cooed over its sweetness, and Nora just grimaced, then decided to subject them all to something even worse.

" _Ugh,_ okay, enough-a that! So, a moqui and a purda walk into a bar…"

The story ended as the remaining boy in the ring held his arm up in triumph, sweating, but victorious. Up in the audience, six of the student groaned, laughed, looked confused, or in Weiss's case, gagged in disgust.


	12. Night of the First Day

The door opened with the slightest creak, and Glynda strode in purposefully. "Here we are, miss Rose." She spoke calmly.

Ruby walked into Oobleck's mostly-empty classroom, noting it seemed much larger when it was bereft of students. However, the familiar green-haired figure sat at his desk, slurping coffee and perusing an old, ragged tome that looked like it had been dragged through the dirt for a few weeks.

"Th-thanks Professor Goodwitch." Ruby gave her teacher a submissive nod. Almost immediately after her class had ended Professor Goodwitch had called team RWBY down to explain to them, and Ruby in particular, her remedial classes would take place immediately after combat class. Though Ruby had been dismayed, Yang had slapped her back and told her to do her best, and Weiss and Blake both supported her with pleasant nods and reassuring words. "Uh, h-hey Profess- err, Dr. Oobleck!"

"Welcome back, Ruby." The lanky man offered her a brief nod, but focused on his book. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere." He offered with an inattentive wave of his hand.

Ruby looked up to Goodwitch, who guided her straight to a desk up at the front. Ruby slid into the seat as Goodwitch took out a flash drive and plugged it into a slot underneath the desk. A holographic screen winked open in front of Ruby. The pleasant blue lightscreen read, ' _Welcome to Remedial Hunter Coursework v4.0! Please enter your name and password below, then click enter.'_

Professor Goodwitch leaned over Ruby to click away at the keyboard, inputting ' _Ruby Rose-Xiao Long'_ , then typed in a long password hidden behind asterisks. "Your password is B3 conStudent11, but the 'e' is a '3' and the 'a' is… I'll write it down. Begin your work, miss Rose." Goodwitch ordered.

Glumly, Ruby did as she was told. Hitting 'enter' changed the screen to a display detailing the courses she would be taking, and in what order. First order of business: History of Remnant. Something she already _knew,_ given her compulsive reading, but she didn't have a choice.

Weiss was off doing her own studying in the comfort of their dormroom, Blake and Yang went to go grab dinner from the cafeteria, but Ruby was still in class. _Easy_ classes too…

 _Ugh…_

A slip of paper was put in front of Ruby with her username and password, and Goodwitch only left her to her work once Ruby had taken a picture, put a note on her scroll, _and_ pocketed the original, all amidst the tall blonde's grumbling about the dangers of irresponsibility.

The lady professor shared a brief talk with Oobleck, then left the room as Ruby scrolled through the condensed, dumbed-down version of the beginnings of civilization. She appreciated a good story, but what fun was there in distorting reality to make it seem 'magical?' The history of Remnant was dark and filled with violence. Yang had shared a book with her little sister detailing the numerous cities that failed to rise to prominence thanks to the Grimm, and no amount of Dust, as incredible as it was, saved them.

Stories were fountains of fantasy and wonder; they took you to a place where anything was possible and everything could be magnificent, but Ruby had felt lied to when she discovered how tainted with violence and deceit the sentient races were. It was almost worse than the Grimm, but Ruby often reminded herself that compassion and love typically outweighed greed and hatred.

At least, when it came to the treatment of the Faunus, she _hoped_ it was that way…

To Ruby, history deserved to be presented, warts and all. Downplaying human flaws out of pride meant people wouldn't learn from the mistakes of old. What worked, what failed, it all deserved the same level of attention. As Uncle Qrow had told her: ' _Ya learn more from messing up than from winning, kid. Once you figure that out, you'll never let yourself make the same mistake twice.'_

Ruby liked to think that, compared to the blazing pillar of ego and attitude that was her older sister, she had a rather realistic and humble opinion of herself. That was unfair… Yang had a very healthy opinion of herself. Amazingly strong, immeasurably gorgeous, quick as a whip, and with a heart of gold. She was only seventeen and showing immense promise, yet she was well-grounded, even if she liked to puff herself up for the ladies.

The youngest Xiao Long, however, had a very good reason to keep herself restrained from thinking too highly of herself, and to pay attention to her mistakes. She thought back to that book, of the cause of over 95% of the fallen cities: _Grimm._ She could feel them beneath her feet, she could hear them hiss and click in the back of her mind, she knew every second they were waiting for her to lose control so they could break free…

The fight against the Grimm at large was going better each passing year. Humanity's weapons were stronger, their shields sturdier, traversing the roads no longer required armed escort, and towns were safely springing up within arm's reach of the major cities, but the Grimm still wouldn't give up. Hunters worked harder than ever now that there was more ground they could cover, more bullets they could shoot, and sharper swords they could swing. It wasn't a weapon that killed a Grimm, it was instinct and experience, honed in the wielder, and growing sloppy was all too easy.

The growing ease of victory had turned humanity softer, allowing more and more people to hone their skills in other places, in serving their fellow man and their own best interests. People were less afraid, dulling the Grimms' senses, meaning the cities were safer than ever.

However, it only took a single mistake to turn that all that on its head. A simple act of nature, or somebody failing to do their job. Ruby knew what her job was; failure meant a sudden Grimm incursion wherever she stood, whether it was weeping in her dormroom bed or throwing a tantrum in a shop. She'd be swallowed, killed, and unable to protect those around her.

But that was why she was here at Beacon. To grow stronger, to mature, and to be around people who could calm her and help her.

Ruby hated being alone...

The ' _tink'_ of a porcelain mug caught Ruby's attention, and she looked to her side. A steaming mug of coffee, the strong scent hitting her nose, mixed with sugar already melted inside, made her stomach growl. She hadn't had the chance to go get dinner after combat class, and suddenly, her stomach was all she could think about.

She looked up to Dr. Oobleck, who towered higher over her, taller than even her dad. He had a neutral expression, but his body language was tense. Ruby blinked slowly at the doctor from behind her tinted lenses as he pulled out the chair by her side and sat down.

"Miss Rose?" Oobleck asked, his tone calm and compromising as he looked from her face to her work. "If you have a minute, I'd like to take a picture of your eyes."

"H-huh?" Ruby stared at the older man. She straightened up, and wordlessly her teeth dug into her lower lip. It took her moment to notice that her professor was holding his scroll. His eyes, however, were intently focused on her goggles, and he gave her a slow nod. "M-my eyes? B-but… I d-don't know wh-what'll happen."

"It's okay, Ruby. I'm prepared for the eventuality that a photo of your eyes is just as harmful as the real thing. Digital reproductions usually don't carry the effect of a sight-based quirk, but we've been wrong before…" Oobleck pushed the mug over to Ruby with one finger, and put on a small smile. "You can drink first, of course."

Ruby nodded, and, without answering, took ahold of the mug. The brew was the same brand she'd had in the headmaster's office, and it had four sugars too! Ruby leaned back in her chair, her hidden eyes fluttering shut in relief. It was so delicious! The heat hit her belly, and the chill of the classroom was immediately alleviated, but her professor's request still hung on her mind.

She set the mug down, half the drink remaining, and imagined a puff of steam escaping her mouth as she sighed in relief. That had hit the spot, though she'd want to eat _actual_ food before bed tonight. She turned to face Dr. Oobleck, and her eyes flicked to the door.

"Don't you worry, Ruby. I took the liberty of locking the door before asking; a proper researcher is _always_ prepared." He held up his scroll, and the backside of the hologram was blank until Oobleck hit a button. Ruby could see herself in the back of the scroll, allowing her to see how a photo of herself would look, devoid of all additional features to mess with the photograph.

Ruby silently reassured herself that this was okay. He wouldn't attack her, her powers wouldn't be unleashed. It was a simple picture, that was all he wanted, and she would grant him that… after appeasing her own curiosity, of course. "Prof- Dr. Oobleck?" She asked, making him look up from the screen. "Why do you want to know so much about m-my eyes and semblance?"

"Let me answer that question with another: Ruby, why don't you?" He held his scroll up to her face, and bobbed his head. All she could see was her own expression, curious, pale, and somewhat worried, but she took the hint.

"I don't ever want to _use_ it." She answered him, grabbing her goggles. They were dropped to the counter an instant later, and Ruby looked up into her own reflection, the edges of her lips peeling back in silent distaste over what she saw. Oobleck seemed remarkably calm, until Ruby noticed that her face was at a bit of an odd angle, and maybe a little too close, and he was focused more on her mouth than her eyes… "Are y-your eyes closed?"

"Cautionary measures! Do help me please, Ruby?" Oobleck asked, and Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a bit. However, seeing herself laugh, seeing those bloody circles in those endless voids arch with mirth… it stole her smile quickly. She didn't look happy, not like Yang. She looked happy like a disguised wolf who'd cornered a gullible lamb. She put on a neutral face, and carefully adjusted the camera to snap a better picture of herself. "Ruby, do you know what 'numb Dust' is?"

"Well, it n-numbs you, right? For surgeries and pain relief? Th-the picture's okay now." At that, the scroll clicked, and Ruby stared at her own frozen expression. She looked away from her eyes, and Dr. Oobleck turned to face the front of the class as he set the scroll on the desk. "How's it look?"

Dr. Oobleck stared at the picture as Ruby lifted her goggles, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced his way, and saw he was staring in silent awe and curiosity at the photo he'd taken. Ruby glanced at the upclose picture take of her eyes, and saw that he was able to look at her photo fearlessly, but even a side glance her way made his spine straighten, his expression flinch, and force his eyes back on his scroll. She swallowed thickly, wondering what he was thinking.

It was _fascinating._ Oobleck found himself at a silent loss; everything about the girl sitting next to him was perfectly human; she had an Aura, thus she had to have a soul, and she was emotional, easily nervous, frightened, but cheery and enthusiastic otherwise, an excellent capacity for learning, and a strong inclination towards heroism… but her eyes. Her _eyes…_ "It appears that with digital recreations, at least, we can meet eye to eye." He stated with satisfaction.

Ruby stared at her photo, at her own eyes, and frowned. She never had the same problems everyone else did looking into those ugly, dark _things,_ why was it only in photos could people look?! That was just salt in the wound… "But why?"

"We don't know. Just like we didn't know what to do with ' _numb'_ Dust after the Color Wars." Dr. Oobleck's voice reasserted itself calmly, masking any tension as he finally removed Ruby's gaze from the scroll's screen. "Your eyes are fearsome things, but mere photographs don't carry the same weight as your stare in person." He stated, then switched gears, "Do you remember how numb dust was used then?"

Ruby blinked slowly. Of course she did, stories and tales coming from that era, and soon after, couldn't shut up about numb Dust. It was the primary weapon of every villain of that time period. "W-when eaten, or drunk it causes you to b-become zombie-like. It makes you dulled, and e-emotionless."

"It makes you all but invisible to searching Grimm." Oobleck nodded slowly. He looked out of the corner of his eyes at Ruby, at her eyes. His skin crawled just staring at her like this. He wanted her to look away, he wanted to turn around and no longer face her, but he refused. He was a man of science, she was an innocent little girl, eyes be damned. "That was the justification behind Mistral and Atlas' governments, wasn't it? Little by little, they'd strip society of identity to 'hide' the cities."

"They started with the colors red and p-pink." Ruby spoke up, turning to her catch-up program to stare at something that _wasn't_ Oobleck so he wouldn't be driven away. "Colors that made you really emotional. They w-wanted to introduce it little by little, removing colors first, then stuff like sports, l-leading up to giving numb Dust to the people to keep them safe."

"Strip mankind of individuality to maintain peace and order. Remove emotions from a person, and what do you have? Why, a computer; intelligent and rational, yes, but unmotivated and unloving." Oobleck leaned back in his chair to watch the ceiling, running his fingers through his hair. "Ruby, I enjoy being a researcher; I love learning new things, discovering the undiscovered, sharing it with the world and watching what little changes it make." He smirked a little bit. "I think I'd rather be shot than lose that feeling of elation. What's a life without love?"

"A-ah!" Ruby gasped, clasping her fingers. "' _A-A life without love is a life unlived by the living!'"_ She answered immediately, expecting a smile, or praise for knowing the quote, but Oobleck simply pursed his lips.

"Is… is that a reference to something?" He glanced at her from the sides of his eyes.

"' _The Blinded Ape?'"_ Ruby answered, frowning now. "C'mon, i-it's a movie that came out like five years ago!"

"I'm not really familiar with obscure movies…"

"B-but it won like five awards! Best picture, best actor, best actress-"

" _Okay okay!"_ Oobleck threw his hands out, wringing the air. "I admit it! I'm a historian, not a cinephile! The last movie I watched was—... inappropriate for this conversation."

"Porn?" Ruby guessed flatly.

"No!... A friend loaned it to me. It was very artistic." Oobleck tried to explain in a defeated tone.

"You sound like Yang..."

Oobleck covered his face. "And I should _not_ be having this conversation with you! _The point is…"_ The doctor let out a sigh, calmed himself, and leaned back to take stock of his original intent. "Numb Dust is used medically today, and is generally seen as a good thing. It keeps us comfortable and happy even while in great pain, but before, it was seen as something horrendous, a weapon against art, individuality, against humanity and the Faunus. What we once considered horrific turned out to be a great boon to us because we _researched_ it, rather than destroying it. Your semblance–your Grimm summoning–may have applications we aren't aware of." Oobleck smiled at her comfortingly, and pointed to his scroll. "We just have to experiment, and find out."

* * *

"... I don't believe you." Blake sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose.

"I swear I'm not lying, you can ask my family!" Yang insisted, hanging back with Blake to chat as the group of four walked down the hallway. Both of them carried a lunchroom tray, while ahead of them, Jaune walked with an open book in hand, Pyrrha by his side carried two trays. Yang walked barefoot, wearing a yellow tank top and black gym shorts, looking comfy as could be. It wasn't flashy, but Yang pulled off the 'casually magnificent' look with admirable ease.

"No! It's completely ludicrous!" Blake insisted, her brow knitting together as she tried to imagine the scenario. "Look, you can get away with a lot of stuff with aura, but _that's_ just absurd _."_ Blake wore a simple white T-shirt, barely large enough to fit her, with the faded, illegible print of a band logo on it, along with a pair of black shorts and her shoes. She realized she desperately needed a few more pairs of clothes in her wardrobe, and some actually comfortable shoes… a small part of her was excited thinking about getting new footwear.

"Actually…" Jaune spoke up, holding his book above his head, looking somewhat dazed from all the text. "According to this, anybody who's unlocked their Aura can turn _anything_ into a weapon…" Jaune was in his usual attire: black hoodie, jeans, belt, and running shoes. All well-worn, faded, and crinkled, but fitting and his. His armor was safely stowed in his room.

Blake let out an annoyed hiss, and her eyes narrowed at Yang indignantly. "Anything you have grown _familiar_ _with_ and _attached_ to, _yes,_ but even then, unless she was a _particularly_ strong child—" she paused, considering Yang by her side, "—there is _no way_ it would take down an _Ursa Minor."_

"I don't see much reason to doubt it, you hear many such stories from the surrounding rural areas." Pyrrha pointed out, looking over to Jaune contently. She wore a very formal red button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to her forearms to let her skin breathe, and a pair of black dress pants, shaped to her legs, as well as a pair of short formal black dress shoes. On top of that, a fine, gold necklace with the winged shield of Mistral dangling above her breast, while a find, leather-and-gold watch adorned her wrist. Considering the paycheck she had been earning for the last four years, her wardrobe nearly matched Weiss's. Nearly.

"Sure, by farmers. With _farm_ _equipment_." Blake countered, making Yang huff.

Team RWBY's dorm room door flew open and the four teens went inside. Nora and Ren were laying on the floor, on top of a spare linen from the closet against the far wall. Nora was drooling on Ren's shoulder, mid-nap, curled up under his arm with a plain, fading pink shirt and white gym shorts, while Ren silently reread his course notes from the day, dressed in a relaxed, though ill-fitting, blue yukata. Weiss sat in a desk chair, dressed in a very fine blue dress, emblazoned with the Schnee-family snowflake over her left leg, with a spotless white sash around her hips and a white dress jacket over her shoulders. Compared to everyone else, she looked ready to hit the town at any moment, barring the puffy white house-slippers on her feet. The Vale braid she'd rocked earlier had been untangled, letting Weiss's white hair hang long and shot the entering group a small glare.

"Must you four be so loud?! What are you even arguing about?" Weiss asked, a coursebook and her notes spread across the desk.

Blake spoke up first. "Yang claims she killed an Ursa Minor with a whittled popsicle stick." She snorted, shooting Yang a suspicious look, earning a pout in return.

"... Is that true?" Weiss blinked at Yang, who shrugged and put on an easy-going smile.

"It was a pretty crazy twelfth birthday, but yeah. Wore the wood down with my teeth and got it under the neck." Yang gently jabbed her throat with her thumb, making a ' _crrrrrk!'_ sound as she did.

Weiss looked at Yang, then Blake, then let out a sigh. "According to modern Aura theories—"

" _Familiar_ weapons, _familiar!"_ Blake interrupted with a visible pout, " _Nobody_ gets familiar with a _popsicle stick_ before going into battle! It's why we all design our weapons as tweens!" She stomped her foot, her face pinched with frustration.

"It's entirely possible," Ren spoke up, not looking from his notes while also drawing Blake's ire, "that in the moment, you are capable of bonding with an object you see as your sole offense or defense to such a degree that your Aura encompasses it as completely as a familiar weapon. Therefore, it's entirely plausible Yang killed an Ursa with a popsicle stick."

Blake all but steamed until she felt the need to lay her ears flat. With a huff and a muttered excuse, she hopped up to her bed and plopped down to eat the rice balls she'd gotten from the cafeteria, her bow as stiff and tall as ever.

The debate settled, Pyrrha let Jaune take their dinner tray so she could set Nora and Ren's food on the boy's lap. Ren pulled apart his chopsticks with a hearty ' _snap!'_ and Nora lifted her head, eyes batting rapidly in surprise. "Hahn?!" She snorted, working her jaw in confusion. "I smell food." She muttered, and opened her mouth as Ren pressed something to her lips. Nora chomped down on the offered morsel, and her eyes drifted shut again. "Mmm, coooow…"

"Monday is Mistral cuisine day, apparently! I thought you might appreciate it, Ren." Pyrrha smiled brightly. Ren's eyes slid up and down Pyrrha's body, soaking in her dress and her body language and noted that, musculature aside, she seemed comfortable as a hostess.

He did not express as such, but he was amused that such a renowned fighter was so passively supportive of her team. Ren lifted a ball of sticky rice, topped with a strip of beef, and popped it into his mouth. It needed some egg and a better brand of soy sauce, but he enjoyed the flavors for what they were. "Thank you Pyrrha." He bowed his head to her.

Pyrrha beamed, bowing back to him before turning to look for extra seating. Yang, taking the other study desk, jerked her thumb to her bed near the door. "Don't make a mess of my bed and you can sit there. Don't rock the boat too much though."

"Thank you, Yang." Pyrrha sat down, glancing up at Blake's bed above her head thoughtfully when a slight tremor grabbed her attention. Jaune looked back at her, gave her a friendly smile, and went back to reading while chowing down on the burger Pyrrha had been carrying for him.

Pork donburi in her lap, Pyrrha's cheeks began to slowly filled with red as she stared straight ahead. The sounds of distracted eating and riffling papers filled the room, but Pyrrha couldn't enjoy the normalcy. She was sharing a bed with a _boy!_ It was not a perfect situation… they were still in normal clothes, as opposed to nightwear, the room was full of other people, and neither of them had a deep, personal secret to share, nor the pain of a break-up behind them, and it wasn't night time, and considering how exhausting the day's events had been, both of them would probably be unable to _not_ sleep as was the cliche, so the chances of Jaune sliding a hand into her lap and suggesting they lay down together was—

Pyrrha gave a tiny squeak as a hand suddenly gravitated towards her lap, and she shot a look at Jaune. He wasn't even looking her way as his fingers bumped the side of her dinner bowl, and his fingers took ahold of her chopsticks, and he finally glanced up and realized. "Oh! Sorry Pyrrha." He stole his hand away from her food as Pyrrha stared at him with wide-eyed embarrassment, hands over her mouth. "I'm so used to stealing food from my sisters on the couch, I forgot to ask: mind if I try some?" He pointed to her dinner. Pyrrha rapidly shook her head. "No?" Jaune quirked an eyebrow. Pyrrha bobbed her head. "Yes to no, or yes I can try some?" After a moment of thought, Pyrrha held up two fingers. "The second one?" Pyrrha nodded rapidly. "Cool."

Jaune's fingers awkwardly laced between the wooden sticks, and with the grace of a dizzied Ursa, tried digging into her don. However, it was clear that though Jaune knew what chopsticks were used for, he was not aware just _how_ to use them. Pyrrha's red-faced muteness melted away slowly, watching him struggle. "Jaune?" She spoke up. Rather than looking embarrassed, Jaune looked relieved that Pyrrha was addressing him. "Here…" She lifted his hand, and she fought against her trembling knees and she carefully positioned the implements in his fingers. "Now, click them together?" He did so. "Good. Remember, don't pinch too hard."

Success. Jaune tried her pork and rice, nodding in approval. "I'll have to go back for some. But first…" He lifted his burger, and grinned. " _Burger."_ He took a hearty bite, and offered some to Pyrrha. The red-headed huntress waved it away with an embarrassed smile.

"I'm not a fan of red meat, but thank you, Jaune." If only it had been a chicken burger… then she could have nibbled the tip of his thumb, or licked her lips as she ate, something sensual, and seductive and _hoo_ it was getting warm in here. Pyrrha fanned herself rapidly, mulling over the number of shows she'd seen in which a camera close-up caught how a girl displayed her interest. Something about the mouth was just erotic in ways Pyrrha didn't understand, but people seemed to favor those full, Vacuo lips as opposed to Mistral's stereotypically thinner ones.

Yang chatted up Nora, while Ren ate silently, only glancing over if his name came up in conversation. Blake sat on her bed above Jaune and Pyrrha, tuned into all the conversations around her. At first, she focused on Yang, who was in an argument over using a hammer over her fists. Blake simply rolled her eyes and looked over at Weiss; ever suspicious, and ever curious, of the heiress.

Weiss Schnee, the daughter of Blake's greatest foe, heiress to the company that made its fortune off the backs of Blake's people, and the face and voice of the Schnee Dust Empire, let out an annoyed growl and fervently erased something in her notes. Blake blinked, swallowing the last of her rice ball. It would have been easy to ignore Weiss and let her be frustrated, but Blake's brow furrowed.

It was growing difficult to connect the internalized bits of anti-Schnee propaganda to what she was coming to know about Weiss. She wanted to attribute it to acclimating to a new 'pack' so quickly, but there were members of the White Fang Blake just did not like outright, and continued to dislike. Weiss, on the other hand, despite a poor first impression, managed to be far less of a stereotype than Blake had assumed, acting quite pleasant, if high-strung and annoying… although, Weiss had yet to see Blake's ears.

Blake shook her head. Weiss would never know of Blake's ears as long as Blake could get away with it. If Weiss ever saw them…

The thought was nixed. Blake was subtle, but it was their first day, so interest and curiosity was bound to rise over time. Blake still fidgeted, optimistically imagining that she could get away with this. As absurd as it was… man, she _really_ should have thought this through better.

Without a word, Weiss tapped her papers against her desk, squaring them into a neat, conformed pile. She clipped them in her binder, sorted by subject, with, Blake noted, tabs and even bookmarks for where Weiss last left off. It was amusingly over-organized. Weiss put her binder on a shelf, and, after suspiciously glancing at everyone in the room, took her hand off it.

Blake rolled her eyes, wondering why anyone would want to steal her notes, but realized they were probably immaculate. Cat-like curiosity crept into Blake: did Weiss somehow take better notes? Was Weiss the sort to use different colored highlighters and pens? What sort of paper did a rich girl use? Was it one of those binders with all the odds and ends and extra pockets for accessories? Blake wanted to touch it all of a sudden, if only because it would make Weiss wig out.

The thought amused Blake so much, she actually toyed with the idea longer than was likely justifiable. It was only after a solid minute of planning how best to filch it from under Weiss's nose did Blake realize how… innocent such a prank would be. She wanted to make Weiss yell, turn red, and huff and grumble, but not get angry, or even get hurt… _shit,_ did she actually _like_ Weiss?

Impossible, she was a _Schnee,_ a goddamned _bitch,_ the princess of a people who practically enslaved and put down her people! And, on top of that, weirdly _nice._ Blake grabbed the sheet she was laying on in a death grip as she tried to logic her way out of acknowledging Weiss's pleasantness, and only found herself confirming that the girl was… okay. Good, even.

"I'm going out!" Weiss announced loudly enough for the entire room to hear. Blake lifted her head out of its murk curiously, watching Weiss straighten up and tighten her sash.

"Cool, have fun! I'll probably be at the gym if you need me." Was Yang's only response before turning back to Nora and Ren.

"Where are you going?" Blake asked, crawling to the end of her bed as Weiss grabbed her purse, checking its contents briefly before snapping it shut. Blake wondered what activity Weiss could have outside the room… which was a foolish thought. She was a Schnee, a socialite, a media sensation, she could have any number of things going on besides schoolwork. There was probably some party or fancy dinner or—

"I'm going to get dinner for Ruby and make sure she's actually doing her work." Blake's thoughts halted. "I will not suffer a partner or a _leader_ who fails basic classwork."

Jaune shot up to his feet, watching Weiss with an intense, almost gleeful expression. "Nee' ah eh-hort?!" He asked, _before_ swallowing a mouthful of burger. "Err, I meant, need an escort?" He tried much more calmly, though Weiss gave him an unimpressed look as she opened the door. "Like, just in case? I mean, what if Cardin showed u- _uuuuup?"_ Jaune held his shoulders and shivered as the room's temperature suddenly plummeted in temperature. Yang stopped talking, and her fingers were assaulting the desk more than drumming it.

Blake noted the change in her partner's mood, and ducked low in case a random object went airborne.

Weiss stopped moving, her hand moving to her cheek to caress it gently. Then, she reasserted her posture, and she shook her head. "If that walking macho complex is _genuinely_ stupid enough to harass me further, I'll stop holding back." She then turned. She intended to show her confidence and strength through her expression, but her gaze seemed to pierce Jaune, making him falter as something unintentionally personal entered her eyes. "I am _not_ helpless."

"I—" Jaune stared at Weiss, his overconfidence deflating. He pushed his jaw out to unlock it, and nodded. "I know. Just-... just worried is all." He dared to meet Weiss's eye, and her expression, though steely and strong, lost that edge of compensation. She nodded.

"Don't be." Was all she said before she stepped out, closing the door behind her. She stopped, briefly watching the door in case any of them tried to come after her so she could… … she shook her head and continued down the hallway.

She wasn't afraid of some muscled meathead with a grudge. There was no way some supremacist ear-taking wannabe could overpower her glyphs. If she didn't hesitate and freak out like with the Beowolf, or with the Ursa…

Weiss gathered herself and chewed her lower lip. No, Cardin wouldn't be a problem… still, a small part of her, one that she began to dread, thought about asking for Ruby, just in case. Shaking her head free of that thought, Weiss stood in the elevator, heading down to the ground floor as she contemplated the vials of Dust in her purse. One ego-bloated boy wasn't as bad as the man who had tried to rule Weiss's life. Even if she was physically weaker than her teammates, delicate even, Weiss was not harmless, not by a longshot.

She would prove that once Ruby was done with her studies.

* * *

Of the many things Weiss found nerve wracking, she had never suspected trying to feed someone would be one of them.

She stared down at the tray she had taken from the cafeteria, which was adorned with a single, very large plate, a carton of chocolate milk, and a can of soda. Ruby was a simple creature, or at least Weiss had assumed so. She had seen the girl eat a handful of foods at best, none of them standing out as being eccentric or particularly picky, just not particularly multicultural. She had seen the girl suck down _plenty_ of cookies, however… more than anything else she'd seen her eat.

That lent well towards Weiss's theory that Ruby had simplistic tastes geared towards sugary sweetness, and yet, when she had reached the cafeteria counter and poured over the numerous choices, she realized that she was, perhaps, assuming too prematurely. People were multifaceted creatures, nobody was exactly as they appeared, and everyone had something unique in their interests, it just required some digging. And culinary experimentation...

Which was why Weiss was nervous as she raised a fist to knock on Dr. Oobleck's classroom door. Ruby was probably still working, so Weiss's hand lowered. Interrupting her could prove detrimental… but so could not eating after two physically intense classes. She rechecked her scroll, confirming from her text conversation with Ruby that she was in here, then let out a groan.

Why was she sweating so much over _food?..._

Because it wasn't over the _food_ … The lingering question sat on the back of her tongue, her true reason for coming here. True, she brought an offering of a meal, but it wasn't out of charity; Weiss had a mission here. She swallowed thickly and raised her fist. As soon as the first, then second rap of her knuckles on the wood door rang out, she knew there was no turning back; she'd _have_ to ask, it was why she was here!... Aside from ensuring her partner met her proper nutritional needs.

She lifted her chin and waited. A click, and the door opened, and Dr. Oobleck stood over her, peering down at her through his seemingly one-way glasses with a curious quirk of his lips. "Good afternoon miss Schnee, can I help you?"

"I'm here to bring Ruby her dinner and make sure she's progressing in her studies." Weiss answered mostly honestly.

"Hm." Oobleck looked at the plate she was carrying: a plate overfilled with enough varieties of food that it might as well have been a Mistral cuisine sample platter. One eyebrow visibly rose, and he took a step back. "Very well, but be careful where you look; miss Rose and I are in the middle of some tests involving her eyes."

"Tests?" Weiss repeated, tentatively walking in after him, her lips forming a small, unsure frown as she glanced around the room. The first thing she noticed was that the doctor's blackboard had been wiped clean of its scribblings and pictures from earlier in the day. Instead, what appeared to be Ruby's face–hastily sketched out in the rough-yet-legible manner only an experienced field researcher could manage–was on it. Including, Weiss noted with a drop in her stomach, her uncovered eyes.

She squeezed her own eyes shut, trying to _not_ remember the fearful effect they had on her, and quietly opened them once her mind settled.

What happened in the forest was long gone, she was safe in Beacon, and her partner _wasn't_ a monster…

She turned her head, looking past the blue holographic screen to look at the girl working at it, who was looking back... with those _eyes_ watching her.

Weiss felt a thin, ice-cold finger travel down her spine, making her shiver, making her knees knock and her toes clench. Were it not for the weight on the tray, her shaking hands would have tipped the plate and its contents onto the floor.

Ruby could have been making any face, gentle and warm, innocent and kind, or crushed by remorse, and Weiss wouldn't have been able to tell; they sapped her strength and stole her will to fight, they all but reached into her skull and dug out anything resembling a rational, logical response in order to leave behind the desire to run screaming...

Weiss felt like a rat in a trap, with the cat stalking its way across the room, lips peeled back in a sharpened smile. Ruby's hand slid across the desk, grabbing at her goggles, but all Weiss could hear was the cat's claws clicking across the floor. Helpless... She felt _beyond_ helpless. Her eyes glinted with a dark, evil promise, and the longer she stared, the more her body shook. She wanted to turn and flee, to throw herself down the hall and escape those horrible eyes, but her legs wouldn't move.

They wanted to, but she forced herself to stay in place. Weiss did not want to run, and she found herself staring at the floor, blinking and trying to shake herself free. Her jaw shuddered, then her teeth clenched. The eyes, no matter how dark and… _monstrous_ they were, belonged to her partner.

Somebody she would not fear.

She looked up, her expression furious and full of righteousness, and it instantly quelled as she stared into her reflection in Ruby's goggles. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and Ruby's hands pressed to her cheeks. Weiss winced, then squirmed as she felt her partner's warm palms.

"I'm sorry Weiss! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, her jaw and brow tight with worry. Weiss stared at the now familiar face of her partner, and a splash of red crossed from cheek to cheek.

"What—you two sitting around _researching_ your _eyes_ while you should be _studying!_ And I have dinner for you! Stop touching me, you little brat! Lead with your _words,_ not my _cheeks!_ How _dare_ you!" Weiss shouted her embarrassed ramblings, causing Ruby to recoil in surprise. Weiss's shoulders sank, and Ruby stared at her in quiet loss, unsure of how to respond when the Schnee heiress pushed the tray into Ruby's hands. " _You_ need to _eat!"_ She insisted, looking the other way, still blushing heavily.

In either case, Weiss had come face-to-face with the way Ruby so easily kept a grip around her emotions once again. In this case, it was involuntary on both their ends. Weiss had rationalized that Ruby had zero control over her eyes; however, Weiss's annoyance had yet to abide, partly because Ruby was now ignoring her catch-up work, but mostly because Ruby, now back at her desk with Weiss sitting next to her, was eating sushi with a _fork._

"Thish is pur'y goo'." Ruby mumbled through a mouthful of rice. Weiss's eyebrow twitched.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Weiss reminded her dutifully. Ruby swallowed, looking embarrassed. "Finish your work!" Weiss ordered.

"But I'm hungry…" Ruby whimpered. Her fork prodded at the sauced noodles, meats, and vegetables common in Mistral eateries, before sinking into a nugget of orange chicken.

Weiss grumbled…

At his desk, Dr. Oobleck was pouring over hand-written notes and pictures he'd taken while typing into his own computer. He shot a look up at the two girls every now and again, but busied himself with his findings.

It took around an hour and a half for Ruby to finish both eating and her work. Weiss had sat back to answer questions, and Dr. Oobleck every now and then hovered over Ruby's shoulder, examined her work, then requested something with her goggles off: a picture, a quick sketch, a wink, a blink, to look up, to look down… he was getting her eyeballs from every possible angle, though Ruby herself had to take the pictures since he couldn't look.

Each time, Weiss glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye. Even knowing the danger involved there was that dangerous, human curiosity that drove her to look again; not at the full on stare, though, the effect was less potent from the sides, but still present. Even a quick glance at Ruby photographing herself, turned ninety-degrees the other way left her with the familiar feeling that danger hadn't looked her way. It was like being in the room with her father, a question on her lips, while he shouted himself hoarse into the phone over his subordinates' failures… she'd get the beast's attention eventually, but she was safe as long as she kept her mouth shut.

It was extremely surreal; Dr. Oobleck was clearly affected, yet he poked and prodded and tried all sorts of different things to get even one, clean look at her. Weiss's career was to identify and mitigate threats, which Ruby was doing with her goggles. Weiss didn't want to see more, it stressed her, and it even made her claustrophobic.

But… she made a silent promise to herself. She would _not_ fear Ruby, no matter what…

"I really don't want to do this _every_ day…" Ruby sighed, submitting the last of her catch-up work. The lessons weren't particularly long or hard, but there was just under fifteen different topics to cover, and it made her whimper just thinking about doing it all again.

"A well-rounded education is vital to a good hunter, miss Rose." Dr. Oobleck explained, confirming the grades she had accrued. As he examined them, the academic mask fell, to show the face of a man who was proud of his students. "Hmm, high-B's, mostly A's, excellent work, Ruby!" He gave a half-cocked smile at the girl, earning a shy smile back. "Keep those grades in your Beacon courses and you'll be graduating in no time."

Weiss sniffed, but stayed quiet; they were passing grades, but just passing. Weiss had extraordinary stakes, she couldn't settle for ' _good enough.'_ If she was to be graded _with_ Ruby, then Ruby would learn to meet Weiss's expectations. Any less, and Weiss would… … … well, there wouldn't _be_ any less.

"Thanks Professor!" Ruby shot to her feet, only for her Aura to flare sharply around her forehead as an Oobleck-powered karate chop quickly stumped her glee.

"That's _Doctor_ to you _._ Now, you two should have a free afternoon to yourselves, so make good use of your time." He laced his fingers together behind his back as he slid back into persona of an educator. "Rest and relaxation are important to everybody, and working yourself to exhaustion is highly detrimental, but that is not an excuse to slack off. Your official lessons are done for the day, but you should never stop trying to improve yourself, even if it's only in small ways."

"Yes, Doctor." Both girls spoke as one, Ruby with a big pout as she rubbed the sympathetic pains out of her forehead.

"Have a good day you two, tomorrow's lesson will start with a bang, so be prepared! And Ruby, I have a few more pictures to take tomorrow; apologies for the intrusiveness but we're making great ground!." Oobleck clapped his hands, his smile broad and excited.

"Y-yes, Pr- Doctor!" Ruby spoke with some surprise. With that, the two were given their leave.

The hallway was, for the most part, empty. Looking through the tall windows that allowed mid-afternoon light to stream in, Weiss could see that plenty of students had taken to hanging out on the grounds below, enjoying the warm weather and the post-class freedom.

Part of Weiss envied how carefree they were. Many didn't have such a burdenous responsibility on their shoulders like she had… nor the immense secret that Ruby kept. As Weiss worked up the courage to speak, she tried to imagine just how capable Ruby was with her… _abilities._ She'd never bothered to ask, which was extraordinarily strange in hindsight. Passing their initiation was obviously important, but Weiss had the opportunity to ask afterwards, or before class…

Had she really been so swept up in simple socialization? Then again, it wasn't like Ruby went out of her way to advertise her power, but Ruby's goggles weren't exactly for show either…

"Weiss?" Ruby's voice caught her attention. Weiss refocused, turning to look at Ruby, her typical neutral frown on her face. Ruby was still somewhat intimidated by it, but the shy girl calmed the butterflies in her tummy. She put on a large smile, causing Weiss's frown to deepen slightly. "I-I wanted to thank you for bringing me dinner! And, uh, for helping me, too."

"Of course." Weiss's frown persisted, as did the gears turning in her head. They'd stopped walking, standing idly before a window in silence for a few moments. Ruby wondered if she'd committed a faux pas, while Weiss stared down at the floor, the question at the edge of her lips.

"... I'mma go get a buncha cookies for dessert." Ruby pointed down the hallway towards the elevators in a small, gentle stance. She turned, expecting Weiss to say something about nutrition, or study, but…

"Ruby, _wait."_ Weiss reached a hand out, stopping short of grasping Ruby's shoulder. Ruby complied, nervously looking over her shoulder, but her anxiousness disappeared as she noticed Weiss's expression. Weiss was more nervous than she was, pulling her hands back to her chest. "I… need a favor. A really big one, and I one-hundred percent understand if you refuse, but it could really help me out."

Ruby forgot about her cookies, and immediately she nodded her head. She put on a smile and took Weiss's hand. The sudden warmth and human contact made Weiss fidget, but not pull away. "Of course, Weiss! Anything you want. Just tell me, I p-promise I'll help!"

Weiss swallowed thickly, breathed deeply, and stared Ruby in the eye. "Ruby… I need you to summon some Grimm for me."

Ruby's smile stayed, but Weiss could see the way the edges of her lips grew tight. "... What?"

* * *

Each strike was like a miniature thunderclap.

What got to Blake the most wasn't how powerful Yang's strikes were, but how fast. In a singular moment, Yang went from hopping on her toes around a sandbag to a barely perceivable blur, then back to a ready position as soon as Blake registered the sound of each punch.

She sat back on a bench a few feet away, silent and curious as Yang showed that serious side of hers; the side from the forest, the one that had only Ruby's safety in mind, the one that turned this workout from what Blake had assumed to be a friendly and mindless little outing into more training.

Their little corner of the gym was empty besides the two of them; it was probably too soon after classes for it to properly fill up. Their final classes for each day would be the most physically stressful, and many students probably had their fill of exercise.

It seemed a bit of waste. The gym was a very well-equipped room; multiple boxing rings for weaponless sparring, rentable exercise mats, shelves full of weights, to barbells just waiting to be loaded up and lifted. There were showers, a closet full of spare outfits, punching bags, treadmills, and a second story with more machinery, and even yoga classes. Outside, there was even a Mistral competitive pool, a track, and weight-dragging areas. Other than a few people cooling down with yoga upstairs, Blake didn't see anyone else taking advantage of the indoor facilities. She imagined that once the school year reached a certain point, it would be jam-packed with people now used to the rigorous physical demands. For the moment, the cheers and laughter from the pool told her where priorities laid.

Blake casually and rhythmically curled twenty-five pounds in one fist, then the other. She was dressed in a Beacon gym outfit, not wanting to go through her clothes too quickly, but she was taking it easy. The earlier workout left her feeling strained and exhausted, and though she and Weiss hadn't taken their turn in combat class, the stress from overthinking herself left her unconfident in much more difficult activity. Dinner, at least, had served to recharge her enough to perform some basic activity so she wouldn't be loitering; watching Yang, though, made her feel strangely small.

Even without Aura Blake could haul around over a hundred pounds as long as she put her back into it, but she was primarily built for speed; Yang, on the other hand, looked like she could have easily carried a backpack full of rocks at the top of a sprint without much of a change in acceleration and agility. Somebody liked Cardin may have even been stronger than Yang, but Yang wasn't _just_ a physical powerhouse, she was trained to dip into short bursts of speed that made her more lethal than some thug with a big hammer.

One's Aura could be trained to enhance the body in certain ways. Blake prefered speed and subterfuge, while Weiss more easily manipulated Dust, and Ren had his impeccable Aura control. Yang, though, was built to hit and get hit. Blake could see her partner putting her every effort into training her Aura to give her fists that much more _oomph,_ while also shrugging off blows that would have left Weiss and Blake getting peeled off the floor.

Blake pondered on this as Yang held her fists in front of her face, playing peekaboo around them with the punching bag, almost as if trying to psych out the bag with her aggressive stare, but then her fists lashed out like pistons, throwing punches that even Blake's trained eye could scarcely follow.

It was almost scary… it reminded Blake a little too much of Adam's utterly silent practice sessions, in which a single instance was interrupted by the hiss of steel, and the cut of a blade that could rend Aura and bone alike.

Yang took a step back. She wasn't flexing, but her muscles were swollen. The blonde was panting; this was her fourth time today training her body, Blake could hardly believe she was eager for more physical activity after her father's obstacle course, or her sound beating at Pyrrha's hands, but looking at Yang, Blake wondered what she got out of it.

She had the beautiful hair, the show-stopping smile, the statuesque height and figure, the cherubic cheeks, the beautiful eyes, as well as the big tits, the wide hips, the bubble butt, the legs that never seemed to end, all this exercise couldn't have been just to _look good._ Yang, like Weiss, was blessed with a good physique and frame. Unlike somebody like Nora, whose musculature made her compact body look somewhat mannish, Yang wore her bulging biceps and thick abs like a goddess.

It was… an oddly apt comparison. Yang had the classical beauty of a storybook princess, the provocative curvaceousness of a model from some racy magazine, _and_ the sleek, sinewy build of an amazon. Watching Yang made Blake uncomfortable, as if she was simply too good to be true. Yang was _in-your-face_ even with her looks. Somebody petite and… _believable_ like Ruby was more appealing, since her very presence didn't _roar_ when she walked in the room.

Thinking about it, though Weiss looked lovely, Yang walked away the winner of the genetics lottery. Blake's eyebrow twitched, and an amused smirk crossed her face; Yang was a _lesbian._ Some unfortunate man out there was going to wage a war for Yang's favor, only to find her tongue-deep in some princess.

Blake closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and wordlessly chided herself for thinking in such overblown, romantic terms. It was one thing to call Yang good-looking, it was another to try and immortalize her. Blake realized that she may have needed to put down the romance novels… Lovely as Yang was, she was not perfect. Not some fallen goddess given form, nor unspeakably beautiful. She was above average. _Well_ above average. Unfairly above average. She was _just right..._

Blake's eyebrow twitched. Her partner was a _very_ pretty girl, and despite Blake's frustrated attempts to defy her hormones by reasoning that Yang was _merely_ beautiful, and _merely_ strong, she _couldn't._ She was… intelligent as well. Intelligent and good-hearted, who thought with her vagina too often, sure, but she gave her teammates and her sister especially a lot of affection and support. She wasn't just some brainless supermodel, or some bloodthirsty thug, or a horny slut...

Yang was an ace, and Blake wasn't able to tell if she should have been proud of humiliated to have somebody so… _glowingly perfect_ as her partner.

Blake's thoughts slowed, and she bat her eyelids as Yang's bottom filled her vision. Then, it wiggled, and Yang grinned with delight over her shoulder.

"... What are you doing?" Blake both sighed and asked at the same time. She stared at Yang's backside. After a half-second of consideration, Blake shoved Yang's ass out of her face.

"You were staring at me all weird, thought I'd give you a close-up." Yang snickered, peeking over her shoulder to watch Blake pick her weights up again. "... Well?"

"Hm?" Blake invited the cold metal of the weight in her hand, it didn't make her feel… complicated.

"You got a strings-free touch of the Xiao Long booty! It'd be rude to not leave a review." Yang wiggled her hips in a distracting way.

"It smells like farts." Blake answered dully. Oh yes, she would have _much_ prefered talking to Ruby about books. Something harmless, something that wouldn't make those all too intrusive hormones distract her.

"I don't smell!" Yang suddenly squeaked. She twisted her torso and head as much as she could, sniffing the air behind her, then smacking her backside before sniffing her palm. Blake bit her lips, hiding her amusement. "I _don't._ Little liar."

"Fine." Blake sighed. "It's nice. Happy?"

" _How_ nice?" Yang persisted.

Blake looked up at Yang with a bemused expression, but Yang's taunting grin didn't go away. With a sigh, the black-haired girl set her weights aside and stood. She held her hands out, breast level, and held them about two feet wide. " _This_ nice."

Yang stared at Blake's hands, then the space between them with blank comprehension. "Does… does that mean something?" Yang asked, and Blake put on a playful little grin.

"To me it does."

"Well _what_ then?"

"It's personal."

"Your opinion of my butt is personal?!"

"Mhmm."

"... I bet you like it."

"Not that you'll ever know for sure."

"I'd be honest about _your_ butt."

"I know you would be, and I'll make sure you never get an _accurate_ opinion." Blake wiggled her hips, her smile turning cheeky. Yang puffed up her cheeks in mock indignation. What was it with Blake and her love of Yang's irritation?!

"... C'mere." Yang ordered after a second, hands rising, fingers curled. Blake's smile faltered, her eyebrows rose, her pupils dilated.

"Yang, _no_." Blake took a step back. Yang took two steps forward. Blake's hands reflexively went back to cover her butt, and Yang grew an evil, _evil_ little smile. "Yang?!"

"I'm. Gunna. _Getcha."_ Yang hissed with each step forward. Blake twitched. Then, she was off like a shot, light on her toes as the comparatively deafening slap of Yang's bare feet on the gym floor chased after her.

" _Yaaaang!"_ Blake cried out in protest. The chill air of Beacon's AC blasted across her face as she ran towards the exercise mats area. She was swift, but like a raging bull, Yang grew faster with every step… and was about as graceful.

Yang lunged, arms outstretched, fingers bared for Blake's backside. " _Gotch-_ a?!" She shrieked, as at the last moment, Blake executed an artful backflip that sent Yang skidding across the floor.

Unable to suppress a smirk from forming on her face, Blake turned back, watching Yang shoot to her feet. With a huff and a shake of her head, the blonde whirled around to stare Blake down. Yang didn't look defeated; if anything, she looked happier than ever. "Slippery little fish, huh?"

" _Ninja."_ Blake corrected with a grin, watching Yang take a few testing steps forward. Blake bounced on her heels, hands raised, ready to support her weight no matter which way she threw it.

Yang charged, head low, hands held before her face like she would her fists in a fight. Yang's cocky smile and happy eyes were plain to see, and Blake easily vaulted to the left, cartwheeling away from the charging blonde who, with such high speed and poor control, appeared to have trouble turning. "Blake I will _touch that ass!"_

"Gotta work for it!" Blake called back, sprinting away as she heard happy cackling behind her. Yang was such a simple and foolish thing; she had to be entertained, she could never keep her eyes or hands to herself.

The chase was nothing new. Blake had played bait for the White Fang trainees to chase after, teaching them paths through the forest, giving them a goal and expectations of the speed they'd one day need to match. It was always work; easy work, sure–Blake _loved_ to run–but the goal was to train, not to keep her backside's sanctity.

Blake knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, this was an annoyance, an interruption, a disruption of her goals and needs. It was childish, it was absurd… and it was _really damn fun_. "Mmm, you're kissing the floor so much, maybe you should _marry it."_ Blake leaned over Yang, who pushed herself up to give Blake a little grin.

"What are you, eight?!" Yang demanded before launching herself at Blake. Blake easily side-stepped, landing a taunting smack to Yang's passing rear in the process before Yang crashed into a floor mat.

Blake gave Yang a smile full of wicked mirth, while Yang rubbed at her abused ass with surprise. Yang swiftly turned, eyeing Blake curiously, and Blake stuck her tongue out. " _Nana nana boo-boo."_ The huntress wiggled her hips tauntingly, and Yang grit her teeth.

"Oh, it is _on."_ Yang growled, signaling the start of a chase that would last a solid ten minutes, resulting in nothing but failure and a sore backside on Yang's end, and endless giggling from Blake's.

* * *

The question of the hour was simple: who did Nora want to play with first?

Ren was the obvious choice, they had a _thing,_ a _thingy-thing_ at that. Her man, strong as an ox, silent as a whisper, all it would take was one little nibble to his earlobe to send him all a-fluster, and Nora l-l- _loved_ putting her man on the wrong foot. The problem was that he was old news. Her _favorite_ news, but she knew all his buttons, she knew what made him kick, squirm, whimper, and purr… but right now, she had new people to play with.

And _mmph,_ Jaune was _new._ He was a good boy, a total sweetheart, she sorta wanted to collar and leash the poor boy and teach him to _beg._ He had a bit more a man's build than Ren, and a booty that sang when Nora paddled it. That and he knew how to make a girl feel pretty. Not just with his mysterious makeup magic, but he always sorta stumbled his way into saying something too adorably honest to be mad at. Ren wouldn't like it much though, and making Ren mad was _low_ on Nora's priorities.

So that left one person… the Mistralian beauty, the unbroken queen of the colosseum, the luscious, succulent, built-like-an-Atlesian-statue master of the xiflelin herself, Pyrrha-freakin'-Nikos.

Nora slid an inch closer to Pyrrha, a lascivious smile on her face as Pyrrha focused strictly on the lounge television. The couch was wide enough for them to keep their personal space, but Nora's idea of a 'personal bubble' was like her appreciation of the subtle blend of persimmon leaf, ginger, and turmeric in the tea Ren was brewing: nonexistent.

"Hey Pyrrha~?" Nora's smile split her face as her hand subtly slid into Pyrrha's lap. Pyrrha didn't even flinch as Nora hovered ever closer, their cheeks almost touching.

"Mm?" Pyrrha's eyes were wide, her fists in her cheeks as her unwavering attention remained on the lounge room television.

"You wanna make out~?!" Nora shot her autumn-haired teammate a massive smile. To Pyrrha's other side, Jaune stopped chewing the trail mix he'd found, blinking rapidly at Nora and Pyrrha.

"Nora...!" Ren called in a warning voice from the stove, but Nora ignored him and wiggled in place.

"After the show." Pyrrha mumbled distractedly, leaning forward, her lips barely moving in her response. Jaune's brow furrowed, and he swallowed thickly, though to his detriment as the salt tickled his throat and made him hack and cough rather than contribute any real insight to the request.

" _Yes!"_ Nora pumped her arms, throwing an arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha didn't even notice, too busy watching the debut matches of Mistral Regional Tournament hopefuls. "I get Pyrrha kisses!" Nora giggled, heavily leaning against a second year boy on her other side. "Hear that, buster?! Imma kiss a celebrity!"

"Cool." The guy muttered. There were a dozen engrossed Beacon students on the couch, the floor, and sitting in stolen table chairs all focused on the big flat screen hanging on the wall. "Ah!" The guy grabbed his forehead. "No, idiot! _Tchurae!_ Left! His weakness is his—"

The crowd vocalized a simultaneous cry of horror as one of the debut fighters took an axe blade to the temple, flooring her as her Aura sputtered and convulsed.

"Ooooh man, that is a _wicked_ fade…" A girl wheezed in sympathy.

"No way in hell is she getting up from that."

"Yeah, but she took a hammer to the head earlier and shrugged it off."

"What do you think, Pyrrha?" The crowd excitedly turned to the redhead. Pyrrha blinked at all the shining eyes, all MRT fans, their faces twinkling with curiosity and awe of who they were in the presence of.

Pyrrha's hand went down to her chin, massaging it thoughtfully before a little gush of air escaped her nostrils. "The hit was clean, so unless she can banish that fade in the next ten seconds, we're seeing an end to the match. However, remember that the axe blade is dulled for tournament use, if it was sharpened–or, heavens forbid, _serrated–_ then she'd definitely be dealing with a disconnect."

"Oh yeah."

"Dulling the blade became standard, like, nine years ago, right? We aren't going to see any fade paralyzation like we used to."

Jaune sat silently. He didn't really know what to expect from the MRT. PE had shown him hunters were physically capable of the absurd, while combat class had shown him how fast-paced and chaotic even a one-on-one could be. Watching two gladiators–fundamentally hunters, but trained to fight other hunters non-lethally–gave him some insight into the speed and strength of semi-pros, but he could at least follow their movements, unlike watching Pyrrha and Yang...

Having skimmed the chapter Pyrrha had given him before gym he knew Aura was affected by belief and understanding. If you knew a blade was worn and rusted, your Aura that strengthened it would be dull, but if it was freshly sharpened and clean, your Aura would be sharp to reflect that. Before the match had started, the axe-fighter had his blade worn down publically, right in front of him, so that the axe-fighter and his opponent would both know it was dull. Even in the midst of a heated battle, your subconscious _knew_ the axe blade wasn't that sharp.

According to Pyrrha it was customary to dull a gladiator's weapon to be far less dangerous than a hunter's. After all, a gladiator fight was meant to be a spectacle, a sport, bloodshed and maiming went against the competitive spirit; that, and the MRT wanted to encourage ' _boomerang participants.'_ Pyrrha's sword and shield had to be retempered for up to a month before entering Beacon to maximize lethality.

Thanks to the regulation a fade like what they had just witnessed had a good chance of leaving the faded unharmed. Pain was still felt with Aura, and in certain circumstances, hitting the right place would disrupt the Aura immediately. Weak points like the temple, the throat, the groin, or the back were obvious targets since most people feared getting struck there, and feeling a sudden, sharp blossom of pain across those areas could cause the mind to panic in fear of its own mortality, and quickly short out the Aura in the resultant loss of confidence. A fade could be dangerous as the shock could cause an attack to cleave through the barrier and deal lasting damage, but according to what he was picking up, it was rare for a fade to leave lasting harm on a trained combatant. Normally, only the inexperienced, or anybody trying to push the very last of their Aura to the limit were left with a permanent wound, assuming the wielder wasn't using weaponry with specialized Auratic components for a more lethal strike.

It was what made somebody like Pyrrha, who was exceptional at targeting these weak spots, such a high-class gladiator. That Ruby could stand up to Pyrrha's unsemblanced neck slice twice spoke of how much Aura she had, as well as her self-control.

What made Aura so fickle-yet-consistent was that it was nearly infallible. Tricking your Aura meant tricking yourself, which only worked if you were free of doubt and one-hundred percent believed in what you were lying to yourself about. It was possible to compensate for a lack of strength and care through sheer, zealous bravado, but it was considered risky, stupid, and above all else, pitiable for a hunter. After all, confidence was supposed to come through preparation and training, not self-hypnotism.

He stood, drawing a curious look from Pyrrha, but he offered her a reassuring smile, and walked around the couch. He nearly ran into Ren, who was carrying a tray full of tea cups, unashamed of the eye-poppingly pink apron he wore.

"Persimmon leaf tea? It relaxes blood flow." Ren offered a cup. Jaune took the cup with a small, though forced smile.

"Thanks Ren. I'm actually gonna go out and practice a bit." Jaune pressed the dainty cup to his lips and reeled away from the heat. _Small_ sips...

"By all means, nobody's going to stop you." Ren nodded, while Jaune swallowed with a wince. "Not much of a tea fan?"

"Grew up on coffee."

"You'll come to like the taste eventually." Ren nudged Jaune with his shoulder as he passed by, stopping to look at his leader. He was so used to showing slight emotions, he had to push out a wide, honest smile. "Don't push yourself Jaune, tomorrow will be another busy day."

The statement made Jaune's heart freeze. That's right, more classes, more training… He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, and sucked in a deep breath. "Yeah. I won't overdo it."

"Mm." Ren nodded. He watched Jaune exit the room, heading for the lockers. Ren silently suspected that his team leader, good-hearted and tactically sound as he was, was not the most well-trained fighter.

This, of course, came with a small amount of hypocrisy. Ren hadn't _seen_ Jaune fight just yet, but… the showing he gave wasn't exactly the best. He was used to Nora, he was used to a bunch of sloppy bandits, he was not used to the breathless _power_ Yang displayed. However, being bested didn't dampen Ren's spirit… if anything, he was looking forward to his round two.

He shook the thoughts from his head as he passed tea out to the crowd around the television, saving the last two cups for himself and Nora.

He stood by his girlfriend, sipping the tea with relish, and looked down to meet her excited eyes. " _I_ get Pyrrha kisses." She stated proudly. The tea tray smacked the top of her head, making her yip, and Ren's amused stare narrowed.

"Vetoed."

On screen the downed fighter finally made a move, but too late to recoup and resume the match. Nora and the fallen gladiator shared similar wails of despair and defeat as the watching crowd prattled on.

* * *

"We should have no witnesses here." Weiss stated in a tone of satisfaction. With some luck they had managed to secure a private practice room. The solitary arenas were much like their classroom: wide, circular rooms built with a dark metal, ceiling-embedded lights, Aura monitors, a forcefield generator, but there wasn't a ring of seats. Instead, there was a single, high observation booth which was empty, as was to be expected. The floor below was divided into multiple square tiles, each of which could be raised or lowered to simulate terrain.

Using her student profile to connect to the room's controls, Weiss summoned both her own and Ruby's lockers, taking out Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster. Her palm relaxed as she held her rapier in her left hand. It was the most natural feeling in the world: smooth, elegant, the perfect weight for combat; it was practically a member of the family. It was the sword she'd hand-crafted for herself, trained relentlessly with, and would one day be her tool of freedom. She simply had to… _correct_ some mistakes.

Crescent Rose, folding into its compact, rectangular, rifle form, was held against her side. She knew full well how large Ruby's scythe could fold out to be, but it still threw her off how heavy it was in its portable form. She didn't like how angular it was, nor how _red._ It was an eyesore, and lacked the delicate elegance she favored, but it had proven brutally effective in Ruby's hands, and having seen it deploy several times now, Weiss was suspicious as to the professionalism of its make. It was all the points and edginess befitting a young, teenaged smith, but there were numerous moving parts, far too many for Weiss to keep track of on just a few cursory viewings.

Weiss held Crescent Rose out to her partner, and Weiss's eyes flicked up to Ruby's goggles. She could see the hesitation and fear in her partner's shoulders, but Weiss herself stayed confident. This was not the time to hesitate; she needed to amend her mistakes, and prove to herself and her partner she could grow.

Nervous hands took Crescent Rose. As Ruby cradled her weapon to her chest, she felt a sense of ease. Her true strength was back in her hands, where it deserved to be…

"Alright Ruby. We're set up. Tell me how you killed that Boarbatusk." Weiss ordered. As Port said, Ruby had proven to be the expert here. She needed to view this as a chance to learn, not as debasing herself.

Ruby stroked Crescent Rose's side quietly, her mind working slowly. "You…" Ruby mulled over her options. "You have to h-have the right timing. I-it's distance and t-timing, and the right angle, a-and the right force, and…" Ruby's jut her jaw out in frustration as Weiss watched her. With a masterful spin of the rifle in Ruby's hands, Rose unfolded into its full, monstrous size, that curved, inward facing blade hanging over Ruby's head. "L-let me show you…"

Ruby stepped back, and Weiss stepped out of the way as Ruby stared down the opposite wall. The growling had died down as Ruby pulled her mind away from the beasts below and focused. "Boarbatusks a-aren't super smart, even when they get really old. When they use their rolling attack, the b-best they do is when they start angling left and right, o-or an ambush. Usually they t-try to open with it to break open your defense to g-get you on the wrong foot."

Ruby looked Weiss's way, and the heiress slowly nodded her head, though there was a hint of ' _I knew that'_ as she gave an audible, "Mhmm?"

"So…" Ruby raised her scythe, resting the shaft on her shoulder as she visualized the scenario. "The technique my uncle taught me is about s-stopping their roll and putting them in the air, where they're less dangerous. See…" Crescent Rose was brought low, the tip of the blade scraping an invisible line in the floor. "That's my e-effective range, s-so I want to h-hit the Boarbatusk as it's rolling r-right there. Then, I s-send an Aura blast to—"

"You mean pulse?"

"I mean—yes, well, I-I m-mean, I call it 'blast' but- y-you know what I'm getting at! I send an aura pulast- pulse!" Ruby squeaked, causing Weiss to let out a small sigh. "I-I send an aura pulse to the top of Crescent Rose right as I do. Th-the blast- _pulse!_ The pulse mixed with my swing makes it p-pop into the air. Then…" Ruby set Crescent Rose back into swinging position, and made the slicing motion. In the moment the strike grazed the floor, Weiss saw it.

It was quick, blindingly so. Weiss believed herself to be very observant, but Ruby's slice could have been measured by the single blink of her eyes… but the ripple of air she'd seen was unmistakable. An Aura pulse, the most common of Aura 'techniques.' A simple burst of willful strength at the right moment, packing that extra punch. Most blade-using hunters and gladiators didn't make as much use of it as they did Aura sharpening, but being able to bust through shields, armor, and solid rock meant the pulse had plenty of application for even a knife enthusiast.

Concentrating it to such a precise area during such a quick motion was a momentous testament to Ruby's ability. The presented movement was effective for precisely one enemy, and it carried extraordinarily high risk if she swung too early or too late… but a single stroke, and the battle had been hers. Weiss recalled how _lazy_ Ruby had looked in the process, hardly tense until the moment the cage opened.

Her grip on Myrtenaster tightened, and Weiss silently wondered how far ahead Ruby was when it came to _actual_ Grimm hunting. She belayed her wounded ego, and instead, replayed the moment Ruby had struck in her mind.

"So…" Weiss held Myrtenaster out, and focused on the wall on the other side of the room. "Step one: know my distance." Myrtenaster's tip prodded the floor. "Step two: strike right as the Boarbatusk crosses the line." She pictured the spinning beast, wheeling towards her at lethal speeds. "Step three: release an Aura pulse upwards and back."

"And follow through." Ruby tacked on.

Weiss prodded the floor and readied herself; in her mind, the Boarbatusk was racing towards her, squealing its ugly squeal, wanting to crush her bones and grind her flesh with its multitude of bone plates. How presumptuous to think of such a simple Grimm to think it could end _her_ life. She gave her best thrust; fast as the crack of a whip, Myrtenaster hit the floor and the air rippled as the pulse travelled down the blade. A small rumble hit her ear, and she hid a satisfied smile. It was a good pulse, powerful enough to get the job done, but Ruby shook her head.

"Right _as_ your sword would hit the Boarbatusk, no later! If you hit it w-without the blast—err, _pulse—"_

"Just say ' _blast'..."_

"R-right… without the blast, it doesn't have enough _punch_ –" Ruby threw a sloppy left hook, "–so you h-have to get the timing down _perfectly_. Boarbatusks are a cinch once you do."

Weiss stepped into position. Right as she struck the Boarbatusk… which would be right before she hit the floor. For ten minutes she thrust and pulsed as Ruby helped her. Weiss reasoned that, as a rapier fighter, she had greater reach since her thrust could be accompanied by a skip forward for more power, but that meant a greater understanding of her feet, weapon, and Aura all at once.

The timing was so precise, yet Ruby could immediately tell her if she'd succeeded or failed. Weiss had _many_ things to say about Ruby's academic performance, but her combat intuition was excellent, at least, as far as Weiss _knew._ She intended to put this practical use as soon as she had it down.

Once wasn't enough; once came every now and then as Weiss learned the timing. Twice in a row was better, but it could have easily been luck; Weiss didn't trust twice. Three in a row was even better, promising, and Weiss felt her confidence growing, but she still slipped. Four in a row, however, was leaving her with a smile, especially when she made five in a row, then six in a row right after! Eight in a row, only missing the ninth by a fraction of a fraction of a second, and even then, she made it to ten on her next attempt.

Her timing was down. So down, in fact, that Weiss was dancing forward, pursuing an imaginary opponent, thrusting at their feet with flickering stabs that could dent metal and blow apart toes.

"I think you have it." Ruby said with a calm smile.

"Excellent." Weiss held her rapier straight up before her face, like a knight offering a prayer with their sword, then gave Ruby a smile. "Summon a Boarbatusk." She ordered with complete confidence, moving into position against the wall. She held Myrtenaster out at the ready, looking to Ruby.

Ruby did not share in her confidence. Weiss's smile fell as Ruby watched her with a worried frown, then silently shook her head. "I can't… N-no, I _won't."_

Weiss stared as Ruby took a step back, squaring her shoulders in defiance. "Ruby, listen," Weiss held out a hand, offering an explanation, but Ruby held Crescent Rose to her chest defensively. "I understand this is bending the rules, but… this is an _excellent_ opportunity for us. We don't have to practice against each other, or training dummies, we can fight real Grimm!"

"Right… _real_ Grimm…" Ruby whispered, her fingers tight around Rose's pole. Weiss gave her team leader a deep frown.

Time for a different tactic. "Ruby, I've done this before." Weiss started, using easy body language and a calm tone. "The Schnee family's semblance is unique not just in its hereditary nature, but we can _summon."_ At that, Ruby took a step back, her mouth slightly open.

"D-d-do you s-summon _real_ Grimm?" Ruby demanded in a hiss, and Weiss felt a shiver go up her arm as she watched the attempt begin to collapse in failure.

"No, no, not _exactly."_ Weiss's cheekbones rose as her sister's words came to mind. "I have an older sister, and she would train me by summoning something _like_ Grimm. They were white, and completely under her control. They fought like Grimm, sounded like Grimm, even _felt_ like Grimm, but would stop at her command. I assure you, I can handle myself."

"Th-that's all well and great, but…" Ruby fell silent. Weiss did as well, wondering what reason Ruby could have to shoot it down, but with a small, _angry_ wince, Ruby spoke up again. "Your sister c-can control her summons. I s-summon _actual_ Grimm, but I _can't_ c-control them."

"... Come again?" Weiss turned her ear to Ruby, her frown deepening. "What about in the forest, those… _claws_ you summoned on the Ursa, you were controlling those."

"N-no, I _didn't,_ th-that w-wasn't _me."_ Ruby sighed. She stood straight, and slung Crescent Rose over her shoulders. At her feet, Weiss watched carefully as a circle of darkness expanded under Ruby's feet. The odd, black disc spread wide, rejecting the light that tried to illuminate it, remaining stubbornly obscure and featureless. The soles of Ruby's boots sank into the murk, but she descended no further, remaining aloft in the odd pool.

Then, without warning, an arm pushed out of the pool. A black, liquid-like mass collapsing off it like it was bursting through water's surface, quivering, grasping, and clutching at the air like… like a cat blinding searching a mouse hole. Weiss felt unease settle in her gut. She recognized the claw of a beowolf, she knew how dangerous it could be… but she had assumed in a controlled environment–like the protected, private room of Beacon–somehow it would be less unsettling. As bone white claws dragged across the floor trying to get a grip, Weiss found herself sorely wrong.

"W-what you saw… I-I don't know w-what it was, I d-don't want to find _out._ The G-Grimm I summon are w-wild, a-and violent, and they try to _k-kill me."_ As Ruby spoke, her cloak spread and fluttered, and Weiss found herself staring in silent shock as the black claw, unable to pull itself out of the pool, turned around violently to lash at Ruby's leg. Her black Aura shielded her from the strike, but she still flinched in surprise as it tried to dig bone white claws into its knee in a thrashing rage, only for her boot to come down on top of its and crush bone and black flesh under heel. "I s-summon the real thing." Ruby whispered, dismally staring down at the pool, her nostrils flaring in quiet regret. "When s-somebody else s-screws up their semblance, they f-fall over too fast, or g-get a headache, or m-make an icicle they sh-shouldn't have. When _I_ s-screw up, I murder dogs, or h-hurt my family." Ruby's voice fell gently, and Weiss had the sudden urge to just… apologize. She didn't know what else to do, but a stone of regret had settled in her gullet, and she didn't know what to _do_ with it. "I c-came here to l-learn to fight w-without my ' _ability.'_ I don't think u-using it for practice will help anyone."

Weiss considered the girl before her. It was true that Ruby's power was something alien, something horrific, something that went against the core of what hunting had set out to accomplish, but there was applications to consider: unlike Ruby's eyes, the ability to summon Grimm could have incredible uses in training hunters. With a small bite of her lower lip, she used a finger to lift Ruby's chin, getting the girl's attention.

"So you're telling me that neither of us could kill even one Grimm?" Weiss asked in a calm, yet direct voice. Ruby's cheeks twitched.

"N-no, we both could, I just… I don't want to summon any, not _here._ If somebody got hurt— i-if _you_ got hurt—"

"Then I'd have failed, and I'd have you here to keep me safe." Weiss rested a hand on Crescent Rose's handle, and Ruby instinctively pulled her scythe closer to her body. "Ruby, I have my Aura, my weapon, and better than either of those, _you._ I am not weak, neither are you, one Grimm won't hurt either of us very much."

"But it _could_ and-and I don't think I-I could handle hurting you and..." Ruby gave Weiss a worried look, her lip quivering as Weiss's hand moved to Ruby's shoulder.

"Professor Port trusted us enough to set us against three Grimm, one-on-one. He knows we're here for a job, and none of us have the luxury of avoiding it for the rest of our lives. We're here to kill Grimm, _you_ showed me that you know a quick, efficient way to counteract a Boarbatusk's charge." Weiss squeezed Ruby's shoulder. It was just an impulse, a feeling that it was right to do, but she wasn't sure how it helped.

Ruby simply stared at her partner, the younger of the two putting on a worried expression. However, she quietly squeezed and stroked Crescent Rose's long pole, trying to reset her grip, trying to reestablish her strength.

Silently, she stuck her jaw out, and Weiss gently pushed. "I want to know for sure, Ruby… please. We're both here. If it attacks you, I'll protect you. If it attacks me, I know _you'll_ protect me. Please, trust me?"

"... I d-don't like the way it feels." Ruby offered softly, no real strength in her argument, and Weiss… chuckled.

"Understandable, but there needs to be _some_ commitment to learning about yourself and what you can do. Maybe you don't like it, that's _okay,_ but think of this not just as an opportunity to teach me, but a way for you to learn more about yourself. How often have you used your Grimm power inoffensively, just to learn to fight?"

"... Never…" Ruby admitted, staring at her feet. No, not _at_ her feet, but _past_ them, into something Weiss could only guess at.

"How beneficial would it be for team RWBY if they had authentic Grimm to fight?"

"To _die_ against…"

"Hush." Weiss's squeezing hand made Ruby whimper in slight discomfort, but then it let up. "We won't die. We're not weak, we're not vulnerable. We know what our enemy is, where it's coming from, and how it's emerging. Maybe we get a bruise or two, but that's why there's two of us and one of them. Please, Ruby? I know you won't try to hurt me intentionally, so I'm asking you to give me the chance to learn. Our fights against future Grimm could be decided by this decision! The Boarbatusks of tomorrow or the day after, I could go in with _real_ experience… Just, please Ruby… please trust in _my_ power, and I'll trust in yours?"

Ruby stayed silent. Without a word, she brushed off Weiss's hand, and like a sulking child, trudged to the other side of the room. Weiss watched with hope and apprehension as Ruby silently tapped at the ground with her scythe's pole. The heiress's hand squeezed Myrtenaster's grip, fighting the need to go confront Ruby further. It was in Ruby's hands now, pressuring her wouldn't help the situation, she just had to hope—

A black puddle flooded the floor from beneath Ruby's feet, and a wriggling snout and tusks pushed through. A furious, piggish squeal filled the room, and Ruby's scythe blade hung low, while Ruby's firm expression commanded the emerging Boarbatusk to be silent. "Weiss…"

Weiss entered her ready stance, watching in a mixture of awe and energetic terror as the boar squirmed out of the puddle, like it was tearing itself out of some cloying muck. Fresh, white plates adorned its face, beady red eyes focused on her, and an angry scream tore through the air as it fought to pull itself into proper attacking position.

" _Steps?"_ Ruby demanded firmly.

"Step one: know my distance." Weiss said loudly. "Step two: strike right as it crosses the line. Step three—" The Boarbatusk's hindlegs appeared, and it trudged out of the black pool as Ruby held her scythe back, the rifle barrel aimed at the pig's haunches, "release an aura pulse. Step four…" Weiss firmed her stance, the Boarbatusk staring her down. Its wild, furious squeal sent jubilant energy through her body, the adrenaline of a coming fight, of a coming victory or loss… "Follow through."

And just like that, it curled, spinning like a bladed wheel, building up its speed and killing power in a single moment, it suddenly shot towards Weiss like a cannonball. Weiss firmed her stance, her breath caught in her throat. This was the moment. She had been practicing for this, she had the motions down, she had the—

She leapt to the right, teeth digging into her bottom lip, eyes wide as the boar Grimm shot past her, the powerful draft trailing behind it making her skirt whip against her legs before it turned swiftly, skidding to a halt and uncurling onto all four of its hooves.

Why did her hand feel like lead all of a sudden? Why was moving such a monumental task? She wasn't afraid, not of this thing… she could kill it. She absolutely _could_ kill it! So why wasn't she _killing it?!_

"Weiss!" Ruby's call met her ear, and Weiss's body tensed. No, not _now._ "Move!" She could feel Crescent Rose's sights on her back, waiting for her to step out of the way, to let Ruby kill the Boarbatusk…

 _Why was she so tense?!_

Weiss lept out of the way again as the pig charged her, flat teeth snapping at her evading ankle. As soon as she was clear a shot rang out, and an aura-charged bullet ripped open the Boarbatusk's front left leg, leaving it skittering across the floor on its side, squealing in pain, silenced by the deafening ' _clunk'_ of Ruby pulling Crescent Rose's bolt.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss cried out. No second shot came, and Weiss held her sword in front of her, pointed at the Boarbatusk as her mind raced. Techniques, strategies, everything Ruby had taught her flew through her head at a hundred miles per hour. She was thinking too quickly to grasp down on what to do next, and it made her body sluggish. With a soft intake of breath, she pushed the quivering tip of her blade against the bottom of the Boarbatusk's jaw. The Grimm snapped at her metal angrily, flat teeth clamping around the metal. "Don't…" Weiss whispered to herself, while the boar tried to scramble to a standing position and pull Myrtenaster out of her hand. "Don't _think."_ She finished in admonishment.

The Boarbatusk whipped its head back, but Weiss kept her wrist loose. Her hand swiveled, but her grip did not relent. With firm fingers and a relaxed stance, she would not be disarmed again.

She could have activated her semblance and roasted it alive, or frozen it to death, or even crushed it with a Dust-empowered aura pulse, but that was not why she was here.

She whipped Myrtenaster out of the Boarbatusk's mouth. It was not something to be frightened of, she would not hesitate again. She stepped back, and let out a self-empowering roar as she punted the Boarbatusk towards Ruby, a squeal of surprise flying after it as it landed at her surprised partner's feet. The pig, pained and confused, squirmed its way into the dark pool, sinking into the Grimm blackness.

Ruby stared at Weiss in surprise, then down at the pool roiling at her feet. They knew… whatever consciousnesses drifted in the dark mire below knew they were being called. Ruby could hear their clicking claws and snapping teeth, but she did not let it faze her. She looked back up to Weiss, who stood ready on the other side of the room.

"W-Weiss, I'm… I'm s-still not su-sure this is the b-best idea." Ruby called. Even so, she sought out another Boarbatusk. She couldn't feel one drifting in the pool at first, but then one grunted in violent anticipation, a second squealed, and a cacophony of pigs, waiting to escape their prison, reached her ears. The darkness writhed and squirmed with the unformed legion of Boarbatusks, their snouts and tusks pushing up from the shadows.

Ruby tightened that grip she had around the portal, keeping them restrained, but a single look to Weiss made the piggish wailing in her ears abate.

The heiress, her first friend… she looked so strong, so confident, so unbothered by the burden of her lesson. Her small frown was firm, her eyes sharp, her stance impeccable. "Ruby." Weiss's voice made the quivering puddle at Ruby's feet go still, " _Don't be scared,_ we're both going to be fine," Myrtenaster spun in a flourish, pointing at the pool with confidence, "and I'm going to get this _right."_

They pawed at the barrier below her, begging for her now to release them. They wanted to swarm, to feast, to rend, to tear, to hurt the white-haired beauty across the room. Ruby settled the butterflies in her tummy. They were such simple, belligerent monsters… with no idea just _who_ they were fighting!

"S-steps!" Ruby called, loosening her grip on one Boarbatusk. She could feel it solidifying quickly, the formation faster and more violent than ever before. They wanted out, and they sensed an opportunity.

"One: know my distan—" The puddle erupted before Weiss could finish the word. A Boarbatusk wheeled through the air, launched as if it was _actually_ fired from a cannon. It wasn't on the ground, the flipping technique wouldn't work… so _improvise._ "Two!" Weiss focused her strength behind her off-hand. She had Aura, she wouldn't be afraid. "Strike when it crosses the _line!"_ The boar filled her view. She freed her hand of the tense weight dragging it down. Her wrist was loose, her fingers strong, and the back of her off-hand blew the Boarbatusk out of her face and into the floor, rolling, screaming, and kicking as momentum carried it to the wall. "Step three: release a pulse!" She strode towards the confused, squirming pig, her right hand numb, wrist hurting, but she was alive, and her body undamaged. "Step _four._ " Myrtenaster plunged straight through the barrel of its chest, making it kick, squeal, slow, quiver, and die. " _Follow through."_

"W-Weiss?!" Ruby stared in surprise as Weiss walked back to her position across from Ruby, Myrtenaster pointed forward, her right hand flexing. "Th-that was so _cool!"_ Ruby gasped, her posture full of awe.

Weiss simply smiled, her heart hammering. That had been _terrifying,_ but she had _succeeded._ "Thank you, Ruby. Now, another, please." The weight was threatening to settle on her body again, to slow her, to make her hesitate… but no. No more intruding thoughts, no more fear of failure…

No fearing Ruby. She was here to grow stronger, not to prove herself to anybody, least of all her partner… though… Ruby's words rang through her head. She was cool. Ruby thought she was _cool._ She gave Myrtenaster a flip in her hand, a self-pleased smile on her face. _Hell yeah,_ she was _cool._

The third Boarbatusk to exit Ruby's pool was _much_ less choosy in its victims. As soon as it emerged it snapped at Ruby's boots, forcing her back a step. Weiss took a step forward to help, suddenly worried, but a swing of Ruby's scythe sheared off its tusks. It emerged with a violent scream, its primary weapons gone, but three more swipes left it in pieces. Right… Ruby wasn't helpless either, but… it was distressing her Grimm were so quick to turn on her.

Weiss could see _why_ Ruby was afraid of her own semblance if _that_ was what she grew up with. She made a mental note as the Boarbatusk died: rather than disappearing into black ash, to be scattered by the wind, it melted into the floor, the black tendrils slithering back to Ruby's puddle… in a way, her Grimm were loyal, but only to whatever lay beyond the pool.

A world of darkness and Grimm? The thought made Weiss's skin crawl… but intrigued her. A small, morbidly curious part wanted to see beyond, but the protection that would require… perhaps Oobleck would be interested...

… But not now. Her next opponent was ripping its way out of the portal, albeit with greater difficulty. Perhaps Ruby was keeping a better grip on it to ensure their safety, but the lack of surprise meant the charging boar didn't have much of an edge. Weiss swept to the side, distancing herself in a single leap as the boar circled around to glare at her.

She needed the rollout, so she baited its charges, leaving them fruitless, her sword's tip digging into its haunches to taunt it. It took three passes before she succeeded; with an enraged shriek, it began rolling.

It raced towards her spinning with reckless abandon, weaving left and right, trying to catch her off guard. This one was either blessed with better brains or was too angry to steer itself straight, but it made for another layer on the challenge that left Weiss second-guessing herself.

Weiss knew her distance. The line was there in her mind, and Myrtenaster at the ready. It drew ever closer, and then the moment was right. She struck, an Aura pulse shooting down Myrtenaster, but a second too late. Her left leg gave out from under her as Boarbatusk's momentum hitched, causing it to spin out and slide under her, throwing her to her hands and knees.

"Weiss?!" Ruby's cried out in worry, but Weiss held out a hand in reassurance.

It was okay. A little pain was _fine,_ her Aura still worked, her weapon was in her hand. She whirled towards the beast, confident it would still be staggered, but she let out a gasp as it proved her wrong. Sympathetic pain exploded across her chest as its armored headbutt threw her off her feet.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted more urgently. Weiss hit the floor, Myrtenaster skidding somewhere just out of reach behind her head.

 _Damnit._ She'd been caught off guard, _too_ confident. It only took a moment for a Grimm's wild instincts and violent flailing to break her guard and leave her exposed… her Aura was still intact, but it wouldn't be for long if she let the Boarbatusk keep attacking her.

She heard the clattering of hooves, and spryly threw her legs over her head. She rolled back onto her feet in a low crouch before the Boarbatusk threw itself at her, barely missing as she quickly rolled out of its way.

"I-I got this Weiss, get out—"

" _My sword!"_ Weiss interrupted loudly, watching the Boarbatusk's movements close. "Where's my sword, Ruby?!" Weiss called out. This was no time to be proud, this was a _real_ Grimm, she had _nothing_ to prove. _Nothing._ She clenched her teeth.

"Se-seven o'clock!" Ruby shouted. Weiss skipped backwards as the Boarbatusk rounded on her, its hoof scraping the tiled floor as Weiss reached back, her hand finding Myrtenaster's blade. She threw her sword into the air, caught it by the handle, and watched as the boar began began to charge a rollout once more.

Weiss grit her teeth. "Ruby! _Don't shoot!"_ She shouted. Ruby's trepidation was palpable, but Weiss kept her focus forward, her weapon at the ready.

 _Step one: know your distance._

The Boarbatusk wheeled towards her at full speed, and Weiss _ran._ Ruby let out an audible gasp as Weiss threw herself towards the Grimm in a full sprint, her eyes on the beast.

 _Step two: strike when it crossed the line._

The distance closed at what felt like lightspeed, but Weiss knew that, if given the chance to think, she'd hesitate. She had to throw aside her thoughts; she _knew_ what she was doing, but her thinking held her back.

 _Step three: release an Aura pulse._

Myrtenaster struck the point where the Boarbatusk met the floor, the tip puncturing the tile as the Aura swollen at its tip exploded. The Boarbatusk was flung into the air, its momentum completely stolen, its direction diverted, its belly open to her, and she pulled her hand back.

 _Step four: follow through._

The blade ran the boar through like a shish kebab, its body suspended in the air by Weiss's strength alone. Not even a peep escaped the Grimm. Weiss panted heavily, her arm trembling, her body surging with energy and strength, but her emotions at peace, her mind still. She whipped Myrtenaster back, out of the Boarbatusk's gullet, and it hit the floor like a sack of wet potatoes. The only sound was Weiss's heels clicking against the floor as she stepped back into position, the Grimm's remains swiftly flowing back into Ruby's pool.

Ruby stood there, hands over her mouth, completely silent and still. Though Weiss couldn't see it, Ruby's eyes were wide and unblinking, and her heart was hammering. She could only watch as Weiss held Myrtenaster before her, her knight's prayer stance filling her with meditative peace, before stepping back into a ready position.

"Send another." Weiss ordered sternly.

The pool beneath Ruby's feet was silent and still, but the young girl's small squeak of compliance was all it needed to produce another Boarbatusk to train on.

Weiss would not be satisfied with only two successes. She _needed_ more. At the same time, watching Ruby's joy, hearing her cheer, knowing that, even when there was a misstep, her partner, her _leader_ was there to help her made the missteps feel small.

This power of Ruby's was horrifying, and Weiss' craving to know the whats and the whys was balanced by a healthy, fearful respect of it, but it had applications, applications no other student in Beacon could use… ones that they could use to help understand Ruby's powers better, while also improving their personal performances in the field of battle.

Technically, it wasn't cheating. _Technically._

* * *

Yang massaged her face with a fresh towel, dabbing away the sweat and dirt with a big grin. She ached _so_ good, her whole body pulsating with a familiar, comforting pain. Her bare knuckles had a good, raw feeling to them she could never get with her Aura activated.

But the best part was her feet. She'd had one _hell_ of a good time exercising her legs, mostly because it involved making her partner giggle and whine as she was chased around the gymnasium. Yang lay her sore feet on the ground and pushed herself up to a standing position, watching the showers patiently.

She threw a right straight, letting out a grunt of exertion in the process, and grinned to herself. _That_ felt good. She threw a left, then another right, and alternated between her fists until a dry voice hit her ear.

"You never let up, do you?"

Yang swiveled her head towards Blake, who leaned against the frame of the shower's entrance. She was dripping wet, her body wrapped in a white towel, hiding that pale majesty from Yang's eyes. The blonde was immediately eyeballing those long, lovely legs, and Blake simply smirked.

"You don't get this strong by slowing down, Blakey." Yang purred, watching Blake take casual strides to the locker she'd taken over. Her black-haired partner was still wonderfully frustrating, having once again entered the showers before Yang, shamelessly letting Yang eyeball her bare body before claiming a private stall.

Yang had showered nearby so they could chat, but never got a second glimpse at Blake's curves. Yang didn't let it bother her. A part of her was drooling over the chance to pounce her partner, but she knew that moving too quickly would drive the girl away. She was not _content_ waiting around, but she would be patient. Somehow, some way…

Blake's towel fell onto the nearby bench, and Yang's red-hot body somehow managed to warm up further. She suppressed a whimper as Blake silently got dressed, making no exaggerated movements, but little peeks of her golden eyes confirming to her that Yang was watching.

Yang had seen her fair share of beautiful women, but Blake stood out by the sheer ease in how she moved and showed herself. None of it was deliberate, she was in no way _demanding_ Yang's attention, but Blake had it anyways. It was baffling… about as baffling as her ever-present ribbon, but Yang held her tongue. It was _adorable,_ just also omnipresent.

Back in her T-shirt and shorts, Blake threw her still heavy, wet mass of hair over her shoulder and silently fixated on Yang. Their eyes met, and a stare-down commenced as Blake's fingers ran threw her black mane, grooming it out.

"So, uh, I'm done with exercise for the day. You wanna go chill on the roof again, or maybe find some games or something? Pyrrha said the library had a ton of movies and TV shows." Yang offered, finally approaching, the tension comfortably broken as Yang leaned back against the lockers by Blake's side.

"Mmm." Blake responded. She used a scrunchie she 'borrowed' from somebody to pull her hair back into a thick ponytail, glancing up at the ceiling. She shook her head, "Actually…" She looked to Yang, silently worried, but the blonde tilted her head. "I was going to get some alone time on the roof somewhere. Just lay back and enjoy the night. I know that's not your thing…"

"No, no, it's cool, it's cool." Yang gave Blake a little smile. "Hey, we can't be together all the time every day, that'd get a little weird."

"Li'l bit." Blake gave Yang an appreciative smile, thought she examined her partner's features closely, evaluating the truth in her expression. Though her shoulders sagged in disappointment, Yang didn't seem conflicted or angry; instead, her expression was gentle and reassuring. She seemed more confident in allowing Blake to herself, or perhaps Blake had simply made a mistake in not voicing her need to be alone at recess. "I'll have my scroll on me though, in case you need me."

"Same." Yang lifted the small white rectangle that would expand into her scroll. "I'll probably wander a little bit, maybe see if I can crash in on Ruby and Weiss."

"You certainly enjoy sticking your nose in everyone's business, hm?" Blake couldn't help but smirk, and Yang's sunny smile made Blake grin a little more.

"What can I say? Weiss is cute as a button, and I wanna keep an eye on my li'l sis. Besides, they could probably use a referee or something, I swear, sometimes they get along, and sometimes they're at each other like _cats."_ Yang missed the way the word made Blake flinch, but Blake shrugged it off; it was _just_ an expression.

"Could be way, _way_ worse. Anyways, I'm gonna go find some place to lay out and enjoy the weather. Curfew's at ten, right?"

"Or eleven for people in the library or with teachers." Yang recalled, getting an understanding nod. Blake headed to the door, saying goodbye and getting one in return.

Officially alone, Blake let her shoulders sink and her steps quicken. Sunset would be soon, the skies outside were just starting to turn orange. She hustled up to the fourth floor of the wing she was in, racing past students, weaving between them with ease.

She ran out onto a balcony, lept onto the bannister, and swiftly climbed up to the school's roof. She skipped from rooftop to rooftop, easily jumping between the spires, and found herself standing on a ledge jutting out from Beacon's central tower. Her first thought was that Beacon's complex roof structure made for one heck of a challenge, one that left her panting. She was already sore from the day's workout, but she had steady footing and still felt the strength to climb down.

No way she'd let herself get too sore to climb down… again…

" _Mommy used to do the same thing when she was a kitten!"_

Blake clenched her eyes shut, her teeth grinding together as the sweet voice surfaced in her head. She wasn't a kitten anymore, her days of getting stuck in trees were over… and so were those innocent times of familyhood.

" _You know, it's cute when it happens at camp, but if you get stuck out on a mission…"_

The soft, male voice made her lip tremble.

Blake slowly lowered herself, sitting on the ledge to stare out at the sun, the sky, and the clouds as the world began its dramatic shift from bright and beautiful, to dark and mysterious. She leaned back against the tower, hands in her lap. A feeling of exhaustion crossed her…

" _Someday, we're going to go to bed and wake up, and find the world's changed. We'll wake up and find that we're no longer slaves or victims, just like that. Just, one night, after some big battle, we're going to be on top, no longer afraid…"_

They were gentle words back then. Calm and full of hope, carried on a voice full of strength, ambition, and resolve.

" _Just watch, Blake. When the sun sets and the moon's up, that's_ our _time. But one day, the sun will rise and it'll_ still _be our time. Believe me, we're going to make things better for all of us. Humans won't scare us anymore! No amount of technology can stop an idea, and we're going to show the world that not even the Grimm can scare us. Look at us, Blake! The two of us, together? We could be king and queen of a new era!"_

He sounded so innocent back then. Full of righteousness, full of a need to prove himself…

" _He deserved it, Blake. Look at him, he was human. He betrayed his own species for some petty cash, you think we could trust him to keep helping us? I bet he had his buddies on speed dial; don't cry over a traitor, even if it helped us."_

But things began to change as they grew older, and grew tired of seeing things move so slowly…

" _It's us or them. We need the food to fuel our cause, they're just a bunch of humans, peasants at that. Let them call the hunters, let them starve, how can we win if we worry about what the enemy needs?"_

Some days, the setting sun became _frightening_ rather than inspiring…

" _I'm sorry Blake… I didn't mean to hurt you, I just_ — _give me a chance, okay? You know what I've been through, you understand right? Don't give me that look! I was trying to help us, you came in here shouting at me! It's not_ my _fault!"_

Blake still tried to catch every sunset.

The years of sleeping in tents on the cold, hard ground were gone. The years of worrying about where her next meal would come from were over. The years of walking on eggshells as a man she once loved and respected–

" _Think about it, our kids will grow up without having rocks thrown at them! They'll be able to walk the streets with their heads held high, and_ we'll _be the reason why!"_

–became something short-tempered and scary–

" _You can't run from this mission! These people would have us_ killed _, don't you realize that?! How long would they have been peaceful if they knew we were close by?! They deserved it! Every single one of them_ deserved it!"

–had ended.

For now.

Adam still lived, he still existed, and he wouldn't take her escape gently. But… he wouldn't be stupid enough to go near Beacon Academy either, if he even knew she was there. The thought made Blake shiver…

It was easy to fall into despair, Blake had found, knowing that every day, she was drifting further and further away from her purpose, that her people still suffered, and she ran from the organization trying to help them…

Help them through further extremes, true, but Blake felt utterly lost. Her stay here at Beacon was temporary, a place to sharpen her skills and regain her footing, but even that felt weak. She'd ran, simple as that. A coward, fleeing from her cause, and for what? What did she have now? A bed, hot water, free food, lessons from _humans_ on how to hunt Grimm?!

… A gorgeous little girl whose gentle nature was offset by an immense drive to protect and serve? The knowledge that her oldest enemy was actually just another girl trying to make a mark on the world without trampling those around her? An utterly sunny young woman who made her feel remarkably sexy, who stole her attention away from her grieving by giving her companionship and fun…?

"... Dammit, Yang." Blake muttered. She knew her for two days, and two days alone, and already she felt… _better._ Just thinking about that carefree, energetic smile made Blake feel calmer. She was a pervert, irresponsible, and an attention hog, but none of it out of malice.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang… each of them looked out for her without question or suspicion.

Then again, none of them knew she was a faunus…

But… would it matter? It didn't matter to Ruby, and part of Blake suspected Yang would be fine with that. The only unknown factors were Weiss and… and Blake's past coming to light.

With a small sigh, Blake stared at the horizon as the clouds turned purple, the land basked in a cooling, calm low light, which was rapidly slipping away.

If they knew, they'd hate her… there'd be no more fun, no more games, no more hanging out, talking about books, or teasing each other, or flirting… no more being the teen girl she'd missed out on being.

In a way, that hurt Blake the most. She'd had friends in the Fang, but not like this. This was carefree and comfort, something Blake had missed, and still ached for…

She wanted to run from this stress and grief. She wanted to run into the arms of her team, and let them pet her and soothe her… where they'd ask why she was so sad, and want to know what she did, or what was done to her.

Blake curled up on the ledge and found herself to be all alone. Even in this school full of people who wanted to help her… she was alone.

Just how a traitor like her should be.

… Right?

* * *

Beacon was a big, _big_ place, and it had a lot of people to keep entertained when the daily school activities were over and done with. The beautiful, wide-open plazas and courtyards were natural places for congregation on warm spring days.

The army of groundskeepers Beacon employed kept the grass low and picturesque at all hours of the day, while the hedges were perfectly uniform along the walkways. The trees had their lower branches trimmed, and each walkway was cleared of stray leaves and branches. The school had a _very_ serious anti-littering policy, so wood-wrapped trash cans were numerous, giving even the laziest lawbreakers no excuses.

Beacon Academy entertained numerous guests daily, from investors looking to see how their donated equipment and money was used, to alumni taking a nostalgic trip through around the campus, and tour groups composed of excited children and nosy parents wanting to see the center of Vale's anti-Grimm education in person.

It was a highly eulogized center of humanism, encouraging the best out of technology, business practices, and both its inhabitants and visitors. Old hunters recalled it with fondness, and it was a place of wonderment for its new visitors.

Being a culturally-crossed center of young adults getting ready to break into the world of self-reliance, and keeping an eye on the affairs of of their home cities, it was also a major political center for students feeling the need to try and make a difference.

"So, are these going to be regular brownies or _special_ brownies?" Yang asked in a low voice, pointing to the plastic-wrapped plates sitting on top of folded brochures. She took one of the plates anyway and tucked the brochure under her arm as she unpacked the treat.

" _Regular,_ miss." The older girl behind the table told her with a firm expression. She was probably in her third or fourth year at Beacon, and the patches of shining blue scales around her neck gills did nothing to detract from her lovely bronzed skin, or her piercing blue stare. She had a lean, limber build, with a subtle curve for her bust, strong, skinny hips, and some good height on her. Her hair was like green strands of seaweed, and she rocked a black blouse and tan slacks. She was on the exotic side, a bit rough and tumble, but she was incredibly easy on the eyes otherwise… or perhaps as a result of.

"Food's food." Yang shrugged after her _thorough_ inspection of the girl behind the table, then took a bite of the chocolate treat as she cracked open the brochure to read.

' _Have you struggled to find respect and kinship among your human peers? Have you faced insults or even violence because of your heritage? Do you want to know what your generation can do for the advancement of Faunus-kind? The Youth of the White Fang at Beacon has answers!_

 _We provide a safe haven for young Faunus to discuss the issues they have faced as a result of their birthright, as well as share ideas for the future of Faunus-kind. Lead by Professor Bigby Wolf, a former White Fang member and the Professor of Faunus Studies, we promise a reasonable and comforting board for Faunus seeking acceptance, and Humans wanting to contribute to bringing true equality to Remnant.'_

"I would like to add," the girl behind the desk spoke up as she studied Yang closely, "we are not associated with the Vale chapter of the White Fang in any way but name; we do not condone their actions in recent years."

Yang sucked the crumbs off her fingertips, quietly nodding her head as she continued to read. Only once she was done did she shoot the Youth member a little grin. "Y'know, it's cool that Beacon's okay with this." She waved a hand over the table, then folded the brochure back under her arm. "I know a couple of people from my old school who would throw a fit over y'all having a booth here."

"Well, it's not exactly all sunshine and acceptance. Every day, somebody has a few… _choice words_ for our organization." The fish girl sighed, carefully tipping an open water bottle into a towelette. She dabbed her scales with the wet cloth as she spoke with a tired acceptance. "Had a guy come up earlier telling us that he didn't care if we weren't associated with the Vale chapter; he'd apparently lost family to a raid." Her guilty frown told a lot about her thoughts on the matter.

Yang silently nodded. She knew full well the sort of activities the White Fang had been up to in Vale. When she was a little girl, Summer would take her to watch the parades for awareness. At the time, Yang saw no difference between a Faunus and a human wearing an animal-ear headband, but age forced some insight into her. Biological differences, socioeconomic differences, ancestry, day-to-day privileges, and, of course, the various abuse both sides heaped on each other.

When she'd first seen the marches, she thought they were to celebrate a victory, like every other parade she'd been to. She was too young to understand how important they were to spreading a message that, to this day, she'd embraced wholeheartedly. As she got older, she didn't understand why the White Fang had started turning to violence; they had won, hadn't they? It took her father sitting her down and giving her a big, healthy dose of reality for her to understand that the White Fang had made only a little progress in gaining respect, and that their more recent actions were out of desperation to stay relevant and gain something they had been denied.

"I'm not seeing guards around, is there anybody here to, like, protect you? I know Beacon's a good place, but I saw a guy grabbing ears earlier." Yang mentioned, watching the girl. She frowned, then snorted, sipping some water as she thought.

"I appreciate the concern, but naw, I'm more than enough on my own. Trust me, maybe there's one idiot who tries to cause a problem, but a group of idiots would get Ozpin down here." She smiled fondly as she mentioned the headmaster by name. "Happened in my freshman year, buncha bigots tried to come tear down the booth, caused enough of a stir for him to coming marching right down and smacking heads, shouting himself hoarse. It was probably the most hope I'd ever felt for human-Faunus relations."

"I don't get people." Yang shook her head, leaning against the table as she worked her jaw slowly, opening the brochure once more. The symbol of the wolf's head was front and center, though this one lacked the prominent three cuts that marked the current White Fang's logo. It still looked really cool, but was a dangerous thing to see on the streets. These days, it was a warning to a girl like her. "It's so easy to _not_ be a terrible person, and it doesn't take more than a minute for you to say you're non-violent… I'm not taking up your time, am I?"

"You see a line behind you?" The fish girl chuckled, and Yang cracked a grin. "Professor Wolf told me that, sometimes, the only pride some people have is what they were born with, or _weren't_ born with. ' _Doesn't matter if I was the richest man in Remnant, there'd be some hick saying 'at least I ain't a damn animal!'"_

"Okay, so, full disclosure here? I was born incredible."

"Uh huh."

"And I didn't deal with too many Faunus in my life. Patch had, like, I think ten Faunus families? And they were all fine. I knew most of the kids, they were typically pro-White Fang and sent donations to 'em, and we still got along. I heard all the rhetoric and crap, and never once woke up saying to myself ' _I'm better than those guys because I can't see in the dark.'"_

"Patch Island also harbored a pretty influential anti-Faunus coalition though, if I remember right." The girl raised an eyebrow, completely skirting by the self-praise.

" _Ugh,_ don't remind me. One of the Faunus kids invited me to a birthday party, and their dad thought I was going to spy on them or something. I never got into that argument myself, but the kid got _grounded_ because they got into a fight with their dad. All I wanted was to give them a bicycle and eat some cake."

"So… my turn to give full disclosure." The fish girl spoke up, leaning forward with a serious look. "I didn't like humans when I came to Beacon." Her fingers drummed against the table, but Yang didn't give any indication of offense, just a shrug for the girl to continue. "I grew up in the Blacktail Reaches in the south, not a human for miles down there. I grew up convinced humans were coming to steal my land, sell me to slavery, and try to descale me. I came to Beacon, got partnered with a human, and spent a year undoing all that damage."

"Wow." Yang cocked her head, and the girl let out a little laugh.

"If you ever have to go down to Blacktail Reaches, you gotta be careful. The White Fang sentiment is still strong down there, but… Beacon really helped me figure things out. Now I'm working with three humans for everyone's sake, I'm helping with a club to educate people about our needs, and… I dunno, I don't get it anymore. Every side has bad apples, but ever since coming here… I mean, I used to be scared to shake the headmaster's hand, but now I do it whenever I see him. He's on our side, keeping everyone safe, not just humans or Faunus…"

"I hope I'm not, like, eighty years old when the White Fang and all those anti-Faunus groups are just post notes in a textbook. We've got bigger problems going on, but we can't get past ears and _tails."_ Yang sighed, earning a small, agreeing nod from the other girl.

"So… what brought you over to this booth?" The girl asked, an eyebrow cocked at the younger blonde. "You were wandering around like you were lost earlier."

"Eh, my partner went off for some ' _alone time,'_ so I was trying to see more of the campus." Yang shrugged, then reached down to smack a cardboard sign hanging off the table. "I saw a sign for free brownies and said, ' _oh hey, free food.'_ Then saw you and said, ' _oh hey, cute girl.'"_

"Ah, came for a treat and a show." The fish Faunus smirked. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm already kinda committed. You'd be a helluva catch if I wasn't." She gave Yang a quick once over showing a lovely, laid back smile.

"Aww, rats." Yang stomped in mock disappointment. "Well, either way, thanks for the food. It was good talking to you."

"It's…" The girl began, but slowed down as she grew embarrassed. "Look, I don't wanna sound like a sap, but it's true. People like you are why I still do this kinda work. It's good knowing that the Faunus aren't all alone. For every ass that comes up with a stupid ' _fish fry_ ' line, I get, like, five people like you. That's told me more about the world than my chieftain ever did. Thanks, miss."

"Yang." Yang corrected, smiling at the girl. "And hey, helping people out is why we're all in this business."

"Mhmm. Marina, by the way." At that, Yang let out a snort through her nose, and immediately bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing further. Marina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a real zinger of a name."

"If it makes you feel better, Yang means 'sun.'"

"Apt."

"Yep!"

The two waved their goodbyes as Yang continued her venture across the campus.

It wasn't something Yang thought about a lot, since it didn't pertain to her, but she could sympathize with the desire for rights, and equality. She got along well with her father, and valued him as a parent and a friend, but she wasn't truly free until she was an adult. It wasn't directly comparable–the Faunus were _oppressed,_ not underaged–but that yearning for freedom, to go where she pleased without being questions, it was the start of an understanding.

Yang stopped and turned to look down a hill by the sidewalk towards an open field. A pickup game of soccer had broken out, involving a dozen hunters chasing after the ball while crowds of students encircled an undefined field, whooping and cheering. Yang smirked; it was tempting to run down and hop into the fray and have some fun, but her body was aching… all that exercise was catching up to her, making her slow down, but there was still that craving to exert herself and do _something._

Jaune and Ren were both boys, Nora was committed, and Pyrrha was straight… Weiss was off limits, Blake was having 'me time', and the last person on Yang's team was Ruby, whom Yang would choose a full day of barehanded medical waste collection, followed by Ursa Major belly rub duty over sleeping with…

"Damn." Yang mumbled to herself, hands behind her head as she watched the game from above. It was fast-paced, with had lots of people _trying_ to be fancy, but the students were nothing compared to the pro soccer players. Yang turned away, walking away from the chance to show off and get moving again.

Maybe she could find a movie, or a good book to curl up with, and just relax. Or she could review her notes, which would be the _smart_ thing to do…

… But also the _boring_ thing to do. This was the beginning of the end of her education as a huntress! She was in a new place, full of new people to meet and new things to do! She'd spent the whole winter break dreaming of Beacon, of having a taste of _freedom._ Adults always encouraged her to enjoy being a kid while she had the chance, and she had every intention to!

Just… not when she was nearing the limit. She would sleep well tonight, _that_ she knew for sure.

Silently, she made her way towards the outer edges of Beacon's facilities. Being on the very border between civilization and the wilderness, Beacon was a safe haven that surrounded itself in an entirely-natural beauty, free of the politics of Vale and its growing crime issues. Yang liked staring out at the forests beyond, and listening to the gurgling rivers that encircled the academy.

It reminded her of her house, somewhat. Roomy, isolated, sort of 'one-with-nature', it was zen in its own way. Obviously Beacon was bigger, and filled with more people, but the chattering students and the roaring activity was more like a dull ambience while walking the school perimeter.

It could be overrated. That isolation meant Yang was more than a bike ride away from the nightlife she loved, and it was easy to get lonely, even with an energetic little sister around. Beacon would be different… it had a ton of people, and it was closer to Vale, and the forest was right here if she ever needed some isolation for whatever reason.

Once she had her hunting license, the rest of the world would be open to her. Money would come easy, work would be entertaining, she'd have plenty of people who adored the work she did for them, and she'd get to travel wherever she wished!

With any luck, she'd get to do it with a team of people she adored, too…

She paused as something occurred to her, stopping her in her tracks. Her jaw jut out, and she quietly looked back at the academy, thinking of her sister when a noise stole her attention.

"Hi- _yah!"_ Yang looked back towards the forest as a second cry took her mind off of things. " _Hah!"_ In the fading sunlight, she spotted a familiar blonde boy, out by himself, standing amidst the trees.

* * *

Jaune swung Crocea Mors, his sword cutting through the air hard enough to make the grass around him wiggle. He stepped back, slicing at the imaginary pincer of a Deafstreaker, then quickly raced in with his shield raised, sword primed in a stabbing position.

The imaginary scorpion suffered a debilitating cut to the eye, and Jaune braced himself as the invisible stinger skidded across his aura-strengthened shield. It was going to pull back, and in that moment, there'd be a brief second where it couldn't sting again, so…

He skipped left, avoiding a lashing claw, then right, as the next pincer tried for his head. The stinger would be back in position, but now he was in the Doomstriker's face! It wasn't at the right range to sting again, so he'd raise his sword and...

And… and hack through its armor? Jaune relaxed his stance, and stared down at the grass in thought; it took multiple solid blows on top of a _cliff_ to break through its carapace, what could his sword do?

Damn, where were the soft parts of the Darthstinger's body? The underbelly?... So if he just did what he was doing, but instead of rushing its face, he slid underneath… well, if it threw its weight onto him, he could stab it _as_ it crushed him. Or if it died, it would just fall on him. Still, it was a start… sorta.

"Crap." Jaune muttered to himself. He entered his ready stance again. Arms loose, shield at a low angle to reduce strain, yet ready to rise in a second; sword arm higher, ready to lash out and deflect. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, visualizing the opponent…

Two pincers, one stinger, and a _buttload_ of armor; Dreamstabbers were tough, so he needed to find the soft spots. Without a cliff he couldn't _create_ softspots on demand. Unlike his friends, he was lacking in raw strength, a game-changing semblance, blistering speed, or experience. He was behind in approximately everything, and if he was to catch up, he couldn't waste time.

The first blow would come from the stinger, so he raised his shield. Then, knock it aside, to create and opening, rush in, stab—

A vibrant ' _twang'_ made him lower his shield. Standing in front of him with a big grin, Yang held Crocea Mors' tip between two fingers, looking completely casual as she tossed his attempted stab to the side, leaving Jaune to slowly drain of facial color. "Hey dude, lookin' pretty intense."

" _Ah…?"_ Jaune wheezed, looking down at his sword, then at Yang. " _Oh my god!"_ Jaune squeaked in surprise.

"What?" Yang just blinked in confusion.

" _I could have killed you!"_

"... You… _really_ think so?" Yang tilted her head, putting on an unconvinced smirk.

" _I'm so sorry!"_ Crocea Mors fell to the ground, and Yang rolled her eyes as Jaune hastily inspected her fingers, all while whimpering like a kicked puppy. "I-I didn't see you coming, so—"

Jaune winced as Yang flicked his nose, sending him back a step, then waved her hand in idle concern. "Dude, I'm not stupid enough to step onto a practice range with my Aura down. Chill. Nice thrust though." Yang wiggled the two fingers, giving a cheeky grin.

"Ugh…" Jaune silently glanced down at Crocea Mors. "Still coulda _warned_ me." He muttered. This was not a sword meant to bite into human flesh; Crocea Mors was his legacy in a family of knights and hunters. But to what end? To slay the Grimm, to protect the innocent? That was the stuff Ruby babbled about… It was some nice, wholesome platitudes, but was that what _Jaune_ wanted?

"And ruin the surprise? Pfft- _naaaaah_." Yang chortled dismissively, but her eyes fell on Jaune. The boy did not respond, merely taking a couple of steps away and stretching his limbs out, to prep for his practice. In a show of goodwill, Yang moved out of range.

"Well, I'm gonna keep going. Don't… don't surprise me again, okay?" Jaune looked to Yang pleadingly, though she just gave him a cocksure grin.

Jaune took practiced steps forward, Crocea Mors slicing through the air after each move. His shout with each strike was loud and effective; Yang could _feel_ the power radiating from his chest. Yet it was... lacking. Each attack was widely telegraphed, the swings were too stiff, and the thrusts used too much elbow.

Yang wasn't a sword-fighter, and the sword-and-board sorts were lacking at Signal as advances in weapon technology encouraged a more offense-is-the-best-defense style of combat using twin weapons or large, two-handed weapons. Shields weren't as fashionable, unless you were Pyrrha Nikos, but there was still a large degree of versatility they offered that many overlooked in favor of a bigger, heavier weapon. Yang had enough insight in basic weapons training to see where Jaune was lacking.

It made her wonder, though; he was here at Beacon fighting like _that?_ It caused Yang's jaw to roll in a slow, thoughtful manner. He was in need of some instruction. It technically wasn't Yang's job to do it, but Ruby liked the guy, and based on how earnestly he presented himself, both before and after his attempts at flirting, he cared more about the girls around him than how they filled out a skirt.

"Hold up one sec!" Yang called out. Jaune nearly stumbled over his own feet as he instinctively complied, and he stood still as Yang strode out, circling around to his right side. He swallowed dryly as the absolute bombshell of a woman examined him, and he couldn't help but look back, but his concentration was broken when her hands closed around his forearm.

"Is, uh, everything okay?" He asked. Yang's strong fingers dug into his arm, clamping around the muscles like a vice, making Jaune instinctively call up his Aura to keep her from accidentally hurting him.

"S'fine. Drop it." She ordered. She heard his sword hit the forest floor, and an amused smirk crossed her face. "I meant your Aura."

"Oh, uh—" Jaune waved his now free right hand, trying to dismiss his Aura while Yang bent over in front of him. He froze, his eyes travelled all over the gorgeous blonde's figure as she took Crocea Mors by the handle. She stood, and Jaune felt his heart hammering as their eyes locked onto each other's.

Weiss may have been at the forefront of his interests, and Yang may have had different priorities in partners, but Jaune couldn't help that surge of warmth that entered his groin. He silently feared that even _feeling_ this way was overstepping his boundaries, but no reprisal came his way as Yang inspected Crocea Mors' make. "Simple little thing, isn't she?"

"H-huh?" Jaune's dazed look broke as Yang rested Mors' blade across one hand. "Who? Her? My sword?" He blinked rapidly, and Yang bit back a laugh.

"Eyes on the prize, big guy. Yeah, your sword. She's nice, just _simple."_ Yang lifted Crocea Mors in her right hand, and laid the blade across her shoulder. She held such a calm, casual stance that she didn't look like a hunter; she looked like she was posing for a photoshoot. "Though simple ain't bad; some people try _way_ too hard with their weapons."

"Yeah, sure, I can imagine." Jaune hesitantly took a step forward, reaching for his sword. Yang didn't move to hand it back, and a spell of awkwardness made him slow as his fingertips brushed her knuckles. It was the last thing he remembered before he found himself lying flat on his back, the Aura in front of his stomach shining as sympathetic pain wracked his body.

He fluttered his eyes, sucking in a deep breath as he clutched his aching front, sitting up with a groan. Yang hadn't… she _wouldn't_ have, would she? He looked up at her, where the gorgeous blonde's fist was still balled where she'd hit him, and only retracted when Jaune stared at her. She _had._ "Yang, what the _hell?!"_ He demanded, standing up quickly, ignoring the ache in his belly. "Give me my sword!" He ordered in his big brother voice, but being a fellow older sibling, Yang was immune to anything but little sister guilt.

"You want it? You gotta earn it." Yang stated, Mors idly bouncing on her shoulder's Aura. She watched his movements with hawk-like precision as his confusion turned to frustration, his frustration into anger, and his anger into movement. His right arm reared back, his fingers stretched out, his left arm bringing his shield to bear, and his knees bent.

Predictable.

He threw himself towards her, his hand only just starting to extend when Yang moved. She crossed underneath his arm, moving to his left side, and his head turned in surprise to watch her. Her left fist lashed out with zero warning, too quick for him to react, and he nearly fell on his face as the sound of her Aura-guarded fist slammed loudly into his shield.

He caught himself on one foot, stumbling to keep his balance, and he whirled to face Yang, his lips peeled back in anger. "Yang, that is _my_ weapon! I need it to practice!" He was starting to shout. He walked stiffly over to her. His right hand twitched, his left arm raised; he was expecting a fight.

Good.

His right hand thrust out to grab the blonde and keep her still, but she was gone before his hand was even raised. He whirled around, chasing her as she skipped an actual circle around him. His hand reached out, again and again, trying to grab her, _any_ part of her, but she ducked, spun, and dodged with extraordinary ease.

Each and every time he tried, her fist planted against his shield, making him quiver at the loud ' _clang'_ of knuckle on steel. He had no time to react either; her fist was like lightning, he never saw the start-up, and he only knew it was coming because she attacked whenever she dodged, targeting his shield and his shield alone.

She was taunting him, and he could feel himself growing angrier. She was dodging him before he could even _try_ and grab her, and even when he incorporated his shield, trying to stun her, she stayed perfectly untouched, and each and every single time she slugged his shield, always keeping his sword just out of reach.

" _Damnit_ , Yang!" Jaune tried to rush her while trying to keep his footwork loose so he wouldn't fall over, but she slid a foot forward, stepped in, and he stopped the instant before he ate a knuckle sandwich.

He reared back in shock, Yang's fist caressing the tip of his chin. He'd seen the step in, but he wasn't able to register it and react in time before she struck. She could have easily sent him flying, but she'd stopped.

After a few seconds, Jaune finally got the feeling in his legs back. He stumbled back unsteadily, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and stared at Yang. His fellow blonde retreated into her casual stance as Jaune eyed her, wondering what she was trying to accomplish, when without warning she threw herself at him.

Jaune gasped as his shield rang, the force of her fist sent him sliding back. He barely caught himself from falling flat on his back as Yang sauntered up to him.

He was angry, he was surprised, he was all around put-out, but even still he couldn't stop himself from watching the way her hips rocked as she approached him. Much more calmly, Yang lifted her left hand and set a finger on his nose. "You're slow." She told him factually.

"What?!" Jaune said in surprise, finally jerked out of the surrealness of what had just occurred. "You _assaulted_ me!" He pointed out to her, slapping her hand out of his face with an angry frown. "What are you doing, Yang?! I should _tell Ruby!"_

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang held her hand up defensively, putting on a serious expression. "Let's not get drastic here. I was trying to teach you a lesson. In that whole little thing I put you through, did you manage to touch me? Like at all?"

"Well—"

"No, the answer's no."

"I think I might've accidentally elbowed your boob…"

"Cherish it." Yang ordered flatly, but then relaxed. She held her left hand up, curled into a fist. "You have a lot of problems with your form. You might have the power–" Her fist whipped past his ear and back to normal so fast, he only recognized the sound of it, "–but you're lacking in speed and control. Any opponent you come at with those moves is going to be able to read you like a book."

"If I had my sword, I could get faster." Jaune pointed out in an annoyed tone, but Yang's eyes flashed a bloody red, so he zipped his lips.

"Let me show you something." As she spoke, she planted Crocea Mors blade-first into the ground between Jaune's feet, making him flinch. Yang moved to Jaune's right, raising her fists and focusing on the air in front of her.

"Think of your arm like a gun: your fist is the bullet, your forearm's the hammer. Your fist'll hit whatever you're looking at if you trust your forearm. So here's what you do: relax your wrist, your fingers, and your elbow; don't tense up or you'll be off-angle." Yang's hand moved loosely at the end of her arm. "Only firm up _as_ you strike. This is important, _even_ with a sword. Otherwise, hitting the dude'll knock your sword out of your hand, and nothing's more embarrassing than disarming yourself."

"Speaking from experience?" Jaune asked. Despite himself, he listened. He pulled Mors from the ground and did as she did. His family sword wove through the air like a wand, making indistinct, invisible patterns with the tip.

"Ha! You wish! But now…" Yang rolled her shoulder, grinning to herself. "Put all that strength into your forearm. Trust your eye, trust your arm. While you're at it, throw your body into it too. Step into the hit, swing as if you're gonna cut _through_ your opponent, and never hesitate." And just like that, she threw a simple, clean jab, one that may have very well have _been_ a bullet for all Jaune saw.

"You make it sound so easy." Jaune mumbled. He tried to reconcile Yang's words with his uncle's training. His uncle had been a good teacher, or so he'd assumed, but this was much more clinical. His uncle was a big ' _feel, don't think'_ type, it seemed like Yang put more thought into _how_ she punched… "Y'know, I never pegged you for the sort to think so much about punching."

Yang stood back as Jaune stepped forward with a simple, powerful, horizontal slice. It came at a bad angle, and lost control near the end, so Jaune needed an extra couple of precious seconds to get back into position, but he tried again. Closer… "Blame my dad. He went and studied hand-to-hand combat in Mistral before me and Ruby were born. We fight like we're off the streets, but there's some real technique behind it."

"Well, this isn't exactly hand-to-hand…" The next slice cut through the air, enough to make a visible ripple from the speed. Jaune froze at the end of his swing, blinking. He readied up again, the feeling of that moment–of that _slice–_ playing through his mind. It had felt _good_. Powerful, fast, but his next one wasn't anywhere _near_ as clean. His arm was too tense; he had to loosen up. He just… had to learn how to do that. He looked over to Yang. She probably knew, but he couldn't keep running to others for help. He was a hunter, from a long line of hunters, from a bloodline of _knights;_ he could figure it out. It was in his blood, after all.

Watching Jaune train himself was genuinely interesting. He moved like a rookie but swung with conviction. There was a _need_ in his attacks, he wasn't settling for the half-hearted, loose-swings brought on by his tiredness and frustration, it's only when he made a cut that wouldn't look out of place in Beacon did he seem satisfied, and even then, he carried on with it. It reminded Yang of Ruby, back when she'd first created Crescent Rose, spending the long hours of the afternoon getting each swing just right.

Yang lounged back against a tree, arms behind her head, watching in curiosity as Jaune rested his hands on his knees and panted. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, and forced himself upright, sword and shield primed and ready. Yang cracked a small smile as he focused on the empty space in front of him, then frowned as he faltered, dropping to one knee.

Jaune wordlessly punched the ground. He wasn't done yet, even if his body was trying to tell him otherwise. He'd be happy once he knew he could take that Darthstreamer one on one, he just needed a moment…

He glanced up when a weight settled on his shoulder, and he followed the hand up to Yang's face. The blonde beauty fixed him with a smile, and Jaune felt his heart flutter, and then found himself on his back, thrown to the ground with a simple pull of her hand. Jaune's eyes fluttered as he watched the darkening sky above, and he glanced at Yang in quiet shock as she plopped down next to him, legs crossed.

"... Are you this rough on Ruby?" Jaune asked in worry, his limbs stretching out. They burned, but relief flooded him as he finally relaxed. He let go of Crocea Mors, and both sword and shield rest in the grass as Yang shrugged.

"Only when she screws up. Part of why she's such a little ass-kicker now." Yang leaned back, resting on her arms as Jaune remained silent. His cheek twitched as he subtly eyed the swell of her chest from this angle, and pushed down the bubbling annoyance towards Yang's sexuality.

In the moment of his training, concentrating was easy, but no matter how many times he looked, Yang's good looks seemed to taunt him. He swallowed thickly, and sighed. "Makes sense." Life was unfair sometimes, but he wasn't about to betray his feelings or, _even worse,_ chase after somebody who couldn't feel the same. Still, they at least _shared_ an interest, it wasn't like her desires were totally alien. In fact… "Hey, Yang?"

"'Sup?"

"You're successful with girls, right?"

"Gay ones, yeah." Yang answered with a cheeky smirk.

Jaune gave an embarrassed smile. "How do you do it?"

"Easy! See, you wanna start with the ears or the neck, get all kissy, make 'em pant and sweat, _then_ you get your hand up in-"

" _Not that!"_ Jaune slapped Yang's forearm, drawing a loud, happy cackle from her. Jaune rubbed his blushing cheeks, and continued. "Damnit Yang… okay, _look._ How do you get them to… y'know… like you?"

Yang was still grinning, but she contemplated her answer a little longer than not at all. She relaxed, and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have a good answer. Usually, I just show them I'm interested. Go up and talk to them, find what they're interested in, compliment the way they look. Gotta do it with some confidence… and girls like cheesy. Throw out a wink or two, just watch 'em melt. Otherwise, everybody's different, there's no one thing everybody likes. Except, like, being alive, but that's edging into some illegal territory..."

"Uh-huh…" Just like his family had said, again and again. Confidence confidence _confidence…_ maybe he needed to try harder? ' _Fake it 'til you make it'_ was a thing, apparently. He sighed thickly; where did you find actual, for real confidence? In being good at something? Yang was plenty good, it seemed, and she was plenty confident… she could have been a model or something, and Jaune definitely would have kept a picture of her on his wall if she was, but no, she chose to be a huntress...

Like he did. Like Pyrrha did. Like Ruby, Weiss, Nora, and Ren did...

"Hey, Yang?" Jaune asked as his fingers found a leaf to rub between his fingertips nervously as the heart-stopper by his side glanced at him. "Why do you…? Hrm…"

"Hrmm?"

"Um, err, like… why are you a hunter?" He looked up at her, but she had turned away. "Like, what's being a hunter mean to _you?"_ She was staring straight ahead, a small, curious smile on her lips.

"To me? It means never having to worry about a thing." Yang sighed, not sounding boastful. If anything, there was a hope in her voice that made Jaune scrunch his brow in confusion. "Sounds stupid, right? But it's the truth. I like to fight. Best way to fight is by being a hunter. Hunters make money, so I can buy whatever I want. People like hunters and want them around, so I can go wherever I want. The hunter's code has easy rules to follow, and I'm not a dick, so it's not like any city's going to have a problem with me." It meant being strong enough that her family would be safe. She'd be strong enough that nobody could walk out of the door suddenly and disappear forever. She'd be strong enough that the two most important people she had could sleep soundly, knowing she'd return to help them…

"You sound like you were born for this sorta thing." Jaune smirked.

Yang smiled back. "Sorta, yeah." It wasn't the _whole_ truth. She also wanted freedom from the responsibility of trying to mend a broken family, now that it was healed; to escape a place that held some of her worst nightmares. She wanted that carefree happiness she'd only gotten a taste of in the past few years. The thought of it was making her stomach flip, and a guilt gnawed at her. It was time to stop thinking. "Okay…"

Jaune looked as Yang stood up and stretched, arms behind her head as she thrust her chest out and took a deep breath. She crossed her arms and spoke like a drill sergeant. "Getcher ass up and grab your toothpick, Jaune. You ain't done until you're crawling back to the dorm one-handed."

"... Eh?" He fluttered his lashes, and let out an unmanly shriek as he was unceremoniously yanked to his feet.

* * *

"So a _picture_ of your eyes isn't harmful?" Weiss was ever the picture of grace, even with beads of sweat dripping off her chin; she stayed upright, a hand over her chest as she breathed rapidly to soothe her aching lungs.

"That's what Proff- _D-Dr._ Oobleck said." Ruby confirmed as the latest tendrils of shadow slithered away from the latest victim of Weiss's practice; the boarbatusk had been slain so quickly by Weiss's now well trained flourish that neither of them had gotten the opportunity to feel threatened. Ruby called and Weiss slayed, the Boarbatusks steadily becoming less and less of a threat.

As the slaying the Grimm became less of an obstacle Weiss grew exponentially better; she was no longer afraid of them, and her Aura was that much more sturdy as a result. Even the few that caught her off guard rarely left little more than a ding in her armor, and Ruby noted proudly that Weiss was looking like one hell of a huntress.

"Then it shouldn't be terribly difficult to introduce people to the–hmm– _concept_ of your eyes. A simple scroll picture will at least prepare them for the _view;_ whether or not they decide to react rationally to the whole fear aspect is a different matter." Weiss held her arm out for the next Boarbatusk, but Ruby noted, with a frown, that the girl's stance wavered, and Weiss had to lower her blade with a wince.

"The Headmaster was pretty, um… h-he gave me orders not to reveal my eyes whatsoever. I-I really don't think it's a good idea at all to… I dunno…" Ruby slowly walked over to her partner, her fingers squeezed tightly together. "Even i-if it helps, I'd be disobeying orders."

Yang would have dismissed the line of logic with a snort and called it stupid, but Weiss gave a small, understanding sigh, her jaw rolling slowly. "Still, it's a step in the right direction. Doctor Oobleck's research might open that possibility up in the future."

"... You're not gonna fight me on it?" Ruby asked tentatively, standing in front of her partner with a small, curious look.

Weiss simply looked confused, "why would I? They're the headmaster's orders; until they endanger us or become too cumbersome, I see no reason to break the rules."

Ruby nodded and took Weiss by the wrist. The urge to pull away from this sudden, unasked-for touch made Weiss stiffen, but she silently granted Ruby permission, provided it stayed appropriate. She followed Ruby's gaze down to her own fingers, which she noticed were trembling.

"I'm _okay."_ Weiss said with a small sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Combat still makes me shaky, I'll admit, but it's nothing to be concerned about. It's just nerves and excitement, so don't—" Weiss's voice caught in her throat as Ruby gently curled Weiss's fingers into a fist, then wrapped her hands around the girl's shaking digits. "Ruby, this is unnecessary, it'll go away on its own." Weiss insisted.

Ruby had cool hands, helping ease the rush of blood to her fingertips, soothing the immense heat that had built up as a result of Weiss's training. Weiss swallowed thickly, her uncomfortable expression tinged red as Ruby silently let her go. "There," Ruby nodded. "All better."

"That was unnecessary." Weiss muttered, staring at her hand, noting that her fingers had stopped shaking. She let her arm hang by her side to take her mind off it, and shook her head. What a ridiculous thing to get worked up about, the both of them. Weiss was fine; she didn't need her hand held, and such simple, physical contact shouldn't have put her off her footing so much… "Ahem, anyway, this was an excellent way for us to train. We should seriously consider other applications of your power in future training."

"M-maybe…" Ruby's voice trailed off, looking away from Weiss as the heiress made a move for the door.

"Let's head back, shall we? I could use a small snack before bed." Ruby did not see it, but Weiss had a naughty smile on her face. _Snacks_ before bed? It would ruin her figure! It was irresponsible and gluttonous! Such travesty! Such rebellion! Weiss had to hide a small giggle as she opened the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ruby still standing in the middle of the room. "Ruby?"

"Oh, uh, yeah…" Ruby rubbed the back of her head, her other hand tightly squeezing Crescent Rose's pole. "Um, y-you can go ahead w-without me, Weiss." She tried to offer a calming smile, but it only came off as nervous. "I'm going to do some p-pr-practicing of my own."

"Oh!" Weiss sighed softly, turning to better face Ruby. "I'm sorry, I took up the entire time fighting Boarbatusks." She hefted Myrtenaster up, but Ruby raised her hand and shook her head.

"I-it's alright. Y-you can go get s-snacks, I won't be super l-long. I d-don't want to be rusty for to-tomorrow's combat c-class." Ruby's nervous smile continued, and Weiss evaluated her for a second longer. A small frown crossed Weiss's face.

"Ruby, I _am_ your partner, I _am_ supposed to help you." A tightness crossed Weiss's lips, and her stare hardened on Ruby. "You _do_ trust me, don't you?"

" _I-I do!_ I do!" Ruby's face went pale at the implication, and her shoulders drooped, a sigh escaping her. "B-but… I-I need a," she gulped, "like, just a minute or s-something b-by myself. Y'know? P-practicing w-was sorta m-me time. I-I'm sorry, that s-sounds selfish, I—"

"Save it." Weiss ordered, Myrtenaster's point lowering as Weiss sighed. "I understand. Take the time you need, but you either contact me or come straight to the dorm room when curfew—no!" Weiss interrupted herself with a huff, "An hour _before_ curfew. I don't want to have to rush around campus trying to find you if you get lost, so don't you dare make me impatient, understood?" Weiss planted her hands on her hips. Ruby gave her a rapid, stiff nod, alongside her nervous smile. "Good. Take your time, Ruby."

With that, Weiss slipped out the door, leaving Ruby to herself.

Herself, and her pool of monsters.

" _Keep your arms low and your core firm."_

Ruby swallowed thickly as she remembered her uncle's words. Crescent's Rose's cold, sharp tip dug into the floor, scraping against the hardened tile with a gentle, yet threatening, noise.

" _Hear that sound, pipsqueak? Does it scare you? It should."_

Slowly, Crescent Rose cut a thin, barely perceptible line through the floor as Ruby dragged the tip in a circle, the noise growing in volume until it reach her other side. Once her arms had reached the limit of her flexibility, and the noise had ceased, Crescent Rose began to spin.

" _Hundreds of_ — _well, actually, maybe even thousands-a' years ago, the scythe was a symbol of death; used to lop off heads and take souls. That sound, and the one I'm about to show you, is scratched into the soul of every living being on Remnant. When they hear it, they can't help but be scared."_

Ruby spun Crescent Rose, much like a baton twirler, but rather than being accompanied by streamers and music, the red blur of her weapon created the noise of hissing steel. It scraped the floor, it disturbed the air, the violently whirling weapon, mixed with Ruby's slow but ceaseless spin in place, made for a haunting defense.

" _I know it ain't in you to hurt people, pipsqueak, but Grimm aren't the only dangerous thing out there. Hell, they ain't even the worst. Sometimes, your best bet to beating up a buncha upjumped punks is to scare the hell out of them before you rip 'em apart. After all, aura's greatest weakness is fear…"_

The sound reverberated through the room. It was a comforting noise, one that left Ruby with a nostalgic feeling of the day she had first gotten the movements right, how that noise had suddenly flooded from her and changed her world. It had been her first step of actual progression in her scythe training, one she still relied on to this day…

" _Grimm don't feel fear like people, but they're also dumber. Don't think of this as 'I'm just going to hurt people doing this.' You wanna be a hero, right? Well, sometimes, the coolest things heroes do are the scariest too."_

The spinning wheel of death suddenly lashed out, a low-angled strike, from hip to shoulder, too quick to be seen by the untrained eye, too strong to be blocked by an unprepared arm, and almost instantly retracted into a another death spin.

" _One day, you're going to have to face people,_ hunters. _It's a fact of life that every herd of sheep has at least one wolf pulling the wool over our eyes, and sheep by sheep, they're going to snap 'em up. We're shepherds, Ruby, we kill the wolves threatening our flock… even the ones wearing our wool."_

Ruby swallowed thickly. Time and time again her uncle had hammered home that Grimm weren't even the worst problem humanity had. Ruby wanted to disagree, but the history books made it clear that the worst crimes ever committed against mankind were perpetuated by mankind. The Grimm were dangerous, yes, but not deceitful, not liars, not kings, or premiers, or archbishops or—

" _You can't be scared of it, Ruby. You can feel sad later, but sometimes the call has to be made. Sometimes you have to corner a wolf as they pull that wool as tight around them as they can, and then you gotta pull the trigger. It ain't fun, but it's reality. Hate the Grimm all you want, but until a person makes it their mission to make your life hell, you won't know true hate."_

Ruby stopped mid-spin, Crescent Rose's blade slamming into the tile as she did. She took a few, deep, unsteady breaths and clenched her fist as she stared ahead. Enough of that. Enough thinking about people. It was making her blood boil, making her worry and afraid. They… the ones below, they could feel her losing her grip on things. She had loosened her grip and got stuck on a bad thought, and they were ready to pour out.

They _craved_ escape, more than anything, so that could wet their teeth and claws in her blood and rampage through the school, bringing misery and slaughter to the place of their oldest enemies. Clicking claws tried to pull at the back of her mind, but Ruby did not obey.

… Not… _completely,_ anyways.

" _What you got ain't a gift, it's a curse. Only you can stop yourself from falling into it, so no matter what you do, if you want to live, you have to overcome. You gotta be stronger than even me, pipsqueak, so prove to me that all these lessons aren't a mistake."_

For a brief time, the Grimm had been useful. Ruby hated to admit it–they were monsters, the greatest enemies of mankind–but Weiss had made use of them.

A trail of ink spread from the soles of her feet, forming a jagged tendril across the ground, which spread across the floor, stopping at around ten feet. The circle began to open, the gate unlocking, the veil lifting, and the pool expanded.

Ruby stood firmly as a misshapen figure began to rise. She had complete control. It was just a Grimm. A completely normal Beowolf…

Dripping the excess darkness, a quivering claw emerged from the blobby form, white claws slashing the air as the Beowolf pulled itself from its prison. Its claws slammed into the floor, and slowly the rest began to emerge as it released a perilous snarl.

A totally normal Beowolf… not like the one in the forest, not like the Nevermore, not like the thing that had nearly killed her and eaten her—

Ruby took a step back, gasping in shock as the muddied shape of the Beowolf threw out a pair of enormous wings, feathers twitching unnaturally as the shadow slid down its face, revealing not the bone-white mask of a savage wolf, but a beak and the piercing, intelligent eyes of a raven.

"N-no…" Ruby whispered. Her knees were beginning to tremble. That was not what she wanted! She'd called for a Beowolf! She was losing control, she could feel sweat forming, she could feel weakness spreading across her limbs, she had to keep control—

A second claw lashed out, joining the first, and the mutant Grimm hauled itself from the pool. The pitch-black wings gave a thunderous flap, shedding sharpened pinions all over the floor; the beak spread to let loose a rumbling, choked ' _caw';_ the Beowolf's torso and claws pulled it further out of the puddle, revealing the back legs to be the clicking talons of a Nevermore.

It stood on all fours, hunched over like a gorilla, those intelligent, hungry eyes focused on Ruby. Pale and frightened, the girl stared back at the eight-foot monster that dragged itself towards her. It was bigger than the Grimm she had summoned before, far more intimidating, flexing a long, slender tail topped with a golden, thorned bulb, whose stringer dripped a black, effluvial toxin.

Flashbacks of being tossed about and just barely pulling herself to safety went through Ruby's head. She would be a toy again, something to sit in the monster's belly and die alone and in pain…

Crescent Rose's tip trembled against the floor as the hybrid lurched towards her, crying out for blood, barely able to keep its footing with its disfigured body. Its claws reached out for her, those boney points aiming for her face, its trundling movements bringing it ever closer and closer.

She had to fight back. She had to move. It would kill her if she didn't! Crescent Rose raised behind her, and she felt the tip of those claws scraped against her aura as it encircled her head. No no _no no no…_

She couldn't die, she couldn't _lose._

 _She had to call Weiss before_ _curfew!_

The hybrid let out a surprised squawk as the portal expanded below it, and a massive talon lurched out, grabbing ahold of its midsection. From the new pool, the Nevermore's leg rose high, carrying the murderous Grimm into the air, away from Ruby, while the mutant shrieked and clawed, trying to regain its freedom. Without so much as a warning, the hybrid was slammed into the floor, the summoned leg pinning it to the ground while furiously squeezing, crushing it so tightly that the hybrid's wings cracked painfully.

Ruby felt a resurgence of energy. She had to act now; she couldn't be caught off guard again, that was how they got you! She dashed forward, Crescent Rose spinning around her as the hybrid twisted and squirmed, trying to force its captor to loosen its grip, but then those furious eyes locked onto Ruby. It let out one final cry of rage, trying to lunge its beak for one final, contemptuous stab, but the hiss of steel ended its attempted rampage.

Ruby panted, watching the odd mutant melt into the floor to rejoin the massive claw she had summoned. The enormous limb drew back into the puddle. As quickly as it had started, the moment had ended. The Grimm were gone, the portal closed, and the snapping in the back of Ruby's mind louder than ever.

They had come close. _So close..._

Ruby held a hand over her face, her lips thin and tight, her eyes squeezing shut as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. She was here to be a hunter; summoning these monsters only hurt her. She was already walking on thin ice. Any given moment was a chance for them to escape and rampage; to slaughter her peers and prove her greatest fears right.

Was she really going to help people?... That was all she wanted; to make up for… _this…_

A loud buzz, followed by the dulcet tones of a quiet, mournful guitar shook Ruby out of her hazy worry, and her hand slipped into her hip pouch to pull out her scroll. She stared at the screen, blinking away the fright she had just experienced, staring at the words:

 _[Where are you?]_

Ruby fluttered her eyelids, taking a second to confirm that the message was from Yang, and she pushed down her shame and terror to type back.

 _[Practice.]_

 _[That's my girl. Wanna get ice cream?]_

 _[I'm not done yet.]_

 _[Sucks to be you, I'm getting ice cream.]_

 _[... I'm supposed to practice…]_

 _[But ICE CREAM.]_

 _[Last one to the cafeteria is a filthy boy-lover!]_

 _[:)]_

One day, Ruby would have to kill Grimm outside of the classroom, and one day… she might have to fight another hunter for real, but she had somebody to lean on in the meantime. Actually… she had quite a few people to lean on, but the best of them was her older sister.

She felt bad that she was sorta lying to Weiss about practice, but… _ice cream…_

* * *

The door clicked open, and Blake hastily slid her journal into her pillowcase as she heard footsteps coming in. She had to silence the inner alarm bells going off at the possibility of an intruder, but she was still on edge as she sat up and looked down on Weiss from the top of her bunk.

"Hello Blake." Weiss nodded up at her team-and-roommate as she walked over to her own bunk, carrying a small styrofoam clamshell container in one hand. In the other was Myrtenaster, though carried in a walking cane grip to indicate ease.

"Hey." Blake responded, her skin still crawling. The possibility of being caught with her secret journal, especially by _Weiss_ , made her inwardly hiss, but she had nothing to fear right now _._ Weiss seemed unconcerned with what Blake had been up to, and Blake was fed-up with her own paranoia about the girl.

Weiss plopped onto her mattress, setting Myrtenaster next to her as she opened the clamshell with a big grin. Blake watched, mystified as Weiss hungrily ate carrot sticks with a sneaky glee, but rather than be annoyed with the confusion, Blake found it endearing. It reminded her of when she'd sneak some of the Fang rookies a little extra food from the pot when they were having a bad day, how they'd suddenly act like they had the world in their palms.

Sometimes, food was all it took to bring somebody out of a bad mood. Blake appreciated the sentiment. It was one that both species could share.

The container was set aside, and before Weiss took hold of Myrtenaster, she used a handkerchief hidden in her sash to wipe her hands clean. With one thumb on the release switch, the other spun the dust revolver that made her weapon so personally iconic.

A turn of a small, hidden switch, and a gentle tug separated the blade from the hilt, allowing her to twist out the revolver chamber. Blake watched as Weiss scrambled to grab a towel from the bathroom to rest the disassembled pieces of her weapon on, and, using a toolkit clearly designed with Myrtenaster in mind, began to care for her weapon.

The blade would hardly be damaged if Weiss's Aura did its job, and judging by how quickly the Schnee evaluated the pointy end, Blake was correct. However, tending to the dust chambers seemed to be on the forefront of Weiss's priorities. Manually checking Dust levels, inspecting the loading springs, careful cleaning, and assessing the cause of any leakages, Weiss was enormously thorough, with incredibly steady hands. She would have made for a fine lockpicker or camp technician.

Blake banished the thought as it passed through her head. A Schnee in the White Fang? Utterly absurd! Adam would have had her—

Blake winced, slinking away from the edge of her bed to rest in the middle. She knew exactly what would have happened, and the thought perturbed her. There was a time, long ago, when she would have considered whether or not Weiss deserved it. Even now, she considered what the White Fang were set to gain with a Schnee captive, especially one as well-known and influential as Weiss, but there'd be no honor, no restraint, and no care.

She liked to think of the short term gains and the long term advantages the group would benefit from. Having probably the most visible and popular of the Schnees as a hostage—a _pampered_ hostage—would give the White Fang clout and force the SDC into a compromising position. After all, how could they abandon one of their most publicly-acclaimed spokespeople?

 _Pampered_ was the keyword there: if the world saw Weiss as beaten and disheveled, they would not be interested in compromise, but revenge. The White Fang had to present itself as daring, dangerous, and calculating, but _not_ as violent and savage. Certain precautions had to be taken if they wanted humanity to see them as noble freedom fighters with the ability to compromise.

But if the public saw them as unreasonably dangerous, then they were due to be exterminated. If they saw people who treated their captives well and called for change, not ransom, then sympathies would abound.

But, these days, Adam was not interested in creating sympathy, talking points, or equality through politics. He had grown comfortable _killing_ humans. Blake knew the necessity of violence for self-defense and infiltration, but _killing_ people? Even before she got to meet Weiss in person, the thought of killing the girl or her father left made her stomach clench and her heart feeling heavy.

She'd heard several reports about Schnees from the branch families being killed by the White Fang in self-defense, and though a number of her comrades had celebrated it, it always left Blake feeling off for the rest of the day. They were fighting for liberation, but no one Schnee was wholly responsible for the Faunus plight, no one Schnee was the embodiment of oppression and evil…

… At least one could humble herself, strive to teach, and make efforts to learn.

"Weiss?" Blake's voice surprised even herself. She hadn't expected to be the first to make conversation, even if she expected conversation to happen.

"Hmm?" Weiss responded as she carefully scraped and wiped away Dust imprints around the release valve of each cylinder.

"Do you think we have a purpose?" Blake asked, watching the ceiling.

Her only response for what felt like a long time was the tinkling of metal and the brush of cloth. Blake turned her head to look over at Weiss, who was examining the dust revolver carefully, adding more dust to the chambers that needed it. "I believe…" Weiss finally spoke, slowly, her appraising eye fixated unblinkingly on her equipment, pausing only long enough to finish, "… It's to grow."

To grow… "Explain?" Blake more ordered than asked, watching Weiss carefully reassemble Myrtenaster.

"Nobody is ever truly happy with who they are and what they have." Weiss did as she was told, putting Myrtenaster through its mechanical paces, and adjusting whatever flaws she saw. "We all want more. Money, power, land, and so on, so we figure out what we want and work towards it, every day that we're alive."

"So…" Blake focused her full attention on Weiss now, her bow subtly shifting to hear the girl in full, "You aren't _truly_ satisfied being Weiss Schnee? Possibly the richest girl in the _world?"_

"Oh I'm _rich,_ but that doesn't mean I don't want more." Weiss lifted her blade, and sighed contently as she, for the moment, found it utterly flawless.

"More _riches?"_

"More everything." Weiss corrected. "I have money, but I want to be strong, as a hunter _and_ a chief executive officer. I want to be smarter, too, to know as much as the world has to offer me. I'm also hoping to grow _at least_ two more inches before my next birthday…" Weiss glanced down at her feet, where she wore a pair of simple flats. Her typical combat heels added those two inches, and Blake only just noticed the difference. It _thrilled_ her.

"If you say so, short-stuff." Blake put on a small grin, to which Weiss shot her an extraordinary pout.

"I am a very _reasonable_ height, but it's proven that taller people have a natural charismatic bonus in leadership positions!"

"By that logic, you should be scrambling when I say ' _Get me some fish and come feed me.'"_

Weiss let out a loud, exhausted groan, and raised a finger of warning towards Blake. " _I_ am going to go put my weapon in storage before you say something that puts it in your _gut!"_ With that, Weiss left, leaving Blake with a small, satisfied smile… Yes, that adorable, pouting little brat was certainly the face of terror among the Faunus.

Blake had long learned how to tell an empty warning from a legitimate threat, and Weiss exuded all the danger of a well-groomed rabbit. There was nothing to fear from her, no reason to hurt her… though, a dangerous, _youthful_ part of Blake told her that teasing wasn't _hurting..._

Weiss returned just a few minutes later from the dorm's locker-exchange, striding in with her chin held high, her shoulders squared, and her spine straightened, trying to look as large and imposing as possible. However, in the same way a house cat's fear response simply drew amused smiles from their owners, Weiss's posturing only made Blake grin, and crunch _loudly._

The heiress didn't catch on immediately, going straight to her bed and scanning it carefully. Only a second crunch drew Weiss's eye, and Blake waved down at her as she swallowed thickly. "You _didn't."_ Weiss snarled, puffing up with all the indignation of a startled tabby.

"You can't leave food unguarded in the wild, Weiss. Wild animals will be _all_ over it." Blake reached into Weiss's box of carrot sticks and held one up, bringing it close to her mouth.

Weiss seethed, raising her fists in a promise of violence as her eyes grew wide with ice-blue rage. "Y-You thief! You lowest of the _low!_ Return my snacks to me _at once,_ and mayhaps I won't visit revenge and _r-r-r_ uin upon you!"

Blake could only stare. Did she seriously _roll_ her r's? Oh, the princess was getting upset, and it was _adorable._ The way she stomped her feet, held her hand out, and tightened her lips like she was the most dangerous thing in the room. "Hm…" Blake stared at the carrot stick in her hand. "I dunno, it's the last one."

" _Blake…"_

"It's pretty thick. Juicy lookin' too."

"Don't you taunt me, Blake, or I will—" Weiss cut herself short with an enraged gasp, watching her teammate chew slowly and contently through the dripping veggie stick. The black haired beauty's eyes closed slowly as she popped the rest in her mouth, and let out a moan of hedonistic contentment that left Weiss red in the face. "You–you _hussy!"_

"C'mon princess, let it all out." Blake cooed through a tactical opening between her lips, then swallowed the carrot mash on her tongue.

"That is _it!"_ Weiss threw her pointer finger out. "For this transgression, you are hereby _banned_ from my notes for the _rest of the week!"_ Weiss's overly dramatic tantrum could have only been made more perfect by a crack of lightning, but Blake was not blessed with such fortune.

" _Oh."_ Blake monotoned, a hand over her heart. "Whatever shall I do? None of Weiss Schnee's fancy notes? I guess I'll have to make do with my own." Blake grinned, stretching out on her bed, idly flicking the open lid to the carrot sticks' container.

"It's important to get your knowledge from multiple perspectives! After all, I am likely the second most, if not _the_ most, knowledgeable about Dust in the school! I know everything and _then_ some about the Schnee-Xing manafication process! I left a nice tidbit all about the Menagerie Geometric Dust Super-Compaction theory, and you'll _never_ get to read it." Weiss said with a smugness only a Schnee could muster.

Blake, meanwhile, snorted. "So? Sounds boring."

"It's _not_ boring!" Weiss whined, tilted forward as her voice raised. "It's an exemplary theory about the probability of Dust refining and purifying over centuries of untouched pressure and heat that would–" Snap, crunch… "–completely… you told me you ate the last one!"

Blake slowly chewed the carrot stick she pulled from the box, and smirked. "I lied." She stated bluntly, reaching for the box again.

Weiss hastily snatched it from Blake's bunk, denying the mischievous young lady her continued theft, examining the contents carefully as Blake hid a snicker. "You—!" Weiss pointed to Blake, her face red, her eyes wide, her lips pale, and her posture rigid. "I thought _Ruby_ was bad, but no, I thought _Yang_ was bad, but _no!_ You! _You!_ _You,_ Blake! You are the most irritating, frustrating, aggravating, meddlesome, maniacal, manipulative, machiavellian _jerk!_ How _DARE YOU_ —"

Weiss suddenly found herself face to face with Blake as the taller girl hopped off her bed, wearing an expression like she'd just cornered a mouse. Weiss's voice caught in her throat, and the red in her face turned to white as Blake leaned in, hands on the shorter girl's shoulders. Weiss had the urge–and felt every justification–to throw Blake off and slug her, but something about the way Blake's eyes sparkled, her breathtaking little smile, those full, pinkish lips…

"You're cute as hell when you're mad, Weiss." Blake whispered.

A noise escaped Weiss, not unlike a dying balloon animal asking a question, and any tension in her frame collapsed as she stared at Blake with the most awkwardly confused look on her face.

Blake snickered and stood up straight, pulling her hands to her hips. Weiss had the very reaction she expected, if not more over-the-top. It was mostly normal, entirely _human._ Weiss was the daughter and public face of the company that profited the most off Faunus labor, but Weiss herself was not the enemy. She was just a girl, like Blake. Their circumstances, their races, and their motivations were different… but as far as Blake could see, Weiss Schnee was a good girl.

Blake flicked her hair towards the exit, an easy smile on her face. "Let's go hit up the cafeteria one more time and grab a pizza. My treat." Blake sauntered out the door, leaving Weiss just standing place, watching after her with an enormous amount of energy and a clot in her ability to think.

"But… the food's covered by tuition…?" Weiss finally offered, long after Blake had already disappeared from view. Without another word, Weiss lurched forward, her brain managing to think at a thousand miles an hour while simultaneously going nowhere.

* * *

A half-eaten slice of cooling cheese pizza sat on a napkin by Ruby's side, her goggles hanging from a 'student procured' hook on the wall behind her, the curtain around her bed drawn tightly, and a big, open novel resting in front of her, lit only by a small pen light. Beacon, for all of its residents, both young and old, for its dozens of facilities, purported activities, and preparation for future events, quickly fell to near silence past curfew.

 _Near_ silence, comparatively. Ruby's well-tuned ears picked up on the shuffling of feet from multiple dorms above, the distant thrum of some beat down below–followed by it shutting off as somebody ordered them into bed–and the dulcet violin coming from Weiss's radio in the bathroom.

It was nowhere near as quiet as Ruby's house on Patch Island. Even with all the modern conveniences they had in their little home, they were still smack-dab in the middle of a heavily wooded area, a good twenty-five minutes away from Patch's central township and port. It was apparently the way her father liked it, but Ruby rather enjoyed having so many people so close at once. It certainly beat the shockingly absolute silence of going camping, something that even Yang had difficulties getting used to.

It was a phenomenon that Ruby had read about with new hunters from the inner cities having to acclimate to camping in the wilds. Without the constant busy streets, the hum of electricity, and the distant movement of people, the drastic change in ambient sound could cause disturbances in the person's mental state that resulted in anxiety, heightened stress, and an inability to sleep as they involuntarily listened to the sounds of midnight predators and whispering wind around them.

Many attributed it to the ' _it's_ too _silent'_ mentality, and it took fresh campers some time to adjust to the difference in noise pollution. Ruby had read that, starting in their third year, students spent a significantly longer time away from Beacon, taking numerous week-long–or even longer–trips out into the wilds of Vale to get used to foraging, tracking, and caring for oneself and one's team far away from the benefits of civilization.

Thankfully, her team had no such obligations. At least, not _yet..._

Yang had settled into bed early, and from Ruby could see through her curtain, was curled into a ball around her pillow, sleepily muttering nonsense. Ruby knew that she was exhausted. When there wasn't enough to keep her occupied, Yang trained. When Yang was bored, she worked out, hit things, and went to bed without a fuss. She also had a tendency to mouth off in her sleep, which could sometimes be cute and sweet, but other times get her woken up by an offended punch to the shoulder.

Blake had been nodding off by the time Ruby returned to their room, full of pizza and exhausted from a busy day. Ruby was right there with her, but she had still needed to review her notes. After having greeted Ruby, Blake laid utterly still and drifted to sleep almost the moment she'd closed her eyes.

So Ruby sat in the dark with a flashlight, a bedtime snack, and a big, thick book.

Weiss's violin music switched off, and the restroom door opened a minute later. Ruby listened to Weiss's footsteps as she came around to their bunk bed, and looked at Weiss's silhouette when she didn't slip into bed right away.

"Are your goggles off?" Weiss whispered.

"Y-yeah, one second." After a couple moments of improvisation, Ruby opened the curtain, revealing a blind made out of her pillowcase. She smiled hugely, satisfied with her improvisation, but Weiss's sigh put an end to it. "I-is this not good?"

"No, it's fine, just absurd, but I suppose that's to be expected of you." Weiss answered, in such a way that Ruby had no clue if that was a good or bad thing. "Don't stay up too late with your notes if you plan to get up early again."

"I-I won't."

"And finish your pizza or throw it away. I don't know why we decided pizza before bed was a good idea, it'll be near impossible to get to sleep…"

"... It was Blake's idea…"

"I know, and it's my fault for going along with it. Anyways…" Weiss ran her fingers through her hair as Ruby blindly looked her direction. The lack of direct eye contact had been an annoyance since the first day, but the alternative was even more harsh. At least Ruby made efforts to protect Weiss's sanity… "Ruby?" Weiss asked after some thought.

"Y-yeah, Weiss?" Ruby answered, squirming in place.

"... Thank you."

"Oh! Uh… you're welcome! I th-think!" Ruby sat straighter, trying to stay focused on where she last heard Weiss's voice. However, the ruffle of her curtains, then Weiss's bedsheets suggested she was no longer there, which a quick peek confirmed.

Down below, Weiss curled up under her blankets, head on her pillow, her mind strained, her body sore, and stuck in a state of perpetual confusion and wonder. This was her life from here on out; for the next four years, these three were her roommates and classmates.

They were exhausting, messy, crude, over-the-top, and downright infuriating, yet Weiss was at peace. If this day proved anything, it was that she'd made the right choice. Despite all the hardships and pain, she was no longer alone, and no longer afraid. She had people could tentatively call her friends, who fussed over her, worried about her, and teased her without making her feel like scum...

The smell of pizza lingered, and the sound of Ruby eating as she turned pages tickled her ear, but Weiss drifted off to sleep without a problem.

With their first day behind them, the team slept peacefully.

* * *

 **AN:** Not much has changed here, and I want to apologize for the slow response. Between schoolwork and a fairly sudden break-up this has been a struggle to get through. Thank you for your patience, the upcoming chapter should be something _very_ different, however.


	13. Cold Coffee

Ruby, an empty seat, Blake, and Yang sat before Weiss, watching with varying levels of attentiveness as Weiss wrote ' _5 days = Tests!'_ on the marker board she had set up between the room's two bunk beds. Ruby sat up straight, hands on her lap, fidgeting with a marker. Across the empty seat, Blake had her arms crossed over her bust, blinking slowly as she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs in boredom. Yang had her arms behind her head, and while she gave an air of patience for Weiss's desire for a morning meeting, it, of course, had to have happened before she could hit the showers. She figured Weiss would come to regret it once the smell of her sweaty running clothes hit the debutante's nose.

"Good morning, team RWBY," Weiss's voice was crisp and confident as she stood in front of her teammates, using the marker as a pointer to draw their attention to what she had written, "tomorrow is the start of our fourth week here at Beacon together, and the end of the month is fast approaching. As our syllabus has made clear, we will be taking a round of tests on the last Friday of each month."

"Do we know what the tests _involve?"_ Blake inquired, counting the second until she'd be allowed to go back to wasting her Sunday with trashy literature.

"No, we don't. So, to better prepare, we will be picking up the pace this week; more study sessions and more practice, the tests will no doubt be fully comprehensive of _everything_ we learned, and four minds are better at supplying answers than one!" Weiss began to write on the white board with a blue marker, the red one lying unnoticed in Ruby's lap. "Today will be our last chance to take a rest; over the next four days, there will be no time to play video games, read all day on the roof, or ' _go trawling for poonanny—'"_

"Pussy!" Yang corrected with a quick raise of her finger.

" _I know what I said!"_ Weiss snapped, getting a little snicker from both Blake and Yang. Though nobody could see it, Ruby's eyes rolled dramatically. "We will be using the time to better prep ourselves for the upcoming week. So, while I will permit today to be one of relaxation, we should spend it with the understanding that we will be busier than ever starting tomorrow."

"You must be _so_ excited." Blake said with a small grin, and Weiss wore a smile without shame, her small, curt nod saying it all.

"I'm _more_ excited by the idea that it might force you to participate in our study sessions instead of burying your face in a pillow." Weiss countered, and Blake, without missing a beat, let loose a withering yawn.

"Mmm, but your voice is like a lullaby, you always make me want to go right to sleep…"

Weiss snapped her eyes to Yang, whose smile was growing ever more amused, "Yang, what's the principle theory behind the mining of earth Dust?"

Blake pursed her lips, wondering what Weiss was looking for, only to nearly leap out of her skin as her big, blonde partner wrapped herself around Blake's shoulders and pressed her lips to her ear, " _DIG DEEP FOR BIG PAYOUTS!"_ Yang yelled, sending Blake leaping behind Ruby in a defensive stance, rubbing her ear while shooting her giggling partner a glare.

"Thankfully, we have a human megaphone on the team to discourage naptime." Weiss looked pleased, Yang beamed, Blake wanted to stick her foot up the both of their asses, and Ruby, breathlessly, muttered to herself.

"Better than a human poodle yapping at you all day…"

Weiss' turned to Ruby sharply, while Yang gave a low, encouraging ' _ooooooh'_ as Ruby smiled innocently at Weiss' little glare. "Quite the insult from a broken record." Weiss huffed. Ruby stood up, moving to stand eye to eye with Weiss.

"Only 'cuz you're so thick I gotta say it _t-t-t-twice."_ Ruby responded, her smile turning a few shades of smug at Weiss' brow-raised surprise.

It was Yang who realized they were wasting precious team meeting time as they sniped and giggled at each other, and spoke up before they lost the rest of the morning. "So, what's the study plan?" After several moments of considering how to respond to her partner, Weiss dropped the little battle, held up a finger, then directed it to Ruby. The group watched as Ruby forced herself to wind down from their playful little spat, and Weiss and Blake went to go fill their empty seats and pay attention.

"S-so, um, I think it'd be best for us t-to start studying at about six o'clock after class; i-it'll give us a bit to get dinner and p-pal around, but then we need to hit the books!" She began writing down times, looking back to Weiss for a confirming nod. "We can d-decide where to meet during the day, a-and recess is for whatever. I-is that okay?"

"I mean, it'll work for now." Yang shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, it's only our first month, we can figure it out as we go. We get a nice window to goof off, at least." Blake offered, and Ruby seem slightly more encouraged as Weiss bobbed her head.

"We may, of course, want to train in our downtime as well. While I am _confident_ I can pass Professor Port's test, I am still, err… I could use some work in Professor Goodwitch's class." She grimaced. She was not the _worst_ combatant in the ring, but against the rest of the student body, she lacked things like durability, strength, speed, experience…

" _I'll help!"_ Yang piped up, showing her teeth in a wide grin.

Weiss turned to Blake, who side-eyed her with a raised brow, "Blake, do you think you could—?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you." Weiss bowed her head to the girl, who had proven to be a formidable hunter-fighter. Blake gave her a small thumbs up, and Yang pouted loudly.

"Um… _ahem."_ Ruby meekly cleared her throat, and the three girls looked her way curiously as she held up the back of the paper she'd been holding in her lap. "U-until then, today's a free day. So, I think it might be fun–a-and good for the team–for us to do something fun _together."_ The three older girls before her each had their own look of intrigue, and Ruby turned the paper around to reveal a flier: "The amusement park opens t-today, and Beacon students get a discount to enter at the gates!" She did her best to smile optimistically, and while Weiss seemed unsure, and Yang grinned, Blake looked more confused.

"An amusement park?" Blake asked, reaching out with an open hand, and Ruby gave up the flier freely. Blake scanned the cover, staring at the silhouette of a ferris wheel and roller coaster behind pictures of fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, cones of puffy cotton candy, and multi-colored, icy looking drinks. She was aware the other girls were watching her as she read the information on what to expected, and she hummed. "Aren't those places disaster zones full of stomach viruses?"

"Th-they had a record low for accidents and sickness last year, actually…" Ruby mumbled in embarrassment.

"I… _think_ I'll pass." Blake's nose crinkled. Ruby deflated quickly while Yang chuckled.

"Hey, if a couple of tummy bugs are gonna stop you from having a good time…" Yang ribbed her, and Blake rolled her eyes.

"A couple of tummy bugs that could leave us out to dry for the next week or so? As much as I hate taking tests, I'd like to try and _stay_ at Beacon, thanks."

"W-well, we gotta do _something."_ Ruby insisted as she shuffled in place in front of them, looking as vulnerable as always, making Blake reconsider, even under the threat of a packed, sweaty beachfront full of rickety rides and questionable culinarians.

"We could get started on our group studies _early~."_ Weiss sang-song with an eager smile, but the other three announced their answer with a disgusted chorus.

" _Vetoed."_

Weiss puffed herself up, but let it out quickly. She would be fine _regardless_ of her teammates' laziness; though she would be certain Ruby was entirely shored up by Friday.

"Look, girls, we're overthinking this." Yang spoke up. She raised her arms, the girls leaning away from the stench of her sweaty armpits, " _window shopping."_ She stated loudly and simply. Ruby seem less enthused with the idea, as did Blake, but Weiss gave a loud, curious hum.

"Four girls about town, checking out the local wares…"

"Trying out the food, maybe catching a movie…"

"An interesting idea, if we get going soon we have the full day to enjoy Vale."

Blake felt her insides twist up like a towel at the idea… out in the sunlight, surrounded by people on a hot spring day? Hundreds of faces she wouldn't recognize, bodies bumping into her, heat radiating while walking down street after street, like a rat in a maze, tugged along by her teammates…

… teammates whom she found herself feeling pangs of friendship for despite herself. Teammates who heard and considered her thoughts and opinions without disregarding them as disruptive or betraying some notion of their organization.

Despite this, she found herself loathe to speak up. She was nearly biting her tongue to keep herself from opening her mouth, and even though Weiss and Yang seemed to be cheerily discussing what they wanted to do in Vale–with Ruby passively silent off to the side–Blake imagined their expressions turning into angry glowers, sneers of distaste, angry rebuttals and jabs coming after her if she dared voice her feelings on the matter.

Unexpected salvation came, however, from Yang, who was staring right at her. "Actually, nevermind." She spoke up, drawing a curious furrow from Weiss' brow.

"No?" The debutante asked. "Why not? I'd like to see Vale _sometime."_

"We can do it after the tests, the weekends should be work free, and the four of us should pass no problem." Yang's hand settled on Blake's shoulder, and the more quiet of the two gave her partner a surprised, but not ungrateful stare. "You look uncomfortable."

"I- I mean, you guys can still go. I'll follow along, but…"

"Nope." Ruby spoke up, and Blake felt her discomfort growing at their overwhelming _warmth,_ "either we all want to go, or we don't. We're a team, s-so we're only gonna do what we all wanna do."

"Hm, agreed." With that, Weiss stood up to inspect their marker written plans, one finger to her chin, Blake watching her while chewing her lip silently. "If nothing else, they're showing the Marta Bellianne series in the cinema tonight. If we can't find anything else to do, a show could be fun."

"A b-buncha rich people a-arguing with each other, huh?" Ruby asked with a teasing smile, only to yelp as a pair of fingers snagged her ear and pulled it taut.

"It might teach _you_ some culture, you little swine." Weiss smirked as Ruby whimpered.

Blake stared around at the three girls she called her friends, and squeezed at her elbows as she felt a strange shiver go through her. She had imagined dark looks, frowns, and snide remarks, but the three of them had quickly relented without so much as a complaint.

She looked to Yang, who met her eye with a friendly smile; she had read Blake's mood and shifted gears to ensure her partner's comfort, something Blake would have expected of old company years ago, but now they were more likely to dismiss her discomfort and emotions as troublesome barriers.

Yang's smile had returned after a moment of hesitation. A show sounded nice and carefree, even if they were just wasting time on entertainment. It wasn't as if she had much to lose; her developing routine at Beacon was actually rather boring without a need to constantly feel vigilante or inspect campgrounds and troops. She found herself lounging lazily a vast majority of her freetime; on her bed, on a roof, in a library chair, at a windowsill, wherever she could relax her entire body, soak up the sun, close her eyes, and catch a few z's, or peruse one of the many new books she now had access to. When she grew restless she joined her teammates for their activities.

Ruby spent a large amount of time with Weiss both studying and practicing, and their practice was always private for some reason, but Blake was rarely in the mood to scuffle more than she had to. However, when Ruby was alone, it was no difficult feat to talk the girl into resting back-to-back and enjoy some quality quiet reading time. The little leader was soft and friendly, giggling quietly to herself, sometimes letting out a shocked gasp at the developments in whatever text she'd buried her nose in, and so… _full_ and _vibrant_ and _lively._ Ruby simmered with a sweet, youthful wonder and optimism that Blake thought was gone from the world, and there was a feeling of righteousness whenever she talked about why she wanted to be a hunter; Ruby Rose was a good girl, and Blake found her to be an enormous relief.

This stood in contrast to Weiss. Weiss was tolerable, friendly in a more standoffish way, full of facts and lectures about their current and past eras, adamant about changing the future, but more often than not, Blake found her enjoyment in Weiss to be when neither acknowledged the other's presence as they bummed around their room and busied themselves with separate works. Now to say they didn't enjoy activities together, but Weiss could be strict, and Blake could be lazy. Blake's overall distrust of Weiss was, for the most part, alleviated, but that was because they had yet to broach the subject of the Faunus or the White Fang. Weiss' at least tolerated the presence of the Faunus around them, but there was a difference between tolerating them and living with them; one could tolerate a mouse they did not see in their home, but once it was found squeaking underfoot…

And in a completely different direction from either Ruby or Weiss, if Blake found herself steeped in her worst thoughts, brooding, angry, and feeling violent, there was the powerhouse of personality that was her partner. The shadows disappeared when Yang entered the room, and doubt was evaporated like a light, midday rain when she spoke. Yang was entirely about the present; there was no care for the past or the future unless it was relevant to their schoolwork, and as annoying as such a straightforward girl could be, Blake found that it could be wonderfully refreshing to have somebody who lived in the moment. Things were _fun_ around Yang, things were _warm_ around Yang, things were _active_ around Yang. It felt strange, Blake felt like like she should have despised the devil-may-care blonde's nigh-oppressive glow, but she had spent so long sulking in the shadows of the cold and embittered that, some days, she chased after that golden hair to bask in that easy warmth and the freedom of fearlessness.

Even with as busy as Beacon was, it was easy to feel complacent and comfortable thanks to her team. It terrified her, however, since it made it easy to lose sight of why she had come here, but as the days went on, she began to wonder if that was a _bad_ thing. When was the last time she felt comfortable enough to nestle herself into her bed and read without her ears swivelling towards every stray sound, or expecting somebody to burst in and ask for her help?

… Was she growing lazy?

"Um…!" Ruby raised her hand, and idle chatter and contemplation ceased so everyone could pay attention to their team leader. "I-I would like to go to the library and get some breakfast, anybody wanna come with?" She looked between her teammates excitedly.

"I'm actually going to go to the CCT tower this morning," Weiss did sigh this time, but it wasn't directed at her teammates, for once, "assuming my mother is up and about this early, I need to wish her a happy anniversary, and try to leave a message for my father. Maybe I'll give Winter a call as well…"

With that, Ruby looked to Blake, who considered things for a moment; finding another book and some bagels and lox sounded tempting, but… she was in the mood for a walk. A walk and a shower, in that order. She was feeling moody and wanted to clear her head, get in the right mindset for an outing with the girls. "Sorry, Ruby, that sounds nice, but I think I'm gonna grab my me-time this morning since we'll be in each others' hair all afternoon."

"I'll join ya, Ruby, if ya gimme a bit." Yang offered, and Ruby perked up immediately. "I'll pop in and out, gonna wanna hit the gym bag before we go anyways, so I'll by taking over the shower again later. Oh, hey, do we wanna invite dad?" Yang contemplated out loud, but Ruby shook her head, drawing a surprised brow raise from her older sister.

"It's _girl's night."_ Ruby's smile grew, "We can get pizza with dad some o-other time! Tonight, we're _treating ourselves!"_ She threw her hands into the air, giving Blake all the power in the world to pop her enthusiasm.

"To the unknown and the undecided. _Woot."_ Blake spun a finger in the air. Though Ruby fumed, Blake grinned alongside Weiss and Yang; it _was_ starting to sound like fun.

* * *

The hot, bitter taste of coffee went down her throat as easily as water, disappearing in a single, satisfied gulp, capped off with an audibly pleased sigh.

What was it about the library's shitty pushcart coffee that was so much more… _relaxing_ than the cafeteria's big, professional brewing machine? It was as plain as a white T-shirt, it lacked any grandeur or flavorings beyond some cream and sugar. It was the cheapest coffee one could buy, and yet, it was filled with comforting nostalgia.

Was it the fond, frantic memories of her first year with her team sitting in the library late at night, studying for their upcoming monthly test with the unstated, but omnipresent fear of flunking out sending them scrambling for every possible scrap of knowledge they could muster, able to stay awake only by the grace of cheap caffeine?

Was it the early twilight hours where she and her team sat around with a borrowed board game and a movie on a holoscreen TV set-up, wasting time laughing, telling stories, eventually running out of snacks and having to indulge their stomachs with the left out, lukewarm coffee?

Not that Coco made a habit of coming to the library for its crappy coffee, but whenever she was in the area, and it was early enough, she grabbed a cup and sipped at it while she hunted for the next book or magazine to entertain her over the week. She'd reviewed three books already, and she hoped her fourth would be more promising than the last three. The first novel in the Undecider's Saga had a few interesting ideas that Coco would have liked in any _other_ book, but listening to some wallflower lament about being _burdened_ with the safety of the world while _fawning_ over a pair of blue eyes, abs, and zero personality was more burdensome than fun. She was most certainly going to write up her opinions on her blog over the week, but as much as her readers liked reading her indignant rants, it wasn't what she wanted to be _known_ for.

She promised them books this year as opposed to movies, but books took more _time._ Not to mention they could be way, _way_ more pretentious.

Maybe she shouldn't have tried starting on young adult novels, she needed something more _adult._ Her father was fond of the old Black Dragon books, but the man was too old fashioned, too obsessed over signs of strength and _rule,_ and Coco was rather bored with overly elaborate tales of ancient Valean royalty.

The young lady stalked the aisles, wearing her ever-present beret, big, dark sunglasses, and an all-too-lovely dark brown sweater that plunged to show her cleavage, as well as some pricey, but comfortable black track pants. Her pale fingers ran down the spines of books that drew her eye, the names and font catching her interest, the synopsis' rarely able to keep it. ' _A young lady is tasked with saving the world—'_ , ' _A princess destined to marry a young lord, two men—'_ , ' _A young hunter at Beacon discovers that his semblance is an aphrodisiac! Can he possibly survive—'_

No, no, and no.

She needed something… _more._ Nuance, philosophy, something that would look sophisticated rather than shallow. She needed more than vaguely pretty prose and overly florid descriptions of tightening abs and bouncing buttocks, she needed words on paper that sang to her like the morning thrush, opened her mind and heart to the nigh-infinite and glowing possibilities of the what was yet to come; she wished to do more than read, she wanted to bask in in the meanings of humanity, to pull herself above the bubbling drek of mundanity, and swipe the perspiration of ignorance from her brow!

It'd make her look better to the world at large, and also make her think on life and stuff.

Coco adjusted her beret and turned the corner to head down the next aisle, briefly looking at the other person there, taking a full step forward, then looking back at whom she shared space with in surprise.

She was… _breathtaking._

Long, messy hair like liquid strands of gold; a gorgeous, curvaceous body that looked hot off the centerfold of a girly magazine; a chipper, amused little smile like some daring action heroine…

Coco silently found herself at a loss, her heart having skipped a beat as she recognized the beauty before her. For once, Velvet's pictures hadn't been enough; this girl–Yang something something, Coco recalled–needed more than a distantly taken group photo of her and her friends to capture her sheer, visible excellence. It probably hadn't helped that it had been three weeks since Coco had gotten a look at the photo, but she damn well recognized that hair.

Even just standing there, flipping through a book that prominently displayed a bikini-clad huntress on its cover, Yang looked utterly enticing. Hiding her intrigue behind a sip of coffee, Coco decided against making her presence known for the moment, letting the first year girl entertain herself with a book that, no doubt, had more tits than brains. She mused that, just on sight alone, Yang seemed much the same, but based on what Velvet had seen and heard, she wasn't just an air-headed beauty with a pair of fists. While it was the blonde's team leader that had protected Velvet, it was Yang that threw the decisive blow, and consoled her team leader and teammates.

Far too often, it seemed, if the team leader wasn't negligent about their teammates' emotional state, the same teammates could be equally ignorant or uncaring. They were hunters, many people expected them to just ' _suck it up'_ like they weren't training to be warriors against the Grimm. Coco had seen too many fellow students have nervous breakdowns all over the school, especially nearing the end of the year, and though Beacon had the most excellent therapists in Vale, the first line of defense against such breakdowns were one's supposed friends and allies.

Even if it was still early, having heard that Yang and the rest of team RWBY–as well as team JNPR–worked to comfort each other had made Coco feel more confident about the upcoming first years.

There were still plenty of unknowns, however, enough to make Coco hesitate in going over to meet Yang like an old friend. Velvet had confirmed that Weiss was on the same team as the blonde, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Weiss Schnee was the top of the totem pole for wannabe socialites to flock to, and Coco was wary about those sorts.

Curiosity did outweigh worry, however. If team RWBY and this Yang girl were the nice, comforting people Velvet had described, then Coco wanted to get to know them. Coco's eyes locked onto a girl in the far distance, going up and down a row of books. Black-and-red hair, a pair of big, thick goggles, short… yes, a single test would be all she needed. It might have been a little cruel, but necessary! Or, at least, Coco hoped it would be.

With confidence in her strut, the fashionable brunette walked on over to Yang with a pleasant, but friendly smile. "Hey prettiness; never seen you around before; you must be a first year."

"Hm?" Yang took a second to take her eyes off her book, clearly enraptured by whatever she was reading. "Yeah, I'm new here." She finally glanced up to Coco. "So who's aski—... … …" Yang's eyes met Coco's, then slowly, quietly, with a mixture of awe, fright, and sheer, childish wonder, they traveled down Coco's torso and legs, then back up to her face. Then down. Then up. Down. Up. A low, disbelieving giggle escaped Yang, and she turned away, red-faced and holding her mouth. " _Oh my god."_

"Mm?" Coco inquired, a small smile crossing her face at the inevitably adorable reaction. "Something the matter?"

Yang glanced back, red-faced with embarrassment, clearly trying hard to not freak out as she glanced all over Coco _again._ "No… _yes._ But no!" Yang let out a small, charming laugh, and Coco cocked her head, then her hips, already amused by the girl's endearing embarrassment.

"And what's the ' _yes',_ then?" Coco prompted, and Yang took a moment to compose herself.

"I-I'm _real_ sorry, milady, just… you're _princess Cocessa Adel._ I, like, _need a moment."_ Yang groaned, _feeling_ all her coolness seep out of her from being starstruck.

Coco rolled her eyes. She wasn't surprised she was recognized, it was certainly expected. "Being the daughter of the royal family doesn't give you power, y'know? Not like my dad's the president, just a dude with the former king's blood."

"And an _assload of money."_ Yang pointed out with a visible amount of excitement bubbling up in her. "C'mon, girl, I see your face on magazines, television, _commercials—"_

"Hon, I don't need another worshipper; chillax, alright?" Coco cut Yang short with a small, confident smirk, and Yang snickered; not in a mocking way, but she at least tried to take an easier stance. "Also, you can do me a big fat favor and _never_ mention those commercials again."

"Why not? You were cute." Yang crossed her arms under her chest, not so subtly emphasizing the size of her bust. Coco took notice, but didn't make it obvious.

"Yeah, and had _no clue_ what I was doing." Coco shook her head, leaning against the bookshelf with pursed lips. "Daddy said I needed to get myself out there, use my fame for the fortune, and I, for some reason, thought endorsing a _family van_ was the way to do it."

"What was it you said? ' _Now me and_ all _my friends can hit the club!'"_

Coco gagged, drawing a louder laugh from Yang, and the princess shook her head, leaning against the bookshelves with a grunt of annoyance, "Yeah, that thing is _still_ rotting in the family garage. Also, we're going to stop talking about it pronto."

Yang's eyes glimmered in amusement, and Coco decided the girl was, indeed, more than a nice rack. "Sorry, milady. Name's Yang Xiao Long." Yang presented her hand, retracted it, moved to bow, and Coco flicked her forehead and grabbed her hand for a shake.

' _Xiao Long.'_ Not a name she recognized, and sounded strongly Mistralian. Yang looked more like a princess than Coco did, but she had the handshake of a _man._ "As you said, Cocessa Adel, Coco for short, and _please_ don't call me 'milady', I'm a student here too. It'd be cute, but _insufferable_ if everyone was all formal all the time. Not that all of them have _stopped."_ She grumbled.

"I mean, I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, but _dang,_ Coco, you gotta realize—"

"Oh believe me, _I realize,_ you know how many phone calls I get from my parents reminding me of the sorta stock I'm from?" Coco's eyes almost rolled out of her head, and she shook her head with an annoyed grimace on her face. "Royal, chicken, or beef, I don't givafuck, I'm here to learn to kill shit."

"Right-the-fuck-on, girl!" Yang's expression only grew hotter–and not just in joy–at Coco's words, and Coco felt like, in that moment, she understood Yang completely. Even still, Yang had only proven to be sociable, she must have known what it could have meant to know Vale's premier royal princess. Associating with Coco was an easy way for anybody to earn fifteen minutes of glorious–or horrifically embarrassing–fame in Vale, especially among the shallow gossip mongers that plagued her life, and what appeared to be good people quickly became very annoying ones when Coco gave her attention to anybody else.

Not to mention their opinions could switch on a dime… Coco's eyes glanced over Yang's shoulder as she watched the small, goggled team leader approach from behind, staring at a big, leather-bound book in curiosity.

"Yang, I think I got the book I wanna checkout." Ruby said very calmly stepped forward, glancing up to meet her sister's eyes, then look past her at Coco. Coco sipped her coffee as Yang gave the younger girl a nod. "Wh-who—…? Princess Adel?"

"Yeah! She's—"

Coco brushed past Yang with a purposeful stride, pulling her wallet out of her purse. The leather accessory was fattened with numerous lien cards and IDs, and Coco held out a stack of lien to Ruby with an almost amused look. "Hey pipsqueak, do me a favor and fuck off? I'm here to talk to the bimbo, not some scrawny loser."

Ruby's face went from the cards to Coco, her expression going from curiosity to gentle, heartbreaking shame in over the course of a second, and Coco kept her ear out for Yang. "U-uh? B-but— wh—" Ruby could barely speak, and she recoiled back like Coco had kneed her in the gut.

Coco didn't get to see further, as before she could pull her Aura up, her back was slammed against a wall of shuddering books, her coffee cup clattering on the carpet, and she found herself eye-to-eye with a pair of bright red, burning pupils, the entire library heating up around her and Yang as she was held up by the collar of her shirt.

This wasn't the first time Coco had been accosted by somebody angry, but it was the first time Coco had felt so _threatened._ A couple of disgruntled nobles who were mad that Coco had shot down their opinions, or showed she wasn't on their side? They were nothing, Coco always had security guards nearby. Beacon was different, Beacon didn't allow her to have guards… and Yang looked like she would have bitten Coco's head off with or without Aura.

Coco's hand closed around Yang's wrist, her Aura flaring to wrench her attacker's hand off of her _very_ expensive sweater, but a thought occurred: she didn't want to make this _more_ violent, and Yang, at the moment, seemed like the sort who would go in swinging the moment she lost her grip. "Okay, calm down girl, we can—"

" _You."_ Yang's voice was so tight and controlled, Coco could almost imagine the tidal wave of fury she was holding back.

"Yang!" Ruby's voice piped up, and little hands grabbed ahold of one of the blonde's bulging biceps in worry.

" _Do not."_ Yang continued, Ruby's ineffectual tugging doing nothing to break Yang's tight grasp. " _Talk to MY SISTER like that."_ Coco tried to recall the last time _anybody_ had taken that threatening of a tone with her outside of a practice ring, and she found herself at a loss.

"Let's just take it back a step, just listen, okay?" Coco tried to speak very calmly, her hands up to show no offense, her heart beating, but her body controlled. She was probably stronger than the first year girl, but she didn't want this to turn into something ugly. "I can explain—"

" _Apologize!"_ Yang snapped, her expression deep with angry lines. Velvet had failed to mention the girl's temper.

"Can we just—"

" _NOW."_

"Yang." A small, gentle voice made Yang's jaw tighten, and she carefully looked to Ruby. The smaller girl's face was tight with unhappiness, but unlike her older sister, she had far more discipline. "L-let her g-go, and let's g-go check out." She spoke calmly, despite her stutter, and Yang bared her teeth. "Yang, _n-now._ This'll get you _m-more_ than detention."

"... Ruby…"

" _You might have to leave Beacon."_ Ruby said with finality in her voice. It was true, King Preston Adel may not have had true political power, but he was amongst the highest of Vale's elite. His fortunes and sway could have easily wrapped Yang in so much litigation over even this rough handling of his daughter she could have very easily never seen the light of day outside of a prison again.

That was, of course, only if Coco told anybody, and despite Yang's utter outrage, she stiffly dropped Coco to her feet, and slowly grasped Ruby's shoulder to walk them both to the checkout desk with an almost visible stormcloud over her. Ruby shot Coco a look over her shoulder, but allowed herself to be steered away, up until Coco finally spoke. "Wait."

Yang kept walking, but Ruby paused, looking back with a hesitant expression. Coco walked towards them slowly, keeping her hands open for Yang to see she wasn't about to attack, and she quietly presented a hand to Ruby. "Ruby, I'm sorry." She said in an honest tone, her eyes flicking towards Yang carefully as the blonde smoldered, just waiting to burst once more.

A small hand, much smoother, much calmer, and much more gentle than Yang's hesitantly filled Coco's, and the two shook awkwardly. "Y-you know m-my name?" Ruby asked meekly, and Coco gave her a silent nod.

"Your first day here, you, Weiss Schnee, and your older sister stopped a boy from bullying a rabbit Faunus named Velvet, my teammate." Coco reminded her, and Ruby's expression went from confusion to realization.

"Y-you're _that_ Coco?! I-I mean _this_ Coco?! O-or… um…" Ruby sucked her lip, and Yang strode forward to stick her nose in Coco's face, her eyes purple, but _furious._

"She protected your teammate and you tell her to _fuck off?_ What is _wrong_ with you?!" Yang demanded sharply, and Coco winced; okay, her social tact was exemplary except for this one, teeny-tiny misjudgement in reaction.

"I wasn't being _serious."_ Coco tried to explain, only for Yang to look even angrier about the perceived excuse. "Look, girl, do you know how many people I can get to turn on their friends by doing _that?"_ Coco asked, making Yang's jaw work slowly and carefully. "Just… look at it from my perspective. You? You seem cool, and you both protected my teammate, but I'm _royalty,_ I get a _ton_ of people trying to act a certain way to get my attention like they've got no lives of their own. The last thing I want is to try and make friends with a group of social-climbers who'll stab each other in the back because they think my attention-per-day is limited or something!"

Yang's jaw came to a still, her eyes trembling with unhappiness, and she finally spoke, "That's _stupid."_

"It's _the truth."_ Coco sighed, her hand on her hip. It was _very_ clear Yang valued her family more than sucking up to the princess, which was a good thing, of course, but she stuck to her guns aggressively. "What you did for my team, for _me,_ means a lot. The fact that you guys didn't even know Velvet was _my_ teammate, yet you still went out of your ways to stop somebody from bullying her means a lot to me. She told me all about you guys, I just needed to, y'know, _make sure_ it wasn't going to be a mistake getting to know you. Vale needs another good team of hunters, not backstabbers."

"... L-like Lady Stonevale from the Melheart series?" Ruby piped up, sounding confused about the whole thing, and Coco gave a small, inoffensive shrug.

"I guess so? Like… I had groups of girls who got into physical fights because one of them said the wrong thing in front of me. I try not to share too many opinions around people I don't know." She turned her eyes to Ruby curiously, "Is that a good series? One of my friends said it was pretty awful."

Ruby held a hand up, palm down, and shook it with a tiny pout, "I mean, it was _okay,_ c-certainly not _great._ The main character's so selfish for the first three books, and I just didn't understand why _anybody_ went out of their way for him, but all the s-side characters are great."

"Huh, I might have to pick it up sometime then." Coco nodded, only to pause when Ruby's face tightened up.

"W-wait! You need to apologize!" Ruby said, her voice showing enough anger to make Yang glance her way in surprise. Coco felt an odd, cold trickle down the back of her spine… was there no end?!

"But— didn't I?!" Coco asked in surprise, and Ruby shook her head.

"Not to me! Y-you called Yang a b-b- _bimbo!"_ Ruby held her little fists up, like she was about to fight, and Coco let out an exasperated breath. However, Yang didn't seem sympathetic, and both sisters tapped their feet in waiting.

Hoo boy… she'd certainly overestimated their bond. "Fine! Fine, look… how can I make this up to you?" She offered, drawing a curious knitting of brows from the sisters.

"Are you going to turn whatever we say into another stupid test?" Yang chuffed, but Coco shook her head.

"I swear I'm being for real, no more tests. You two already showed me that you care more about each other than sucking up to me, lemme apologize with _something._ Tickets to a concert, a new car, whatever—"

"Dinner." Ruby interrupted, arms passively crossed over her small chest, her expression firm, but neutral as she stared Coco down.

"Dinner…" Something where they'd be seen together publically, fantastic… "Where?"

"The c-cafeteria's veranda." Ruby ordered, and Coco's mind slowed; she knew the place, it wasn't public to _Vale…_ so she didn't want to be seen eating with the princess. "And the r-rest of my team comes too. _And_ team JNPR." Ruby crossed her arms stubbornly, and Coco's confusion was compounded by the girl's unreadable expression. Those damned, unfashionable goggles...

"Who?"

Yang answered, "our friends, since you're all about ' _I don't want suck-ups.'"_

Coco felt her cheek twitch, and she pursed her lips at the sheer audacity; they were demanding that she invite their friends too? A team she didn't _know…?_ Ballsy. _Very_ ballsy. However, with a pop of her lips and a slight sigh, she conceded: "Fine, alright. Dinner for you and team JNPR in the cafeteria veranda, furthest corner from the door. About five o' clock?"

"And—"

"Thank you, C-Coco." Ruby interrupted her sister with a light slap to the elbow, then quietly bowed her head to the princess. "I look forward to eating with y-you, thank you f-for having us."

The small moment of humility, thankfulness, and… apology? Whatever it was, it took Coco further aback. They already had her by her drawstrings, practically, but Ruby's small action, followed by Yang's with some urging elbow, made Coco's shoulders relax. She nodded to them both, "no worries, sorry it got weird."

"Just… don't do that again." Yang's nose wrinkled, "I've dealt with enough posers trying to get into my pants, so don't make it weird."

"I _swear_ that I won't." Coco offers a small smile, and the two girls at least returned it. With a quick goodbye, the three parted ways, and Coco stretched her arms to relieve the tension in her back; she had a dinner to plan now, which was at least _fun…_

"Did you seriously just twist the Princess' arm into getting us all dinner?" She heard Yang down the isle.

"Uh huh." Ruby sounded nonchalant, making Coco quietly wonder if she had done this before.

"God _damn,_ Rubes…"

" _Yanguage."_ Ruby admonished, drawing an amused snicker from the older sister.

Coco was used to people bending over backwards for her, giving mountainous effort for her benefit even if she didn't deserve it, shamelessly giving up their own ideals, friendships, and material goods all to gain some form of acknowledgement or boon from Coco.

She had also run into the scant few attempting to take advantage of a faux pas, a scandal, or a secret to gain leverage through her, but Coco didn't like to play weak. Normally, she was ruthless enough to squash the issue with all the resources at her command.

… but just making her play host to a dinner party she owed in two parts? Ruby had even thanked her, and Coco found herself unable to be too angry; she _had_ gone out of her way to piss both sisters off to satisfy her own paranoia, and they _had_ gone out of their way to defend Velvet, so, hell, it wasn't like she was barely scraping by.

Coco smirked to herself, sighing in thought. Maybe Ruby and Yang were worth getting to know; she'd find out at dinner, certainly, she just had to contend with six others in her presence as well. It could have been a fun game, however… was the upcoming generation going to be worth their salt? She'd heard some interesting rumors concerning a pair of ancient Grimm, after all...

* * *

Weiss stared at her own pathetic smile in her scroll, the selfie feature doing a fine job of highlighting her complete lack of chill or charm as she tried to prepare herself for upwards of three conversations she'd be having, only one of which she was looking forward to.

The smooth hum of the elevator rising to the top of the CCT tower was the only relief she had; its smooth, mechanical ambience provided her with a backdrop of noise to distract her mind from thinking and rethinking the things she would say. She needed to keep calm and polite, but congratulatory and familiar with her family. She breathed deeply as she felt the elevator slow to a halt, and the doors opened with a steel-like whisper and a smooth, chillingly calm voice that said: "Top floor: cross continental telecommunications."

Weiss stepped out of the elevator, passing by a sign that asked all entrants to keep a respectable inside voice to avoid disrupting others, and another sign, which Weiss took particular note of, that informed its readers that the tower's AI was named 'Castan.'

Before Weiss was a workstation with a fuzzy figure of a woman in a professional business suit, whose hand movements were accompanied by muted clacks of a keyboard that did not exist in front of her, who took a soft, electrical sounding breath and blinked every four, then six, then seven seconds, alternating. Behind her were rows of one-person monitors with barstool seats, and a handful of other students were sitting at their monitors chatting amicably with distant loved ones–except for one girl, who quietly, but passionately ranted at a guilty-looking boy her age in heavily accented Vacuan.

With a deep breath, Weiss approached the workstation where Castan 'sat', and politely cleared her throat. "Hello Castan."

"Hello miss _Weiss Schnee_ ," Castan lifted her eyes from what Weiss assumed to be a blank, empty monitor to meet her eye perfectly, her expression changing to a pleasant, welcoming smile, "welcome to the telecommunications room, how can I help you?"

"I would like to make three separate calls to Atlas, one to Willow Schnee in the Schnee manor, one to Jacques Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company, and finally, one to Winter Schnee of the Atlesian military." Weiss stated in a practiced manner, and the AI blinked, then nodded mechanically.

"Of course! Are _Willow Schnee_ , _Jacques Schnee_ , and _Winter Schnee_ expecting these calls?"

"I imagine not." She and Winter spoke rarely enough now that Winter had fully left the family, and she highly doubted either her mother or her father even remembered it was their own anniversary.

"Then there may be a delay in connecting to them, or no connection established at all."

Weiss breathed deeply; if one could be so lucky… "That will be fine, I would like to at least leave them a message."

"Okay! I will assist you in making your calls over at terminal three." Castan told her with a chipper voice, moving one arm in the vague direction the terminal would be at. Weiss politely bowed her head, but did not offer an unnecessary thanks as she walked past the terminals to the one with a large, green monitor with a black '3' emblazoned on it.

Weiss sat and rest her scroll in the receptacle to confirm it was her, and the screen changed blue as it went through the numerous connection processes to link to Atlas, then to the Schnee family manor's personal communications tower. The scroll number for Willow Schnee, along with her CCT profile picture appeared on screen, and stayed there for several minutes as Castan called her scroll through Weiss's account.

Weiss sat patiently throughout the attempt, sighing after the first minute; her mother was probably following her normal Sunday ritual of sleeping off a heavy hangover, assuming she wasn't still drunkenly awake and poorly playing her piano or watching television. Weiss was checking her schedule for the week when the terminal gave two sharp, negative chirps, and Castan spoke up, "My apologies _Weiss_ , it appears that _Willow Schnee_ is not available. Would you like to connect to _Jacques Schnee_ now?"

With a hesitant sigh, Weiss drummed the desktop before confirming, "Yes please, thank you, Castan."

"My pleasure."

There was no reason to expect an answer, her father was a busy man, which he liked to remind anyone who so much as asked about his availability–not that it stopped him from attending banquets and benefits in his and the company's honor. His Sundays weren't a day off, they were an excuse to enhance his business and personal relationships with other important individuals, and he routinely gave Weiss orders to not interrupt these meetings unless he was truly the only one capable of handling it.

She expected the connection to cut short, or to wait another few minutes before she could try and contact Winter, but it was only fair to call him, and he would likely raise hell if he found she'd never even attempted to so much as leave him a message. To her surprise, the screen shimmered and cleared to reveal the tall, limber, mustached man she knew as her father, sitting at his desk alone with a look of quiet intensity. "Weiss, this is unexpected." His voice was calm and filled with uncertainty and suspicion, but he did not seem agitated.

Weiss sat still in her seat, quiet and surprised for a moment, but she swallowed her shock, put on as calm a smile as she could force, and bowed her head respectfully. After a deep breath and her mask of a smile was put on, she greeted him, "good morning, father, happy anniversary."

Her words made his bushy brow tighten, his large, white moustache arching as he pursed his lips, and her father typed at his computer before his eyes flashed in realization. "So it is! How thoughtful of you to call, Weiss; did you call your mother yet?"

Weiss hid her worry with a small nod, hiding the way her lips tightened. "She was unavailable, unfortunately."

"Probably on one of her walks in the garden; I'll have to arrange for a present before the day's end." Jacques leaned back. He was as photo op ready as ever, with a thin build and broad shoulders, long limbs that seemed to stretch forever, and small, high-set eyes that seemed to detect every small quirk of a person's face. His white suit had neither a crinkle nor stain in sight, and his white hair was indicative of his personal appearance goals: high up front, carefully groomed and swept back along the sides and the back. His moustache was recently trimmed, giving it a sleek look while selling the image of a fatherly, powerful man. He was as well kept as ever, his views on perfectionism stretching far and wide, but never excluding himself. He was almost admirable, an absolute master of himself and his domain, a patriarch of undisputable strength and prestige. Weiss always recalled that she admired those qualities, but not the man that displayed them. "What do you think, Weiss?" He suddenly inquired, his expression soft and inquisitive. "It's been some time since I treated her to a teddy bear and chocolates, though she seems to favor her champagne these past three years."

 _Six years, actually,_ not that Weiss corrected him out loud. She forced a dry chuckled instead, something he'd heard often enough in place of a real laugh that he was none the wiser, "What about those champagne infused chocolates from Aumlaut? I personally found them delicious, and the alcohol wasn't too heady."

"And where, exactly, did you have these chocolates?" Jacques asked, his voice tightening in a subtle way, like a snake coiling itself back, waiting for the moment to lunge and bite. Weiss cleared her throat, pushing her forced smile front and center.

"My birthday last year, Winter and I shared them on the balcony overlooking the garden."

Jacques steepled his fingers in front of him, "And there were no witnesses to this revelry?"

"No sir." Weiss' face flushed, and he relaxed.

"Good, it would hurt our image if somebody spread that you and your sister were pair of drunks. Where did you say these chocolates were sold?" He inquired, his voice easing, the snake relaxing as the threats to its domain retreated.

"Aumlaut, sir, on Nicholas Street. If you order them now, they will probably have them prepared for pick-up by dinner." Weiss eased as well, her shoulders sinking in relief. She'd avoided a rebuke with nothing more than the truth for once.

"Perfect, thank you, Weiss." Jacques quickly typed something into his keyboard, then turned his attention back to his daughter, showing no signs of tenseness or anger. "Beacon has not mistreated a Schnee representative, have they?"

 _I'm doing great, father, I'm having a lot of fun._ "They have not; Beacon's been a wonderful experience so far. My team is acceptably competent and friendly, classes are difficult but informative, and my training is proving extremely rigorous, but satisfying."

"Excellent, excellent." Jacques' closed his eyes, his steepled hands pressing palm to palm in thought, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a slight sternness to them. "While I _am_ pleased that your extracurricular activities aren't being wasted, I do hope you aren't _unlearning_ what your college courses have taught you?"

"Of course n—"

"Once this little four year vacation of yours is over I expect nothing but the greatest competence from my own daughter. Your successful tenure at ACBE has given my board members and myself high expectations for how you handle your position in our company, more so than we had for your sister before she gave up her position as heiress."

 _Forced out of it,_ he surely meant. Weiss swallowed a sour taste in her mouth; a vacation, he called it…? Of course it was, she was nothing more than an SDC goon in the waiting, to be shuffled about like a pawn on the board. She hid a sneer, "I haven't lost my touch, father, if that's what you are implying." His brow raised at the lip she gave him, but she continued forward unchallenged, "my time at Beacon has encouraged me to be more investigative of our company's foreign affairs and the politics at home in my own time. Speaking of which, how has the Black Powder lawsuit proceeded?"

He seemed taken aback by the sudden question, but then a look of sincere pleasure crossed his face. He looked handsome with that smile, and Weiss felt a familiar tug at her heart seeing her father's pride in his expression. "You _are_ paying attention! Just as I expected from my favorite daughter, it was unwise of me to believe you were slacking off. Forgive your foolish father."

Weiss swallowed, her smile becoming a little more genuine as the man pat his chest, an unconscious sign of his relaxed delight at the situation. However, the question still remained, and it was one Weiss took a personal interest in. The Black Powder Mines in Mistral were some of the largest, most productive mines in the world, but it was heavily tinged with controversy. It was well-known that the man in charge was a close subordinate to Jacques Schnee, and was as ruthless in cost-saving as her father was. The mines were routinely found to meet the bare minimums for safety in time for an inspection, equipment was often old and falling apart, and workers routinely 'ran away' without so much as a hint of why or when. It was a travesty, a black mark on her grandfather's record, and the recent lawsuit threatened to force tighter safety standards after several workers were seriously wounded on duty in what was an approved working area of the mine.

"The lawsuit went in our favor, of course."

Weiss' smile turned plastic, but her father seemed too pleased to notice the tightness in it. "Did it?"

"Of course," Jacques smiled calmly, "the workers were found to be faking their injuries after forcing the collapse in a plot to steal from us." _Faking?_ One of them had lost an _arm!_ "Once that branch of the mine has its functionality restored, it will be business as usual."

"Good." Weiss lied, trying to keep her smile from slipping away, "as expected, of course."

"Ah, and further good news, Weiss," Jacques continued, his smile remaining as Weiss nodded her head for him to continue, her heart sinking in her chest, but she did not dare voice it, "we've secured Ramauld Future Industries' full cooperation in the advancement of SDC Dust production. By this time next year, we will be the sole distributors of Ramauld-approved home Dust tumbling kits." Weiss' felt herself blinking in disbelief, her smile shrinking as her father continued on, "this is especially pertinent to your little hunter friends; they'll be able to create their own strands of Dust without having to special order the further they go out in the wilds. They'll just need to carry one of our specially made Dust transportation kits, as well as the base Dust necessary, but any village they come across will be able to provide them a way to make more complicated mixtures. Our world is becoming safer by the day!" Jacques bobbed his head, in complete agreement with himself.

"Erm," Weiss cut his patting of his own back with the small enunciation, drawing his curious eye as she quietly squeezed one of her wrists, "father, not that I disapprove, but I thought that Ramauld Sr. was absolutely adamant on allowing any Dust company to make products for their home tumblers. How did we secure exclusivity?"

"Ah, yes, well, I went to visit Ramauld Sr. and ask him to reconsider his position on allowing lesser companies to potentially damage both his reputation and product with their less-refined Dust." Jacques explained calmly, but Weiss felt her disbelief growing.

"Father…" She began in a highly uncertain tone that made his eyes sharpen and shoulders tighten. "Ramauld Sr. has been hospitalized for the last two months, do you mean you spoke to his committee?"

"Hm." Jacques grunted, his eyes reading his daughter's face carefully, "I saw no need to complicate things; Erasmus Ramauld holds final say in any and all of his company's proceedings 'until the day he dies' as detailed in his contract. His bleeding heart committee doesn't know the dangers of working with less-refined Dust, the only person who—"

" _Father,_ you went to a man on his deathbed for a complicated business proposition!"

"All I did—"

Weiss steamrolled over his attempt at a defense with a small raise in her defiance and voice, "The man's mind is _going,_ he was in no state to make such a dealing for his company; you took advantage of a mentally ill man in order to—"

" _SHUT YOUR MOUTH."_ All at once, Weiss's defiance and outrage evaporated, and she suddenly felt a foot tall, staring up at the titan of a man that ruled her life. His glare was furious, his jaw tight and teeth showing at his anger over his daughter's protests, and though his nostrils flared, he lowered his voice and kept control. "Don't you _dare_ think to lecture _me_ about my actions; I secured us a contract that will enhance _our prestige_ in this world, and make the people _safer_ without _fear_ of poorly refined Dust! We will be _richer,_ and _stronger,_ and far out of reach of those ignorant swine masquerading as ' _ethical groups!'_ We are safer and better than _ever;_ it is the nature of business to prey on weakness and come out on top, your grandfather would have done the same thing!"

' _He wouldn't DARE!'_ Weiss wanted to scream the words at the top of her lungs, but her voice was in her father's hand, and he wasn't bound to let go. Weiss cast her eyes downward, wide with fear and shame, and her father's eyes, digitally recreated through that screen, bore into her and throttled any thoughts of resistance. She flinched when she heard him slap the top of his desk, and breath a deep, red hot breath before turning his attention away from her at the sound of a knock.

"Remember, _everything I do is for this family._ We'll speak later, Weiss— come in! The door's open!" Weiss didn't cut the call immediately, only vaguely aware that her father was standing on his screen, his voice changing to cheery all at once, "Matthias! Good to see you. You aren't interrupting anything important, just talking to my daughter, please have a se—"

The call ended when her father clicked the button, and Weiss sat in her seat, her body hot with shame, and rage, and disappointment. This family… _this_ family. _His_ family. The family _he_ created for himself, to bring _himself_ up higher in the world. Not her grandfather's family, not her grandfather's company, _his…_ she grit her teeth and squeezed her fingers into tight fists until her fingernails were leaving deep, painful imprints into her palms.

"Your call has ended, would you like to connect to _Winter Schnee_ now?"

The voice cut through Weiss' internal fury, and when she opened her eyes more fully, she saw the screen was back to its light, glowing blue, her father no longer on the screen, his voice no longer tormenting her ears, and Castan waited patiently for her to answer the question. Weiss drew herself up, steepled her fingers, filled her breast with air, and let it go.

Jacques Schnee was not in Vale, her father was not in Beacon, and she wasn't enthralled to him here. She had no obligations to do as he demanded, the only thing she was beholden to was her teachers and her team. She would change in four years, become stronger… stronger than _him._ She drew herself up; now was not the time to mope and weep, she had an afternoon with her team to look forward to… and an older sister to at least try and attempt to contact.

"Yes, please, Castan." She answered with a low sigh. She sat up straight, dusting at her skirt and jacket to, if nothing else, appease her need to straighten herself out for her own ego.

Just like her father, Winter was a constantly busy woman. She had joined the military to sever herself from their father's iron-fisted rule, giving up her inheritance to gain her freedom. The Atlesian military was a harsh organization built on the concepts of discipline and lethal efficiency, but in the name of the greater good. The general was famous for those three concepts in his youth, his most famous act having been quickly, and decisively, executing a fellow soldier who had lost his mind and was threatening the Atlesian CCT with bomb strapped to his stomach. The act garnered him significant praise for protecting the city, but equal criticism for being so quick to pull the trigger on a man he claimed had been his friend.

Some accused Winter of trading one tyrant for another, but Winter had never been happier… Sterner, perhaps, but she rose in the ranks to become General Ironwood's subordinate, a specialist who was tasked with unique missions of vital importance that sent her all around the world, and on the rare occasions the two sisters were able to speak freely, Winter spoke of the general with a fondness their father would never hear nor share in.

The greatest misfortune to her arrangement was that she was often too busy to be part of Weiss' life. It wasn't her fault, it was the path she had chosen, and Weiss respected that, but it left her woefully lonely sometimes. She needed her sister more than ever after she'd left, but talks and meetings were few and far between.

Weiss suspected that it would be much of the same today… except the screen told her that it had connected. She sat up straight, her lips parting in a gentle, excited release of breath, her eyes full of wonder and hope, and the screen blipped to fill with the face of a young woman with features so much like Weiss' own: a narrow face sporting a sharpened nose and chin, a gentle, neutral frown, her face free of lines and wrinkles, but her relaxation apparent to those who knew her. Unlike Weiss' ice blue eyes, Winter's were the same color of the cloudy skies of a cold winter morning, the ones that made you dread to trudge outside and be blasted by the frigid air. By her expression alone she was the perfect Atlesian soldier; as uncaring and harsh as their winters, but if you knew where to look, or you were familiar to the woman, there were pockets of warmth to be found.

"Weiss," Winter began, her voice sharp, crisp, and cold, instantly making the younger of the two sisters sit up straight and square her shoulders, as doing otherwise would invite a quick, dismissive comment and an order, "your timing could not be more impeccable; I believe I warned you that I am often busy during the day, and that emergency calls should be made to the Atlesian military communications hub so that proper arrangements can be made in case I am unavailable or must leave."

"Yes, you did." Weiss confirmed with a small frown and a nod of her head.

"Then you understand this call shouldn't be happening; you are in luck, I am awaiting the general to finish his meeting with the Prime Minister, and then I will be occupied for the rest of the day."

"I do." Weiss answered glumly, while Winter's expression remained placid and uncompromising.

"So you understand full well the foolishness of your decision to call me directly?"

"Yes." Weiss refused to meet her sister's eyes.

"Very well, then. What is it that you so urgently needed to say?" Winter asked, her voice never waving from its firm, sturdy tone, as if she was a nearly accurate, yet still unconvincing AI trying to play a stern parental figure.

Weiss looked up to meet her sister's eyes. They were merciless, locked onto Weiss' while betraying no annoyance or nervousness with her idle, calm blinking. Everything about Winter was so tough, like she had a brick wall around her mind and her heart, one that allowed so little in and out of. She was the perfect soldier… it was little wonder she acclimated to the military away from her father's blustering rule.

What could she say?

What would make this entire phone call okay? She had so selfishly and stupidly disregarded her sister's busy schedule after she had been informed on how to arrange a phone call with her, she had acted like a dumb brat in believing she would just get her sister on the line, or that she could just leave a message like it wasn't a big deal.

Weiss breathed deeply, and spoke honestly, "I miss you."

"And I, you." Winter answered, reaching up to glide her fingers through her hair, pulling the sharp, frontal bang covering her right eye back before pressing her back to the wall behind her. "How has Beacon treated you, Weiss? Is the heat making you woozy? Have you kept up with your exercise and diet? Are your classes enjoyable? Have you made any friends? _Real_ friends?"

One question after another, and Weiss felt a trickle of warmth fill her stomach, her frown turning up into a small, grateful smile. She wiped her eyes without thinking about why she felt so emotional all of a sudden, and she bobbed her head, "Beacon has treated me wonderfully so far; the heat is extremely pleasant, actually; my PE class is causing me to exercise harder than ever, and while I doubt the cafeteria is staffed by a master dietician, I'm not being malnourished; I like my classes, the teachers are knowledgeable and the classroom tools are of acceptable technological levels; and… I have."

"Excellent." Winter dipped her head, the merest showing of pleasure, but Weiss knew well her sister's quirks, and something as simple as a nod was amplified by coming from Winter. "Tell me about your friends."

"You don't want to hear about my grades?" Weiss asked, perhaps a bit more teasingly than she meant to.

"Do you have anything to _report_ concerning your grades?" Winter's voice took on an edge of prepared disappointment, as if a single negative would send her down the slippery slip of monologues and rants, but Weiss shook her head.

"Not at all, they're exemplary, of course."

"Which is why I felt no need to ask; now don't tarry, if I had more time I would not rush. Your friends, tell me of them."

"Well, first and foremost, you would hate all of them." Weiss chuckled a little as her sister's raised eyebrow. "One is a boastful, violent pervert, another is an introverted, mischievous layabout, and the last one, my partner, is a nervous, stuttering wreck who turns in on herself the moment she's in company beyond the four of us."

"You are correct, I find them detestable already." Winter's face relaxed, and the two sisters shared a small, gentle giggle, which no doubt would have earned Winter some odd looks from anybody who was only passingly familiar with her. "But if they are your friends, they must have some redeeming qualities."

"Without a doubt." Without really meaning to, Weiss inundated her sister in stories and observations concerning Ruby, Blake, and Yang. She knew Winter was on a time limit, she had intended to ask about her day-to-day activities, but… she had so much to say, and Winter only interrupted to ask questions.

Weiss couldn't stop herself, she _had_ to share the things she had experienced being with new people; the common rabble, the middle-class, the girl who grew up in a camp… they were all so interesting and new, so different and… their father would have had them removed from his sight in an instant. But, they were Weiss's friends, they were kind, they were friendly, they were helpful…

And Winter listened. "Have you met anyone of ' _interest?'"_ She asked after several minutes of listening to Weiss' chatter.

"Oh I've met _plenty_ of interesting people, this place is a magnet for 'weird.'" Weiss puffed, and Winter pursed her lips.

"I meant have you met anyone that interests _you?"_ She persisted. Weiss opened her mouth to answer, but paused. Weiss was well and far away from people who would tell her off for so much as glancing too long at a passing boy or girl, her father was insistent on finding somebody she could marry that would enhance the Schnee name further… but here, she was free to pursue whomsoever she pleased, and Winter realized that. Did she realize that _Weiss_ had realized that…?

"There are plenty of people here who interest me, Winter." Weiss responded with a smile full of false innocence, "there is somebody interesting in every room, it seems like."

"Weiss, you know what I'm asking about." Winter said indignantly, but Weiss hid her more clever grin.

"I'm not sure that I do," Weiss scrunched her face up in confusion, drawing an agitated twitch from her sister, "you asked me if there's anybody who interests me here, and there's a lot of interesting people."

"You are not _dull,_ Weiss," Winter pinched the bridge of her nose, "unless the heat has dulled your ability to detect ulterior meanings"

"Mmm, I don't know," Weiss couldn't resist a smile that would have made Yang proud, and Winter puffed up in annoyance, "maybe you should try speaking more clearly?"

"What is this sudden foolishness, Weiss?! You clearly understand!"

"I don't know that I do~! Maybe you should be more blunt with me, sister."

"I'll show you blunt with the back of my hand if this idiocy persists!"

"Ah, my older sister is so _cruel!"_

"And my younger sister is a goddamned _idiot."_

Winter's lukewarm fury disappeared with Weiss' peel of laughter, the younger girl holding her stomach as she tried to keep her joviality low to not disturb the other people in the room. Despite her prior annoyance, Winter calmed considerably listening to Weiss laugh, and once the amusement was over and Weiss was silent again, Winter continued on with a much more gentle tone. "Should I blame your friends for this?"

"For what?" Weiss beamed.

"Weiss Schnee, I may have been complicit to your silliness before, but now? I will _end this call_ if you decide to continue being ridiculous." Winter sneered, and Weiss knew the threat was genuine, so she banished her goofy grin and wore a more natural smile.

"Apologies, Winter, it's practically required to act that silly if you want to fit in with my team." She shrugged her shoulders, and Winter scoffed.

"I'm not going to forgive such an empty apology, Weiss, since you clearly don't mean it. Do the sisters on your team–Ruby and Yang, was it?–treat each other with such flippancy?"

"Worse." Weiss's cheeks reddened in amusement, remembering how over-the-top the sisters' snark towards each other could get when they were both in the mood. "The two treat their squabbling as expressions of affection and dominance. Nobody keeps score, there's no 'winner', the abuse is empty and the reward is nil, but they love and defend each other. It's so prevalent they draw me and Blake into it until the four of us are racing to find the best quip."

"' _Blake and me,'_ Weiss. And that sounds like the most backhanded way to show your love for anyone. We, more than anyone, know that anger is not _love."_

"It's not the same, I think." Weiss bridged her fingers in thought, and Winter's nostrils quietly flared as she awaited her sister to go on. "They both treat it like a game; when one gets angry, the other apologizes and they… _hug it out._ They're endlessly loving otherwise, it's… exhausting to see."

"I would imagine so." Winter paused, openly thinking for a few, long seconds before finally getting an idea. She spoke, her voice still as stiff as steel, "especially for somebody with as poor stamina as yourself."

"Pardon?" Weiss's turned a sharpened glance on her sister, only to see the girl struggling to hide what appeared to be a little smile. "... I don't know if you're one to talk, I'm still the only one who can outlast father's toasts without _snoring."_

"Oh _ho,"_ Weiss tried to remember the last time Winter had made _that_ sound, "better than having snored yourself awake on camera, at least."

"Tsk!" Weiss had a strange feeling in her chest, like there was a knot that had formed that was slowly loosening. Talking with Winter was always wonderful, but her older sister was so taciturn and stiff that Weiss often felt like she was trying to talk to a slightly condescending wall that still loved her. This was different, this was… _silly._ "Snoring is nothing to be ashamed of, my former dalliances thought it was cute. Speaking of which, has anyone heard _you_ 'snore' yet?" Weiss quirked an eyebrow.

It was rare that Winter ever look flustered, but here, Weiss gave herself a point as Winter's face began to turn a little red, her eyes drifting away from Weiss' as her lips tightened. " _Ahem,_ unlike yourself, I am _waiting_ for the right person to ' _snore'_ at, thank you."

"It would be easier to find somebody if you removed the military-grade stick from your—"

" _Weiss!"_ Winter reared, and Weiss' forehead made an audible ' _bang'_ when she fell to the desk, shaking with a laughter she desperately tried to silence as Winter just stared, red-faced with shock. When Weiss calmed herself, she looked up at the screen to see her sister watching her with half-lidded eyes, hand over her mouth, turning a shade of red she'd never seen on the older girl, all while her shoulders shivered. Weiss was in genuine shock as she realized her sister was _laughing;_ not a tiny little giggle, or a a gentle, polite chuckle, her sister was trying to keep herself from _laughing._

The two sisters sighed in relief, their eyes meeting and their smiles showing. Winter had smiled before when Weiss fully announced she was going to Vale, away from Atlas, and she was smiling now… because of something Ruby and Yang had taught Weiss. What a stupid thing… how had that worked? Weiss had insulted her sister and gotten away with it.

The moment of levity passed with the sound of an opening door and footsteps. Winter straightened up immediately, trying to hide the delight in her face with a deep breath and a quick tightening of her discipline, and Weiss' view went from Winter's face to her bottom as the girl stood up in an Atlesian salute.

"Good morning, lady Schnee." Weiss heard the Prime Minister's voice.

"To you as well, Prime Minister."

"Winter, are you well? Your face is red." Came the general's voice.

"I am perfectly well, General, I was just… laughing, sir."

"... Laughing." Came the disbelieving answer.

Weiss listened, slightly embarrassed for her to have put her sister in an awkward state. Winter answered stiffly, "Correct. My sister contacted me while awaiting you, sir. It has been some time since I'd spoken with her, I wished to make sure of her health, sir."

"Is she aware that the best way to maintain contact with you is through the Atlesian military communications hub?"

"I've informed her of such, sir."

"Good, then let us move on."

"Of course, sir. May I say my goodbyes?"

A moment of silence, but then, "I will be in my office when you are ready, Winter."

"I will not be long, sir." At that, Weiss' view became a blur as Winter lifted her scroll. Weiss caught sight of the general's white suit and the Prime Minister's wrinkled hands before she was facing Winter, whose expression was a solid rock once more. "We will speak again soon, Weiss."

"Of course, Winter. I'm sorry about the trouble."

"You are forgiven, goodbye."

"I love you."

Winter paused, her thumb hovering over the button to terminate the call, but her lips flickered, "And I, you."

With that, the call ended, and Weiss sat back in her seat, staring at the blue screen, which then turned an inactive green as she unplugged her scroll from the terminal. She had the sudden urge to hunt down the Xiao Long girls and thank them both for their inspirational tomfoolery, but her thoughts were interrupted by her scroll flashing with a text message.

 _Y: [Dinner with CFVY room at 5:00.]_

 _W: [Who?]_

 _Y: [Team with bunny girl Cardin was bullying.]_

 _B: [Figured that out quickly.]_

 _Y: [You in?]_

 _B: [Sure. I'll get ready around then, found a nice tree to veg in.]_

 _W: [Sounds like a plan.]_

* * *

Beacon's shape stood out magnificently against the distant blue sky, its numerous roofs and singular tower looking dark in its own shade, like something off the cover of a novel, or a particularly artsy shot in a movie.

Thinking about it, Blake was willing to bet that at least one of Beacon's posters featured exactly what she was staring at. It was too cinematic to _not_ have a couple, if not hundreds of pictures. There was probably some sort of ban in Vale's colleges and high schools that forbid such pictures for their photography classes; after all, you didn't get many points for grabbing only the low-hanging fruit.

Blake sat on a sturdy branch, high on one of the tall oaks that fenced in the valley Beacon dominated. She was enriched with the smell of nature for what felt like the first time in three weeks; the bark beneath her, the leaves around her, the shrubbery below, the flowers in the distance…

It was a nostalgic feeling listening to the birds and chittering squirrels, or the subtle crunch of grass below as deer and rodents scurried through the underbrush, and the whisper and creak of the winds blowing through the canopies above. The otherwise absolute stillness of a world unburdened by things like schedules, crowds, and classwork left her feeling… relaxed.

It felt like a weight off of her shoulders. Civilization could be… burdensome. There were expectations and demands in civilization, but the wilds were different. She could have stripped naked and run through the brush with nothing but her Aura and not suffer any consequences; she could have hunted her own game and roasted it over a campfire, then tear into it barehanded if she desired.

She loved being able to sit up in a tree and let time pass her by without looking at a clock anxiously… she more so loved that, with a single hop and a ten minute sprint, she could have found herself back indoors and snuggling into a mattress with a plate of fish and a movie on her scroll.

She had gotten her fill of nature in her five years in Vale's White Fang. The nomadic life was a teacher, one she felt she had outgrown in recent years. Its lack of mercy and comforts beyond those foraged for left Blake with a long-standing ache that was only just starting to alleviate as she caught up on her rest and focused her efforts not on survival, but the much more gentle demands of academia.

Being bound by the hour was certainly a headache at times, but she never felt pangs of hunger she couldn't fix with a short walk and a quick talk. Resting her head and healing her body was equally easy… and in addition, she didn't have the looming presence of a man who she had allowed to leave one-too-many bruises on her, when he wasn't making her want to crawl under a rock and sew her mouth shut.

It took Blake a few seconds to realize her teeth were digging into her lip, and she quietly cursed herself out as she licked the pain away and spat the taste of copper into the grass below. Miles away, far from his influence, well within the protection of Vale's limits, and Blake felt the whisper of his furious breath against the nape of her neck, fingers digging into her breast, a knife pressed to her back…

She was fairly sure he wouldn't kill her, but it didn't stop her body from trying to tell her otherwise. It took a minute of meditation and some quiet counting of the number of reasons Adam couldn't possibly capture her then and there for her to finally relax her eyes and ears, looking back down at the book resting in her lap. She sighed thickly as she realized she'd lost her place in all her postulating, and after a brief scan of her surroundings, read slowly to ensure she actually absorbed the information, rather than just distract herself with individual words.

Her attempt to focus on her book made her ignore all other stimuli; she found the tree to _read,_ not worry over phantoms of her past, so she put her all into _reading…_

Which was why she nearly threw herself out of the tree when she heard a grunt, and the sound of the branch below shaking. Steady on the tips of her toes, Blake stared down into the black voids of Ruby's goggle lenses, and the cheeky little smile the little lady shot up at her.

The instinct to pull a blade and threaten the intruder was still strongly ingrained in Blake, but after a moment of staring, of watching Ruby adjust herself on the lower branch and pull a book out of the purse she was carrying, Blake felt the impulse pass, and she slumped to her butt.

"... _How…?"_ Blake asked, staring around at the number of trees surrounding them in the massive expanse surrounding Beacon, her nostrils flaring… did she leave behind a trail? Was there a camera following her right now? Did they slip a _tracking device_ onto her?!

… Wasn't Ruby supposed to be with Yang?

"Where's Yang?" Blake interrupted any chance for Ruby to answer her first question. In response, Ruby cracked open her book, looked up, and pointed. Blake's brow knit quizzically, and she followed Ruby's fingers to a hanging curtain of golden hair, a big, prideful smile, and pretty lilac eyes right in her face.

Birds erupted from the treetops as grounded animals fled to the safety of the deeper woods as a scream echoed through the wilderness, and Yang's ecstatic laughter was cut short by a sharp slap, and a quick, but offended " _ow!"_

"I _knew_ giving you those climbing lessons was a bad idea!" Blake grumped as Yang rubbed her cheek, her shining smile never leaving. Ruby stifled her giggling poorly down below, making Blake cross her arms. At the very least she still felt her book under her arm, it would have been a pity to have lost it.

" _I_ think they're fun!" Yang stuck her tongue out. Blake specialized in climbing as silently, yet swiftly as physically possible, so why would she have taught Yang any other method? "S'watcha get for not having ' _constant vigilance!'"_ She declared in a pompous, Port-like tone.

"Yang, don't tease her…" Ruby warned from down below, but Yang simply cackled to herself.

Blake sneered, her nostril twitching, "the branch you're on won't support your weight." She changed topics, making Yang pause and look up at the limb she had her legs wrapped around.

"It's hanging in there just fine, don't you worry about— _ow ow ow stooooooop!"_ Yang whined as Blake roughly pinched her boob.

"It won't support _my_ weight _,_ and _I'm_ not carrying _your_ extra poundage." Blake stopped pinching only when her partner swat at her hands, glared at her… then turned pale when the branch began to creak ominously.

After a quick scan of her surroundings, Yang quickly clamored down the trunk to a branch around Ruby's level, allowing the three quarters of team RWBY to have a reasonable stake in declaring the tree as a part of their territory. Ruby finally got comfy where she sat and stared up at Blake, who was wrestling with the sudden change in ambience and population.

"You know I hate it when you do that; that's like defacing a national treasure!" Yang snapped up at Blake, and the black-haired beauty made threatening pinching motions at her with a cheeky smile.

"You deserved it!" Ruby and Blake both chimed together, and Yang shook her fist back.

"So…" Blake tilted her head towards Ruby thoughtfully, her hand combing through her black locks to ensure her ribbon was still there… even if she knew Yang would have said _something,_ the frightened little voice in her still demanded that she double check. "How did you two _find_ me?"

"You always come this way." The little leader said, legs hanging off the tree limb casually, kicking almost childishly as she opened to the first page of a brand new book.

"What?" Blake asked after Ruby's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She stared out over the field, at the path she had walked before it bent to loop a different direction, which she had broken away from to march straight towards the trees. "... I do?" She sounded dismayed at the idea of being _predictable._

"Yeah," Yang answered from where she was stretching out, arms behind her head, "at least twice a week during recess you come this way."

"And y-you mentioned a tree! So we looked for a tree _we_ would climb." Ruby added on, and Blake silently slumped at the logical response. It wasn't like Blake had made an effort to choose a confusing, or even isolated place; she chose the first tree that stood out at the border of the open plain and the forest. It was distressingly logical, but Blake didn't want it to get under her skin; who was she trying to fool? Her own teammates? For _what?_

… Isolation? It _was_ why she had come out here in the first place; at the very least to escape their cramped room.

"So, why are you guys here, then?" Blake asked, her disappointment being abated by annoyance, but Ruby's response was wholesomely soothing.

"To keep you company." She answered, holding up the hardback book she had only just started, "and read!"

" _And_ to chill." Yang spoke up, having found herself a proper lying down position that would let her stretch out and relax.

"You're gonna let me _read?"_ Blake asked testingly, and got two, quick affirmatives from the two. "... Well, alright then." Some part of her wanted to be angrier, to be indignant that her teammates were inserting themselves into her ' _me time',_ but despite that small, nervous part of herself attempting to rationalize that anger, she didn't have it in her.

After a minute of settling back in and opening her book up, the only change that Blake noticed was the creaks of their branches, and the quiet sighs and hums. She kept glancing between the two, expecting them to be watching her, or chatting, or _something,_ but Ruby was content to read, and Yang to close her eyes.

Blake had the claustrophobic feeling that one of them was about to start discussing a mission, or suggest they head back to camp, but… they were quiet. Well, quiet until Yang began to softly sing a pop song to herself. She had gone out for peace and quiet, and her teammates had followed her, and were being both peaceful and quiet…

She felt frustrated at her minor frustration, since rationally, she _liked_ them both. So what was bothering her here? She was, once again, making no progress in her book as she glanced between the two of them and quietly wondered where Weiss was… was that it? Was she annoyed that Weiss wasn't there? Was she annoyed that any of them were there?

Blake felt… _itchy._ She needed a moment to meditate and relax and… and… looking between her two friends, she found no reason she couldn't. Was that it? She had gotten so used to being on edge around others that there was an echo of agitation even near her own friends, in turn making her more grouchy at _herself_ for her own impulsive thoughts?

She felt like a mess… she was, at the very least, glad that neither of her friends were bothering her so she could sort it out without making things awkward.

Strangely enough, it all began to feel wrong after a few minutes of reorienting herself on the current page. It was easy enough to focus on herself when she was all alone, but her friends were nearby, and despite her desire to finish the book before sundown, she kept glancing between the two to see what they were up to.

Ruby was reading, Yang was lazing, and Blake's instincts to know everything about the pack around her was acting up. It came back to her role as her former camp's second-in-command; Adam was the face, the charisma, the muscle, the _hero;_ Blake was the mind and the emotion behind it all. Adam raised morale with stirring speeches and results, Blake gave everyone a familiar, comforting face to come home to and tell their problems to…

She wasn't that person now, in terms of importance on the team, she was probably dead-last; Ruby was their leader, Weiss was Ruby's partner and administrator, Yang was Ruby's older sister and muscle… so that left Blake as their fourth. What was she to the team, then? Ruby's crush? Yang's partner? She wasn't the one ringing the soup bell, poking her head into the medical tents to talk to the infirm, or keeping an eye on the members that seemed despondent and down.

"Hey, Ruby, Yang?" Blake spoke up, glancing between the two as they looked at her, Ruby's expression full of curiosity, Yang looking slightly perturbed at having been stirred awake. "Follow me." She ordered. Blake put her book in her bag and scaled down the tree trunk, her teammates sitting up to watch her descent.

"What's up?" Yang asked, but Blake didn't respond. The two followed her down the tree in confusion, sharing a brief look as they did. The moment Ruby and Yang were on the forest floor with her, Blake moved Ruby between herself and Yang, and with a nod, gave a simple order: "sit."

" _Eh?"_ Yang's nose scrunched up in confusion, but after a second or so of hesitation, Ruby did as she was told. Blake followed in short order, and so did Yang. The three sat hip-to-hip at the base of the tree, Ruby and Yang examining Blake as she cracked open her book again to read.

She sensed the sisters meeting one another's eye to silently ask the obvious question, but she was glad they didn't waste any words asking her out loud. They were resting close together, hardly an inch apart between them, and Blake could easily hear them and feel them. They were side-by-side, and Blake was pleased to share in their presence.

She smiled to herself as she read, and Ruby joined her soon enough, while Yang adjusted herself to use Ruby's shoulder as a pillow. They were missing one person, but… it was nice. These were people Blake could trust, sort of. The matter of her ears was still in question, and she was still quite curious about Ruby's eyes, but those were things that could wait until later, when she was good and ready to share that secret.

… A secret that could potentially out her as a former member of a terrorist organization, known for harassing the family of the missing member of their group, if not outright murdering her family members…

Blake winced at the thought, and tried to banish it so she could go back to enjoying the moment of being with her team.

An hour had passed the three by in a comfortable, unnoticed manner. Their only witnesses were the foraging beasts, and Ruby felt an awkward nostalgia within her; when she wasn't reading in her bed, or on the couch while her dad watched TV, she liked to go out to a small, shaded bench her dad had built her in the backyard. They were far enough away from busy streets that Ruby got to enjoy the sounds, smells, and _bugs_ in nature as she read, and she didn't realize how much she'd missed it until she found she wasn't trying to shut out an argument upstairs, or a pulsing bass from below.

She moved her arm up, brushing against Blake's to take ahold of her goggle strap, the comfort making her want to go au natural, but she stopped when she saw a lock of black hair bump her shoulder. Ruby wordlessly tugged her strap the tiniest bit, pretending she was adjusting it, and put her arm down. She didn't say anything about it, and after a second, Blake looked back at her story, neither bringing it up.

Yang was asleep on Ruby's other side, muttering soft nonsense to herself, only periodically saying an actual word of sense that had zero context or relevance. Ruby stroked her sister's cheek, then turned to the next page.

"Hm." She heard Blake to her side, briefly looking over at the noise, wondering if it was just a reaction to her story… "Ruby?" Blake met her eye; nope, she wanted attention. "What am I to you?"

"H-huh?" Ruby looked into Blake's golden eyes curiously, and immediately found herself heating up. Blake's expression was… _soft._ It wasn't like her normal, unreadable expression, there was an unexplainable tenderness to the way she looked at Ruby. She thought she saw Blake's bow twitch, but that couldn't have been right. "What… _are_ you? T-to—?"

"To you." Blake finished with a bit of impatience in her voice, though her eyes slid away from Ruby's goggle lenses to stare at an unremarkable spot on the forest floor. Blake's book closed quietly, and Ruby soon followed suit so that they could focus on one another. "Sorry…" Blake turned away from Ruby with a deep sigh, staring away with a small frown that left Ruby feeling worried, "I know it's an awkward question to ask all of a sudden."

"W-well…" Was this a philosophical question? Or was she fishing for a character from a book to be compared to? They'd spent a good few hours one Wednesday night talking about the _Diamond in the Rough_ book, where they playfully quarreled over their favorite character (both agreeing that the main character was the worst part of the story), but that couldn't have been right, her expression was too serious. "You're my friend." Ruby nodded at her own answer.

Blake didn't meet her eye, her lips tightened, and her brow furrowed. Ruby frowned in confusion, and Blake squeezed her fingers together in thought. "I'm your friend, but not, say, your teammate?"

"Well, you're th-that too." Ruby bobbed her head.

"But you said ' _friend'_ first." Blake pointed out. Ruby blinked at her; was this one of those ' _emotional manipulation techniques'_ Yang warned her about when dealing with people? It sounded the same as one of Yang's exes... "What is a friend to you?" Blake asked her little leader, and Ruby took a moment to consider her answer.

She had read many descriptions of what friends were, what they meant, and what they were like in her stories, but… she'd had three weeks to evaluate what it was like to have her own friends… "Um… I-I dunno." Ruby answered, shrugging softly as she picked through her thoughts. Blake looked mildly frustrated, but Ruby continued, "You, Weiss, and everyone on JNPR are sorta the f-first friends I've had other than my family."

"Oh. Right, sorry." Blake scratched her forehead in embarrassment, feeling slightly ashamed. "It's a weird question, don't worry about it."

"A friend…" Ruby mumbled, ignoring Blake's offer as she tapped her fingertips together in front of her face, "you, a-and everyone make me feel… warm." She lifted her head to look up at the treetops, holding a hand out to stir the warm spring air between her fingertips thoughtfully. Blake's lips parted, but she sealed them shut to stare at Ruby's fingers. "I feel like I can relax with y-you guys, like right now." She shot a glance over to Yang, who gave a sharp snore, and muttered about not wanting cacti.

That was sensible, and even sweet, but Blake still felt… unsure. She called this girl her leader, but to her leader, what was Blake? She could recall the time when she was considered a lover, the second-in-command, somebody who built morale and acted as a motherly figure. But, fresher on her memory was the time when she was a nuisance, a weak-willed traitor in the wings…

"Do… you trust me?" Blake asked softly, forming a small fist at the memory of uncertain looks and distrustful glares.

"Yeah." Ruby answered with a tiny nod. It was… simple, it might not have been honest, and it didn't clarify what Ruby trusted her with, but Blake unclenched her fist. "... Do _you_ trust _me?"_ Ruby asked Blake with a worried frown, and despite herself, Blake gave a small chuckle.

"I think so." Even with that said, and their books opened up, Blake felt her ears itch, and tossed Ruby's goggles a curious glance.

It would have been easy enough to leave it at that, and the two could have returned to their books with such a small, confident, if empty confirmation. Blake was about settled in again, when Ruby spoke up with gentle voice, "Hey. Do you remember what you asked me after initiation? In the showers?"

"Hm?" Blake looked over, "About Yang? Or about our purpose?"

"The purpose one." Ruby clarified, and Blake nodded.

"What about it?"

"What's your answer?" Ruby stared up at Blake, who, caught off guard, stared at the words in her book like they had turned into a meaningless jumble on the page. "Blake?"

Blake's finger slid underneath a page in her book, feeling the smooth texture of the paper, her lips audibly smacking as she considered the question. It wasn't as if she hadn't asked herself that very question over and over again, but she was well past the time and place where she had an answer. How could she claim to be fighting for Faunus equality here at Beacon when she spent her free time like this? How could she claim it even a year ago when her organization focused more on revenge than liberation?

The smile she wore was quiet and sad, enough horror in it to make Ruby turn to face Blake fully, Yang making a surprised sound as she woke up from her fall. Blake's fingers gently tugged at a page, but she hid her distress behind a far-too-fake smile, and sighed softly. "I think most people ask questions because they don't have an answer of their own." Blake whispered, making Ruby pout.

"N-not _always._ I mean, if you w-wanna know more about someone, w-what they stand for, w-why—"

" _Ruby,"_ Blake cut in, their eyes meeting so quickly that Ruby's words caught in her throat. "You're– you have the– I mean, out of everyone–…" Blake's words trailed off, and she bit her lip as, quietly, a hand filled hers.

… No, not one hand, two. She closed her fist around eight fingers, one gentle and warm, one large and hot, and she looked up to the two sisters that watched her with concern, and she felt… _ridiculous._ She had never been so close to purposelessness, the realization that her future was muddled and ruined, that her life-long goal suddenly felt shallow and impossible… in her experience, the purpose of humanity and Faunus was to fight; each other, themselves, whatever stood in the way of their selfish goals, and it was a purpose that made her feel sick.

"You don't have to know." Blake looked up to Ruby, who smiled at her, and Yang, who was resting her chin on Ruby's head to watch her partner closely. "I-I think it's okay to not know." Ruby glanced up at Yang, who rolled her shoulders with a small smirk.

"Whatever's got you all worked up, it's no biggie. We got four years of school to figure shit out, y'know? And all that way, you got us!" Yang snagged Ruby's cheeks between her fingers and thumb, making the girl blow a rude noise between her compressed lips in annoyance.

"We c'n halp 'oo!"

Blake had heard that what the gods took, they eventually replaced; lives, food, work, comfort, it was a phrase that had been used to describe any number of events when a combination of luck and circumstance brought great relief. Did it hold true for companions, too? When Blake had seen her old friends turn into different, bitter people, she felt all alone…

Now it was impossible to escape from her new friends. It wasn't so much that they haunted her or hounded her, but she was aware of their presence, she was aware of where they were, and whenever she felt lonely, she comforted herself knowing they were nearby. How had she gotten so lucky? She could have ended up paired with Cardin, she could have paired up with somebody who only saw her as a tool in their rise to graduation, but somehow she had gotten into the good graces of these two sisters that, unerringly, offered their goodwill and warmth wherever they could.

Friends brought warmth… yes, that felt correct. They stopped the itching in her flesh, and she didn't want to let go of their fingers

So… why did the impulse to relax her ears and lay them flat terrify her? She took a deep breath to calm her suddenly beating heart, and came to the dismaying conclusion that she wasn't ready, not just yet. She was happier in a lie than potentially losing this warmth again.

The gods returned what they stole… but not all of it.

* * *

 **AN:** Hello all; mostly updating so y'all don't think I'm dead! The second half of this chapter will be coming out soon, but I'm rather impatient, so please bare with me until then!


	14. Hot CFVY

"So, how did the family talks go?" Yang asked in idle curiosity as she clasped a silver necklace around Weiss' neck.

"It was a mixed bag, which I would be more tempted to go into _once you tell me why I have to dress so nicely."_ Weiss snipped. The young lady was wearing one of her richer dresses at Yang's insistence, a pure white affair with a blue scarf draped fashionably around her shoulders that Weiss insisted was not only necessary, but also more expensive than the jacket, ascot, and slacks Yang had on combined.

"Team CFVY are our upperclassmen, and Ruby wants to make a good impression." Weiss didn't miss the bite in Yang's voice, but simply shrugged, and sighed.

"If it's Ruby's order, then fine." She ran her fingers along the long, shimmering skirt that seemed to look a light blue from some angles, then snow white from others, depending on, what Yang could only assume, was a change in lighting, reflections, temperature, and possibly the dress' personal feelings at the time for all she knew about its make.

She was also slightly bothered that Weiss immediately accepted the order hearing it was from _Ruby,_ but not Yang.

The bathroom door opened and Blake stepped out, looking calm, if slightly more melancholy in a pretty white dress and heels. Her black hair was smoother and straightened after a shower and several additional minutes under a hair brush, and she gave Weiss a strained smile, "thanks for the loaner, Weiss."

"Not a problem." Weiss said, her and Yang both openly staring at Blake with no shame crossing their minds. "It's not too tight around the chest, is it?" She asked, staring at the near perfect mold of Blake's bra underneath the dress' torso, the meager cleavage window being visibly taut. Weiss felt only a hint of annoyance at the hidden highfive Yang gave her, but had to agree that it was a lovely sight.

Blake cupped her breasts, giving a thoughtful squeeze that earned a stiffening in both girls' stances in front of her, and grinned. "I'll think I'll be okay as long as I don't breath." She chuckled, Yang joining her.

"Trust me, B, I know the feeling." Yang thumped her chest, earning a shake from Blake's head.

"I'm inclined to believe you." Blake held still as Weiss walked behind her with a far less elaborate necklace, one that Blake probably could have put on herself, but she leaned down to let Weiss affix it herself. "So, spill, have a good talk with your family?"

"My sister and I had a magnificent talk." Weiss answered in the affirmative, drawing a nod from Yang, but a curious look from Blake. Weiss didn't talk much about individual members of her family, and despite being away from the Fang, Blake was still immensely curious about a family she had hated for so long. She didn't make any assumptions on Weiss' relationships with them until Weiss darkly muttered, "and having an actual conversation with the other two _would_ have been nice."

"Aww, sorry Weiss." Yang rubbed the heiress head, drawing nothing more than a huff of annoyance in response. "Maybe you'll get them on the horn next time."

"Mmm." She stepped back from Blake, admiring her two teammates. Yang looked rather dashing in her more gentlemanly ensemble, somebody Weiss would allow to escort her to the more high-end events her father and his colleagues arranged when they felt the need to blow absurd amounts of lien. Closer inspection did make Weiss consider a shopping trip dedicated to the blonde's wardrobe, but more pressing was Blake's limited selection. "When we have the opportunity, we are definitely going to go shopping for some nicer clothes for you." Weiss insisted, making Blake wince the tiniest bit.

"We don't have to burn our allowance on clothes for me. I'd rather just earn the money myself, somehow."

"Don't be ridiculous." Weiss hummed thoughtfully. "A girl should _always_ look her best; I will happily buy you some clothes so that you're never wanting."

"Err, really, that's not…?" Blake stared at Weiss with wide eyes at the offer, briefly looking threatened. What was in it for Weiss? What did she gain from spending her own money on Blake? The hidden Faunus calmed herself, knowing the answer already. She swallowed thickly at Weiss' sincere grin, and put on a small smile of her own. "Thanks."

"If you wanna handle her clothes, I can find her some makeup." Yang offered, grabbing Blake's chin so she could inspect her face. Blake tensed up, but Yang let her go quickly soon after, admiring Blake's features with a pleased nod.

"We'll have you fully outfitted for future dates in no time, Blake." Weiss clapped her hands in delight, and Blake's shoulders lowered, her gaze fell, and she looked absolutely girly with such a shy posture in such a frilly dress.

" _S'not-necessary-but-thanks…"_ Blake mumbled, feeling… _warm_ as the door to their room opened, Ruby walking in with a nervouscited smile on her face. Weiss and Blake both stopped what they were doing to stare at Ruby.

"Team JNPR's about ready t-to go, are we?!" Ruby asked, glancing between her teammates until her excitement began to wane from their silence.

Like her sister, she stood out by not wearing a light colored dress; it was a peculiar looking thing, looking a shade darker than slate gray. Crow feathers decorated the shoulders, while a large, ruby-embedded brooch adorned her breast. Weiss and Blake stared at the fishnet stockings covering her normally pale legs, in contrast to the dark hose she usually wore.

If she was supposed to look intimidating, it wasn't working; Weiss was wondering where she got such a garish outfit and wondering how her leader pulled it off without being eye rolling, while Blake was silently shimmying in place, her woes forgotten as she stared in growing delight at the image of a youngest princess from some dark, secretive kingdom. She wondered if she could get Ruby to _brood_ for her…

"Ugh, speaking of needing a shopping trip…" Yang groaned, while Ruby puffed her cheeks up.

"I-it's a nice d-dress, Yang!" Ruby stomped her little foot, nearly falling off balance as the heel of her dress sandal slipped out from under her.

"Sure, if you trust _Uncle Qrow's_ choice of fashion." Yang winced, while Ruby fumed.

"He bought it so I could go to _your_ graduation!"

"And I believe we established that our beloved uncle couldn't dress _himself_ nicely if he was locked into a closet of Dubois' line suits…"

" _I_ love it." Blake announced, probably a little louder than she'd intended to. Yang shot her a somewhat distressed look, but Blake wasn't taking her eyes off their little leader.

"Paint her nails a black or… no, a deep purple, maybe a dark feather in her hair to emphasize the motif." Weiss murmured, her eyes glued a little too closely to Ruby's blushing figure for Yang's tastes.

"Give her a black notebook and a quill pen to write with…"

"Ooooh, I don't know about _dashing,_ but she'd cut quite the unique figure at a party; I know plenty of acquaintances who'd be unable to resist such an alluring figure!"

"'M n-not that p-pretty…"

"Nonsense, Ruby, you look great."

" _Amazing_ even."

"Utterly stellar."

" _Mmph."_

" _Okay stop."_ Yang ordered with an agitated expression, moving in front of Ruby to glare at the other girls. They both glanced over Yang, then immediately turned away to busy themselves gathering their purses, making Yang's already sour expression twitch so violently that an air of incoming destruction filled the room.

It softened, at least, when Ruby took her hand and squeezed, giving Yang an anxious smile of anticipation of their upcoming dinner, and the blonde sister sighed. "Seriously though, I'm finding you _something_ before the summer dance." Yang murmured, and Ruby pouted.

"Okay, but it's gotta be red."

"Red it will be." Yang squeezed her sister's fingers.

Across the hallway, past two closed doors, Jaune felt inexplicably nervous standing in front of a mirror, staring at himself in a blue and white checkered button-down with long sleeves, a pair of his best blue jeans, a belt, and boots. His father would have _insisted_ that he wear a hat with it, but after Pyrrha had spent so long on his hair in front of the mirror, he was afraid to disturb it.

For whatever reason, his red-headed partner kept fussing over him, tugging his sleeves, rubbing his shoulders, just… _staring_ at him like he was a glass of cold water while she was lost in a desert. He didn't know _why,_ Pyrrha looked as incredible as ever, he just looked like a farm boy ready for the annual hoe-down.

Pyrrha wore a wine-red dress that went down to her ankles, the already tall young woman walking around in a pair of heels, her ponytail worn lower on her skull to give her a more womanly look, and accented with a golden Vacuan necklace, along with a pair of bracelets. Her beauty was more prominent than ever, especially with the extra makeup to tighten her facial features.

Jaune kept glancing back at her, and feeling a mixture of both envy and relief that her attention was on Ren; even a boy as solely committed as Ren was wasn't immune to the strutting dream helping him into one of Jaune's nicer outfits. The Mistralian boy's eyes were in the upper corner of the room, his cheeks a notable red as he kept his lips shut. His button-up was a mellow, mono-yellow shirt, and the jeans he wore pooled at his feet a bit, but they at least covered up how old his shoes were.

"There, I believe that is suitable." Pyrrha spoke with a confident smile; she'd been in the presence of enough outfitters and makeup artists to pick up some talent in their field, so she was pleased with how she'd managed to present the boys in somewhat matching styles. They certainly needed better clothes for future events, however; Jaune's rural style wouldn't quite cut it at dances and galas.

Ren stiffly walked over to the closed bathroom door while muttering his thanks in a most painfully awkward way, knocking on the door to receive a shrill, " _just a minute!"_ When the door opened and Nora walked out, Jaune grew a lopsided smile, while Pyrrha squeaked. They had both been warned that the only nice dress Nora had had been salvaged and restored along the way to Beacon, but neither were quite prepared for how pink it was.

The strapless torso was light enough to be cheery, but dark enough to not be eye-searing, while the nearly white dress stopped above her knees, exposing her legs in matching color stockings. Like Pyrrha, she wore heels, though not nearly as tall, nor as thin, claiming a distrust for ' _anything that could snap like a toothpick.'_

"You look great, dear." Ren gave her an affection rub on the shoulders, drawing a pleased giggle from the young lady, while Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, everyone's looking good for this dinner… party… _thing_ Ruby has planned." Jaune's brow scrunched together, just as confused as the rest of them to the sudden invite and demand they dress ' _nicely',_ but they'd agreed to the meal and the conditions with only the knowledge they'd be eating with a second year team.

"Not _yet,_ buster!" Nora snapped, and Jaune yelped as he was dragged by the ear over to a chair next to Pyrrha's makeup chest. The young woman plopped down on her rear, and looked up to Jaune with spoiled anticipation.

Pyrrha snickered as Jaune sagged. "We're gonna be _late."_

" _Fashionably_ late." Nora corrected, pointing to the makeup intently.

"If Ruby and Yang get mad at us, I'm blaming you…"

"Fine with me! Blondie is _smokin'_ when she's mad."

"Ahem." The squabble ended when Jaune and Nora turned to look up at Ren, who stood by with a calm expression, and nervous posture. He glanced between the two of them for a moment, then politely gestured for Jaune to step away, "allow me, Nora."

"Really?" Nora sounded surprised as Ren took Jaune's place in front of her, and her expression broke out into pure joy as, carefully, Ren compared colored tubes to her lips before picking out a lipstick. Their eyes locked as her lips pursed, and Jaune took an awkward step back as he watched the lovers all but mount each other through their held gaze alone.

"Jaune's been teaching me in our spare time, love." Ren admitted bashfully, his blush making Nora's jaw twitch in a desire to plant a wet kiss on him then and there, but she didn't want to break his concentration as he prettied her up.

"You hate makeup." Nora pointed out between tight lips when he took a short rest to inspect his work.

"Makeup is fleeting, a disguise for the natural loveliness underneath, but _you_ like it." Ren pointed out factually. Though he still firmly abided by his more traditionalist ideals, he couldn't deny the _gleam_ it brought out in Nora's eye, nor how it did indeed trick him into a much more… _needful_ hunger when he saw the result.

Even though Nora kept herself still as a statue, Ren still struggled to get around her now omnipresent ear-to-ear grin, and the two chuckled, giggled, and sniped at each other over it.

Pyrrha watched the two, feeling a deep, sighing envy. Though Jaune didn't notice, Pyrrha kept shooting quiet looks over at him. With a tug at her necklace, Pyrrha broke their silence with a nervous smile, and a quick, obvious glance over his outfit. "You look nice." She told him, internally cursing that she didn't have anything more substantial to say, but Jaune looked at himself in surprise, then over Pyrrha in an unsubtle, curious way.

"Thanks!" He finally said after enough looking had gone on for Pyrrha's face to nearly match her hair, "you look really nice too. I like the, err, dress, it suits you."

"One would hope so, it was custom-tailored." Pyrrha glanced down at her dress thoughtfully, then felt a little panic bloom in her; was that too bragging of her? Talking about one's wealth could be seen as prideful…! What if Jaune resented her now?!

"I can tell, it fits you really well." Jaune gave her a lopsided smile, easing her tense shoulders as she awkwardly squeezed her purse in her hands. His eyes went down to it, and he his smile turned into a smirk. "Notira purse, huh?"

Pyrrha glanced down at the fine leather purse she was holding, her eyes shining in surprise, and she gave him a little nod as she held it up. "Erm, yes, I assume your sisters are to blame for your brand knowledge?"

"Yeah, they'd be whining like crazy if they saw it." Jaune nodded at it, and Pyrrha suddenly pictured herself surrounded by seven blonde girls poking and cooing at her purse. She stifled a giggle at the mental image of a young Jaune being forced to listen to something she imagined he could care less about. "So, what makes a girl choose a purse? Why that one?" He tilted his head in curiosity, and Pyrrha felt… oddly elated by being asked such a simple question.

"Well, I didn't really pick this one out." Pyrrha admitted, squeezing the strap quietly in annoyance. "I was ordered to appear in public with it, and public image is _everything_ according to my former PR manager. It looked good for the brand deal we had going for it."

"Well, I mean, it's still a nice purse! If people paid me to walk around with a purse, I'd do it!" Jaune gave a goofy smile, and Pyrrha laugh, though nervously.

"If they had simply _given_ it to me, I would have been fine. It was the circumstances surrounding it that made me… ungrateful." She admitted with a frown, and Jaune's head tilted curiously.

"What did they _do?"_ His expression turned more tense, and Pyrrha loathed to admit what would be an embarrassing little story, but with a sigh, she hugged the purse to her chest.

"There was a boy, another gladiator who had it in his head that we were ' _meant to be'_ despite my repeated insistence that I was uninterested. He was not a good sort of person, he was obsessed with himself and the things his purported ' _cunning'_ could obtain." Pyrrha's jaw cocked, and she missed the way Jaune made a fist, then uncurled it. "He went to great lengths to secure a similar brand deal with the same purse company I was sponsoring, and their ' _big reveal'_ was him gifting the purse to me, quite suddenly, very publically, on live television, while asking me on a date." Pyrrha scratched her scalp softly, her jaw working in gradual annoyance. "The pressure was immense, I was struck speechless, I didn't know what to say… thankfully, the camera crew thought that was answer enough and cut there for me to calm down, and I argued and got angry and _refused,_ so at the very least I only had to carry the purse, not carry on a fake lovelife. Still, the articles and news reports that came out about it…"

Pyrrha stopped, nearly jumping when a hand touched her upper arm, warm, calloused fingers stroking her bare flesh, and the memory of who had given her the purse made her itch and want to pull away, but Jaune's voice kept her still, "Pyrrha, if a guy tries something like that with you again, lemme know, alright?"

The softness in his demand made Pyrrha want to laugh; she stared at the boy who still struggled to land a proper killing blow, and touched his fingers with her own with a small smile. "Jaune, you realize I can take care of myself? I'm not one of your sisters." She met his eye, and she could see the fire behind them, despite his pathetic little grin.

"Maybe not, but, still, I can be meaner than you." He shrugged, and Pyrrha laughed, leaving him blushing.

Her giggling ended after a few moments, and she gave him a dry smirk that left him huffing. "You'll pardon me if I don't believe you." Even still, her hand lashed out to wrap around his forearm and pull him close, and Jaune made a confused yelp as their shoulders brushed together, and she smiled as she leaned her weight against him. "But thank you; you'll be the first to know."

"Jaune, Pyrrha?" The small moment was interrupted by Ren's curious question, the boy standing aside, hands behind his back, tensely presenting his now makeup'd girlfriend. Nora twirled in front of them, breaking out into a big smile to show off all of his little additions, and Jaune and Pyrrha drew closer to take a closer look. "How have I done?" He asked.

" _I_ love it!" Nora announced triumphantly, shrinking a little as their two teammates loomed over her to stare intently. "Hey, you two mind giving a lady some space…?" She quirked an eyebrow, and Jaune hmm'd…

"It's good." He finally declared, grabbing a small wipe to round the edges around Nora's eyes. "A little _too_ much around the eyes."

"And it's heavy around the cheeks, but thankfully not too noticeable unless you come close." Pyrrha added, and Ren nodded.

"Then I will continue practicing." He bowed his head to the two, looking relieved, before giving Jaune a calm smile. "And you won't have to put your face under the faucet." His tone didn't carry that teasing lilt most people did, but nonetheless, Jaune puffed up, sighed, and grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, at least. Alright, so, we're ready?!" He asked, looking to the door nervously, expected a knock and a grumpy pout underneath a pair of black goggles at any second.

"Yes sir." Pyrrha bobbed her head.

"Ready to turn some heads!" Nora wriggled in place, beaming.

"Of course." Ren gathered Nora's beaten up little handbag for her.

"Cool! Let's go!" Jaune strut to the door, his well-dressed team behind him, and he opened it up to a crowd of four girls standing before it. Ruby stood there, staring up at him, her fist raised in a knocked position, and the eight of them silently evaluated their sister team.

"... Okay, we're hot." Yang concluded, drawing a cacophony of bashful giggles.

* * *

Yang liked to run a little test during events that called for a particular degree of _fancy._ It wasn't like _Coco's_ test–and she had already informed her friends to be wary about sudden bouts of bitchiness from the team hosting them–it was a personal test; how did people she know clean up?

Ruby wasn't a surprise, Yang knew plenty about her, but Weiss in her ultra-expensive dress, with her long hair falling in a magnificent silver waterfall behind her, went from bitchy straight-A diva to royalty with something as simple as a change in hairstyle and choosing more expensive clothes. Another small aspect to the test was seeing what was covered up by makeup or clothes, and Weiss had boldly chosen to forego masking the scar across her right eye, displaying it with as much audacity and confidence as her scarf.

Yang was giving Blake a pass since her partner didn't get to choose her own personal style, but Blake didn't seem _uncomfortable_ displaying so much shoulder and calf. Similarly, Pyrrha and Nora were rocking their personal choices; Yang had been mildly worried hearing that Nora had a _scavenged_ dress, but the little bruiser wore it with extraordinary enthusiasm, and Yang didn't blame her. Like Weiss, Pyrrha looked like an art museum floor piece, the sort that everyone got pictures of doing the same pose.

Even the boys were looking good, if a little bit _too_ country–reminding Yang of more than a handful of boys she had dated before her realization–but they were _only_ eating with the princess of Vale, it wasn't like it was important. Yang damned Ruby's childish idea of springing the surprise on their friends, but at the same time, was ready to capture their reactions on camera just for the sheer hell of it.

Their whole entourage was getting curious looks from passing students, and Yang chalked it up to the eight of them looking their best. Well, mostly, Yang wasn't going to wear a dress for somebody that had pissed her _off;_ pretty Yang was for the cutie pies that she wanted to make blush, not some pissy _princess…_

… Dear god, she was about to eat dinner with a _princess._ The sudden occurrence made Yang falter a step, then continue going nervously. Spite was about to bite her in the ass…

She recouped by shooting a glance at Weiss; she hadn't raised a fuss over Yang's outfit, but opinions could have changed once she knew the importance of the company they were going to be dining with.

The group's idle, curious chatter was mostly spent prodding Ruby and Yang for information on who their upperclassmen were and why they had to dress up. They all got along well enough with Velvet, she swung by their tables to chat and would stick around a little longer if Cardin was prowling around, but they had no clue who her leader was…

It was going to be a fun little surprise, assuming they weren't about to get a bucket of blood dumped on them the moment they walked through the door. Though, Yang was pleased they had a little insurance in the form of Weiss… She would guess that even Vale's esteemed princess wasn't about to try and make enemies with the Schnee family.

The cafeteria had plenty of activity going on with hungry students constantly cycling in and out, some crowding the tables for games, study sessions, and meals, and the veranda was usually full on these hot days. It wasn't surprising when they stepped out and saw most of the tables filled, but the nice, big, round table at the far end of the veranda was the center of attention.

The usually barren table had a big, white cloth draped over it and a vase of flowers set in the middle, with a ring of utensils in napkins bordering the outer edge. Two men in black suits stood near the front of the table, while a steel cart loaded with glassware, and several bottles of various liquids sat in the back.

Yang could feel their teams grow tense in surprise at the unexpected… _niceness_ of the set-up, Blake especially trying to melt into the middle of their crowd, while four people sitting at the far end of the table stood up.

Wearing a short-skirted dress, long stockings, her ever-present sunglasses and beret, and enough jewelry to pay a few months worth of rent on a good upstate condo, Coco walked around the table while dipping her glasses to give Ruby and Yang a sore look. "It's five-o'-five; it's bad form to make _me_ wait."

Yang ignored her in favor of rounding on their teams and snapping a picture of Weiss, Blake, and team JNPR's expressions. Few things were more priceless than the unexpected introduction of royalty to one's presence, and the only person who looked delighted–as opposed to outright stunned–was Weiss, who broke from the group to greet their senior with open arms and a notable bounce in her step.

" _Cocessa,_ darling! _This_ is a surprise!" The heiress almost laughed as the two noble young ladies held each other by the shoulders, then leaned in to offer a familiar peck on each cheek, before Coco slid her sunglasses off to hand them over to a boy who towered over everybody present.

"Not as big as a surprise as when I heard a first-year upstart tried to force Velvet into bed with him, _and_ to hear she got protected by–" Coco glanced over teams RWBY and JNPR, many of whom had yet to be broken out of their shock, "–a bunch of supermodels, apparently. 'Sup cuties? Find a seat and get cozy, I had to throw this all together in the span of about eight hours, so don't judge."

"O-of course not, your grace!" Pyrrha broke away from the group, putting on as excited of a smile as she could manage as she bustled forward from the group, dragging Jaune by the wrist to his squeaking surprise.

Coco raised an eyebrow as Pyrrha took the offered hand and leaned down to kiss it, then flicked her fingers upwards to smack Pyrrha's forehead before she could stain the royal girl's knuckles with lipstick. Pyrrha glanced up in confusion as Coco wagged a finger, "yeah, no. Call me Coco, and none of that ' _kiss my ring'_ stuff. Welcome to Vale, Tournament Queen, is it treating you well?" She asked, and Pyrrha very quickly nodded.

"It is warmer than I am used to, but Vale has been very welcoming. I-I'm surprised to see you; I mean to say, I had heard you were attending Beacon, but it's been so hectic I put no thought into it." Pyrrha's smile softened, and Coco looked pleased as punch to hear it.

"It's not like I go out of way to brag about it; it's been real nice not having the paparazzi tailing me everywhere, and most people let you be after a beating or two." She winked, and Pyrrha honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Coco glanced over to Jaune, her eyes going from his face, down to his legs, then back up again. "You, on the other hand…" Coco put on a disarming little grin that, with nothing more than a twitch of her eyebrow, made Jaune's heart _pound_ as she extended her hand. " _You_ may kiss."

The blonde boy looked as though he was in the presence of a very large, hungry bear, one that his Aura _wouldn't_ let him kill. He was standing before _royalty,_ a girl he actually saw pictures of thanks to his sisters' magazines and catching the news on the general store's television when he went with his dad. He recognized the girl, not that it at all prepared him, quite the opposite, really. He couldn't help but remember his mom setting up a picture of Coco in full royal regalia across from him at the table and telling him, ' _eat like you're dining with the princess herself!'_

He had rolled his eyes and continued to eat like a pig. Now? Now he was trying to remember what a spoon was used for.

"Y-your grace…!" He all but whimpered, only to catch a sour look from her, " _I-I mean,_ err, miss Adel! Nice to meet you!" He smiled widely, clearly terrified, much to Coco's amusement as his large, calloused fingers wrapped around her delicate digits. He was so light with his touch that he could barely pull her hand, and he ended up leaning forward to press chapped lips to her knuckles. He pulled back after a second of contact, and tried to put on an easy smile, but he was clearly struggling.

Coco, if anything, seemed more sweetened than usual, and hid a laugh as Pyrrha suddenly pressed to the blonde boy's side and grasped his upper arm. " _We should sit, Jaune, so she can finish greeting the rest!"_ Pyrrha's tone hit a pitch Jaune had never heard before as she lead Jaune away with a look that would have gotten her in trouble with Coco's former bodyguards.

 _Ooooh…_ what an adorable little development.

"Howdy!" Coco glanced to the new voice. Nora, for all her energy and general inattentiveness, stood up straight and gave Coco a sincere, wide-eyed expression of delight, and by her side, Ren was more stiff than normal, even while being invited to grace his lips with the feel of her knuckles for a mere moment.

Ruby and Yang stood to the side, watching with amused smiles as Coco, for all intents and purposes, acted a gracious host in inviting team JNPR to join them without causing a fuss. Yang was well aware that Blake was hovering behind her out of sight, so the blonde blindly reached back to squeeze Blake's wrist to try and calm her.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Ruby asked softly, and Blake's shoulders dipped, as did her expression as she moved her hand into Yang's; many could have mistook it for intimacy, but Blake had quickly learned the Xiao Longs used physical affection as a form of comfort, and she was growing to very much enjoy having hands to hold.

"She's… _royalty."_ Blake mumbled, watching the activity as Weiss and Coco spoke in a familiar way, cackling like a pair of drunken trophy wives over some injoke between the two of them. "I thought this was gonna be private, this is _asking_ for a lot of unwanted attention."

"I mean, she's not that much different from Weiss, is she?" Yang asked, thinking to herself as they observed the pair of rich girls chat. "Weiss is a Schnee girl; she's, like, the princess of Atlas, sorta."

"Yeah, and having people come up asking for autographs and declaring their love for her isn't weird enough." Blake mumbled, tensing up as Coco and Weiss approached the three with warm smiles, and Yang stepped aside to put Blake into view. The black-haired beauty tightened her hands together over her waist, her golden eyes flicking down to Coco's beautiful heels, then back up to her face to avoid being rude. She swallowed thickly, and Coco regarded her from bow to toe.

"You…" Coco began, filling a pregnant pause with more looking and curious jaw rolling, making Blake feel like a piece of meat, "are absolutely _lovely._ You must be Blake." Coco grinned, and Blake gave a curt nod, then bowed her torso politely for a moment as she spoke.

"I am. It's nice to meet you, lady Adel." Blake did not relax, not even when Yang snuck a hand around her back to squeeze her forearm comfortingly. If anything, it made Blake tighten up in embarrassment.

"Just call me Coco, and good to meet you too."

"Ruby, Yang, _why_ didn't you tell me we were meeting _Coco?"_ Weiss demanded sharply, but she didn't lose her overall pleased smile as she fondly looked over the girl next to her.

"Because it was funny." Ruby said with a lopsided grin, and Yang quirked an eyebrow as she glanced between the two richly dressed ladies.

"So you two know each other?" Yang asked, and while Weiss shrugged, Coco answered.

"We've been to a bunch of functions together." By her side, Weiss nodded in confirmation. "Vale and Atlas have had a tight relationship ever since the end of the Color Wars, so there's _always_ events between the two of them, and of _course_ I have to go to represent Vale…"

"And _I_ have to go because somebody with ' _more free time'_ than my parents has to represent the Schnees." Weiss spoke dryly, and Coco snorted.

"Once you get used to the usual breed of suck-ups and social climbers, you start looking for people people who could care less." Coco looked over at Weiss with a quirk in her lips, and Weiss rolled her eyes. "First time we met, Weiss looked me in the eye and asked me, ' _so does the princess of Vale do anything more than stand next to the king and look pretty?'"_

"To which she replied, ' _yes, I kick every passing Faunus in the shin because it's company policy.'"_ Weiss added, making the three girls' eyes widen. "I've hated her ever since."

"Of course it's mutual; Weiss is an utterly terrible human being."

"And Coco has terrible taste in men _and_ champagne."

The two grinned at one another, and Yang couldn't help but laugh as Ruby and Blake glanced to one another. "So… are you two _enemies?"_ Ruby asked tentatively, and Weiss rolled her eyes as Coco snickered.

"Cocessa Adel is a spoiled rotten _minx_ whose vocabulary far exceeds her academics, but she is _delightful_ to converse with, and I admire her decision to become a huntress rather than live in the lap of luxury all her life." Weiss stated with in a calm, but impassioned voice, and Coco nodded, casting Weiss a smile.

"Yeah, same." She answered dully, drawing a small glare from her fellow debutante.

"You are _so_ charming." Weiss grunted, and Coco gave a cheeky smirk.

"Lemme introduce you girls to my team so we can sit down for chow." Coco turned, glancing to the three strangers shaking hands with JNPR. "Team CFVY, introductions!"

In a manner that could only suggest they had practiced this plenty of times, the four members of team CFVY stood before RWBY and JNPR shoulder to shoulder, their hands on their hips, their eyes boring into their underclassmen. The eight friends stared in a mixture of mirth and confusion as Coco lead them off.

"Team leader: Coco Adel!" She announced, thrusting her chest forward as she planted her hands on her hips, her expression one of devil may care pleasure.

"Coco's partner: Fox Alistair." The brown-skinned boy said next to her, his blood-red hair a tenderly groomed short cut that looked handsome, if out of place on his otherwise off putting appearance. Milk white eyes stared in their general direction, and several of them took note that he'd navigated his way around by running his fingers along the backs of the chairs and the table top. His sleeveless, though handsome jacket exposed his bare arms, and from his lips to his wrists he was covered in scars; not everybody was fortunate to come out perfectly intact after an encounter with the Grimm, assuming it _was_ the Grimm that had left such wounds. Otherwise, he wore a pair of tight black pants and polished dress shoes.

"Velvet Scarlatina, I'm partnered with this big guy right here!" Velvet smiled, leaning her head over to brush the giant boy's arm with her ear. Velvet was as gentle and friendly looking as ever, moreso in a cream-white sundress that showed her bare legs, down to the lovely dress sandals she wore.

"Yatsuhashi Daichi; _loraeos mie."_ The last young man introduced himself with a bow. His accent, skin color, and the lack of fold above his eye immediately made him identifiable as a rural Mistralian. His clothing was equally foreign: a long, billowy-sleeved, pea soup green robe with a dark brown overcoat tucked underneath the waist tie, and a pair of large geta sandals supported his feet. He cut an incredibly striking figure, even excluding his size.

Velvet ran forward from the introductory line, grabbing the hands of Ruby and Weiss to clasp between hers with a broad smile, leaving them both smiling back as the rabbit-eared sweetheart all but bounced in place. "I'm so glad you finally get to meet my team! I'm _so_ sorry how this all started; _Coco."_ Velvet shot her team leader a sharp look, drawing a flummoxed shrug.

"What?! I apologized, jeez, I even got _food!"_ Coco huffed.

"What happened?" Weiss asked, shooting a look to her friend.

"Nothing!" Coco insisted, but the eleven looks of disbelief she got made her droop and grumble. "I bought _dinner…"_

"Yeah, and guess who's never living _that_ down." Yang smirked.

Fox's hand rest on Velvet's shoulder as he moved forward, not focusing on anybody in particular as his head swept left and right. "Thanks for sticking your necks out for Velv; if it had been us to catch the fuck trying to hurt her, we'd have…" He turned his head in Yatsuhashi's direction, "Yatsu, what'd you say we'd do?"

"Scrape him off our boots like _mi'ishi."_ The other boy's voice rumbled like a distant thunderhead, moving forward by Velvet's side to offer another bow to Ruby, then doing the same to Weiss, Blake, and Yang. "You have my many thanks, you have calmed us from violent actions."

"Yeah, seriously," Coco wrapped an arm around Velvet's hip, tugging her close to the rabbit girl's blushing embarrassment, "nobody gets to lay a hand on my team, much less insult them for their _ears."_ Her free hand stroked the back of Velvet's ears, and unseen by the other elevent, Blake had to hide a jealous, _nervous_ twitch in her covered ears. Velvet leaned into the petting, showing no embarrassment or shame in having her ears played with, and Blake quietly glanced down to Yang's hand, then back up with an annoyed twitch in her cheek.

Too many questions she didn't want to answer…

Being a round table, there was no head to take the place of, so Coco sat with her back to the fence dividing the veranda from the groomed grass, and surrounded by her team: Fox to her right, Velvet and Yatsuhashi to her left. JNPR sat to the other side of Yatsuhashi, then team RWBY.

The two well-dressed gentlemen serving them walked around the table delivering silverware wrapped in fine, cloth napkins. The twelve were still in a ' _testing the waters'_ phase, and sat around in mild discomfort, but mostly impressed as they set themselves up, conversation at a low simmer.

"Remember your manners: no grabbing other people's food, no reaching past anyone, and remember your dinner table voice!" Nora ordered Ren, her hands all but manically drumming the table, her beloved quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Of course dear, I'll try not to embarrass you."

Across the table, Weiss was calmly directing Blake's hands as the black-haired girl stared down at her silverware and plate like a puzzle she'd never seen before. "—leave the spoon to the right of the knife, whose blade should be facing inwards."

"Why does this… _weird_ fork go to the far right?" Blake asked, picking up her oyster fork.

"Because somebody said so hundreds of years ago, and that's how it is." Weiss spoke with enough sarcasm in her voice to make Blake give a low laugh.

Jaune sat silently, glancing over at the mountain of a young man to his right repeatedly, examining the width of his shoulders, and feeling small as could be as Yatsuhashi and Pyrrha conversed.

"You are Luigosian, correct?" Pyrrha asked, and Yatsu gave a small, affirming nod.

"Yes, and _you_ are Pyrrha Nikos. Your strength is known even as far as my islands; one of our elders says he taught you the Winds art." The boy phrased it more as a statement than a question, but it still carried a tinge of uncertainty.

" _Limae o sou!"_ Pyrrha answered perkily, then blushed the smallest bit. "Did I say that right?"

"Ah, you mean to say ' _limo o sou.'_ ' _Limae o sou'_ means ' _yours is correct.'"_ Yatsuhashi smiled, clearly pleased with the attempt at his language.

Across the table, Ruby looked displeased. "You're b- _both_ insane." She said flatly, causing Yang to snort out loud, while Coco, being too dignified to _snort,_ just shook her head.

"Taking out the techno that _defined her first album_ left us with yet _another_ boring girl wistfully singing about trees and love over a piano solo." Coco insisted, and Yang nodded her head.

"Robbed all the _fun_ of her first album."

"It did not!" Ruby insisted with a pout. "I can't believe y- _you,_ of all people, don't know the story behind th-the album!"

"Look, there's a hundred musicians out there who went through a bad breakup _without_ making their music sound like shit afterwards; Abeye wasn't one of them." Coco grunted, and Velvet chimed in.

"Coco only started to hate the album because it was all she listened to after her first boyfriend broke up with her!" Velvet beamed as Coco shot her a twitching stink eye that made the cheeky rabbit only look happier.

"I did _not_ tell you that story to pass out to people, Velv…"

"Milady?" Came an voice. Two older men in traditional chef outfits had approached the table with another serving cart that carried a silver serving tray with appetizers on it. The inquiring chef leaned down to briefly converse with Coco as Velvet talked with Ruby and Yang. The chef bobbed his head after a moment, then stood up straight to loudly clear his throat, drawing the twelve students' attention. "Good afternoon, students of Beacon; I am Chef Lumiere."

The other, more rotund man offered a quick, polite bow, "and I am Chef Cogsworth."

"It came to us as a surprise that our dear lady asked us so suddenly to cater, and Beacon was kind enough to arrange for us to use their kitchens to prepare this meal."

"While we are always pleased to serve her grace, it is a greater pleasure still to serve students of Beacon. Your commitment to the future–"

"– _our_ future!"

"–inspires all of us."

Coco stood up, the two men politely deferring to her as she took a crystal glass off the nearby cart and held it up before the three teams, looking elegant in every meaning of the word, from the confidence in her beautiful smile, to the figure she cut in her dress. "Here's to the meeting of new friends, to eight people who risked themselves to protect somebody else–a fellow huntress at that–and again, I'm _sorry,_ damnit, am I forgiven?" She shot a little smirk over at Ruby and Yang, who leaned together, conversed and nodded for a moment, then split apart with their noses in the air.

"You'll know after dinner!" Yang announced.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed, both looking playfully obstinate as Weiss could only sigh, then give the flustered Coco an evil grin.

"Alright, alright!" Coco shrugged her shoulders, and nodded to the chefs as she sat down. "Let's get this party started; gentlemen, if you'll please?"

"Of course, your grace." Lumiere nodded to the waiters. Each plate was taken from each student, and returned with three hors d'oeuvres that, while looking small individually, daunted a few of the students who hadn't so much as touched anything that looked as rich as they did.

"For your appetizer, oysters au gratin!" Cogsworth announced, and began to cite the various ingredients and what parts of Vale they had come from. It was a lot of words to describe oysters topped with cheese, spinach, and red peppers, but once the little culinary lesson was over, the students dug in at their own pace. Hums of delight filled the air, and the chefs stuck around only long enough to hear their wordless pleasure before dipping back into the kitchens.

Blake had always enjoyed seafood, but she'd never had oysters before, and found herself all but squirming in her seat as she moved onto her second serving; she was saddened that there were only three, but it made her more excited for the upcoming main course. She took note that Weiss, rather than wolf her food down like it was after after PE, savored each bite with her eyes closed, chewing slowly, and Blake sought to imitate her.

Jaune hiccuped when he swallowed his first oyster, and with a grunt, he rubbed his throat and winced. "That goes down _weird."_ He mumbled, and Nora could only nod her head in agreement as her nose crinkled.

"Like swallowing a buncha _phlegm."_ She looked at the next two oysters curiously.

"Don't be gross, dear." Ren reminded her, then leaned out to catch Coco's eye, her team showing excellent manners in dining with their teammate. "It's delicious, your gra— ahem, _Coco."_ He nodded, and the princess gave a pleased smile.

"Don't let it sliding down bother you, _nothing_ beats a fully loaded oyster." She looked pompously delighted as she dug into her next appetizer as Jaune watched her curiously.

"Err, 'scuse me, Coco?" He called, drawing her eye as she ate. "I was just wondering, why'd you choose to be a huntress?"

Coco chewed slowly, swallowed loudly, and prodded her third hors d'oeuvres as she mused. "Don't mean to accuse you of hiding under a rock, but haven't you seen the interviews, blondie?" She asked, and he nodded in embarrassment.

"Well I read about 'em… ' _So I can do something for my people,'_ right? But, like, there's a million other ways you could'a done it, why hunt?"

"A lady has her reasons, Jaune." Weiss answered sternly, but Coco simply shrugged, looking at one of the tall windows separating them from the cafeteria's interior.

"Professor Ozpin kinda-sorta talked me into it, if we're being honest." She snapped her fingers, prompting a waiter over, and he started filling her glass with a decidedly non-alcoholic drink; not even the princess could get away with bringing booze onto the campus.

"How?" Jaune asked, and though Weiss gave him a withering look, Coco calmed her with a wave of her hand.

"Basically? He made me eat my own words." She sipped her juice, then rest her fingertips together to focus on as she thought out loud. "I wasn't always the _nicest_ person; I mean, I had everything I wanted, and people of all ages trying to impress me, people were… _things_ to me when I was young. I mean, I pretty much knew everybody who you wanted to know when I was barely a toddler, and I was pretty much convinced they all existed to entertain me. I ran into Ozpin at one of our charity balls; my dad basically threw money at Beacon, he _loves_ this place, and Ozpin's been an honored guest at the Adel Estate _always._ I straight up told the guy, ' _my dad's put so much money into Beacon, you should be training me.'_ And he said, ' _good idea!'"_

"Thinking back on it, I only took him up on it out of spite. I didn't think either of us really cared; I'm just the descendant of the last king, he's just the school headmaster, I figured he'd show me some stuff, keep me busy, but… the dude was serious." Coco's lips quirked upwards in a grin. "He didn't let me off easy at all, he put a _ton_ of effort into helping me unlock my Aura. I didn't really think I _wanted_ it, which was probably why I took so long, but… I dunno, I'd watch the guy talk with students and help them with stuff that he was so _above._ History questions, Dust questions, couple of them used to come ask him to judge their technique, and he _loved_ helping them out. He said that it was his responsibility to serve his students, not the other way around."

"Well he _is_ the headmaster, you'd think he'd know better than anyone else." Jaune piped in, and Coco just shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, but remember, _I_ was used to being served. The very first time anyone asked for my help with anything, it was a new serving girl who couldn't find a stepladder, and all I did was point her to the servant's quarters. Nobody wanted my help, me opinions were ' _cute',_ everybody wanted pictures, to shake my hand, to _gossip._ I was _just_ the princess, I didn't go through college like Weiss did, so I was basically a decoration people wasted their time admiring, polishing, and giving gifts to. I unlocked my Aura when I realized that princesses didn't _do anything,_ and I wanted people to, like… _want_ my help."

"So, I put myself into the world of being a hunter, I took my lessons more seriously, I pooled all my resources together and commissioned a weapon worthy of my stature, I watched the students work together and rely on each other like family… Beacon's not a place where a bunch of layabouts can succeed, and keeping up with the work, relying on my team, being a _unit_ has made me happier than sitting around at home in dresses chewing expensive chocolates."

She looked content with her explanation, and Jaune nodded his head, understanding well enough, but with a loud huff, Fox lazed back in his chair with a naughty grin. "First thing she said to me when we met in Emerald Forest? ' _Don't slow me down.'_ Half an hour later I cut her out of a King Taijitu. Princess took her _time_ to be humble."

Coco shot him a dark look as the table snickered, but it lightened up when she grabbed his cheek and pinched hard enough to make him yelp. "And it's taken Mr. Off-the-Streets here _more_ time to have some class."

"Rrgh, _stop!"_ He demanded, but despite holding her wrist, couldn't budge her hand. Their little power struggle escalated when he tugged her ear, and the pair snapped and snarled at one another in between Coco's giggling.

Yang watched the two with a buoyant smile, subtly glancing over at Ruby and Weiss, the two unaware of the comparisons going through her head as they sipped and watched the fight with varying levels of amusement.

"So, Fox." Yang spoke up, jerking her head back towards the milk-eyed young man currently in a face-pinching war with his teammate. "You're off the streets?" She asked, and Fox grunted, grumbled, and untangled himself from Coco with an indignant sniff.

"Yeah. Born blind to a pair of drug addicts, raised by one of the smalltime gangs, got my lumps and bruises and said ' _fuck this',_ got my Aura, my semblance, a pair of weapons, and applied to Beacon so I don't have to spend every night looking for a comfortable newspaper, or worried that some jerkoff with a knife and a grudge slits my throat in the hideout." He huffed, calming himself with a deep breath. "Got tired of being jealous of people living their lives around me, got tired of the gangbangers getting jealous of my talent. It's a nice change of pace."

"Oh!" Nora squeaked, "like me and Ren! We lived out in the woods for, like, _ever._ No gang stuff though, just wanted a place to call home!"

Ren confirmed with a nod, "indeed. Must have been quite the change to become lady Coco's partner."

"We hated each other." Coco cut in, and Fox snorted in amusement.

"She was some prissy, stuck-up weakling, I'm just a hoodrat who got by through petty thievery and violence. She handled the academics, I killed the Grimm, we fought every day."

"What changed that?" Pyrrha asked, and was immediately answered when Velvet raised her hand.

"I did!" She beamed, and though Coco and Fox both shrugged, they didn't disagree.

"Our rabbit told them," Yatsuhashi began in a low voice, "' _if you cannot become friends, we cannot become hunters.'_ Then she locked them in a closet for two hours and made them friends."

"Turns out, two hours trapped in the dark together by an angry rabbit girl is a good time to talk about your feelings." Fox leaned forward and, despite his gruff appearance, gave his team a small, genuinely happy smile that was returned. "I spent my whole life not talking about how I felt; opening up to Coco was… I dunno. It was the worst I ever felt, like I lost that bit of armor keeping the knife outta my ribs, but then she opened up too."

" _Turns out,_ we were both scared kids who were in over our heads with all the schoolwork, but really wanted better for ourselves. We worked things out." Coco nodded… then pinched Fox's cheek again. "Turns out our resident _thug_ is a big ol' softie when he wants to be."

" _Augh!_ _Bitch!"_ Fox snarled, smacking at her arm as she giggled maliciously.

The table snickered, then devolved back into individual conversations, predominantly Yang teasing both Coco and Fox over their obvious affection. The plates were cleared by hungry mouths, then taken away by the waiters, who continued to serve where they could.

It was such a big table, and so many people, with such pleasant service… Blake found herself disinclined to speak, but was otherwise content, rather than anxious. Talking with Ren, Nora, Weiss, and Ruby made for some pleasant unwinding, though she lifted her nose as the scent of cooked _meat_ suddenly washed over them.

With a small ' _ahem',_ Lumiere and Cogsworth made themselves known once more, the waiters wheeling in two carts with six plates each, all of them covered by a dome lid that, despite their valiant efforts, still let out the smell of good _food._

Each of the twelve had a dome-lidded dish set in front of them, and they collectively leaned in, wide-eyed as the lids were removed to reveal a small, well-roasted bird, with the exception of Velvet. Ruby held her hands up, as if she was about to grab it and tear into it barehanded, stopping a few inches short as a bit of drool threatened to run down her chin. Nora's hand shakily lifted her fork, pressing the prongs to cooked flesh to watch them sink straight in after the bronzed flesh gave way, and she made a noise of pure _ecstasy_ as Ren hastily brought his napkin to her chin.

"For dinner, we present to you roasted pheasant, stuffed with wild saffron rice and sauteed mushrooms, served on a bed of spinach greens!" Cogsworth announced, and though CFVY, Weiss, and Pyrrha seemed pleased as opposed to outright impressed, the other six watched, trembling, gulping in anticipation, as Lumiere went around the table ladling gravy on top of their birds. "The gravy is made from the drippings. And, of course, for miss Scarlatina, mushroom risotto with truffle oil! I do hope you each enjoy!"

The clinks of forks and knives filled the air, followed by gasps of delight and ecstatic whispering.

The strangest thing about all of it, at least in Blake's opinion, was that, as she straightened up and took her first bite of the bird, she _was_ hungry. She was the sort who didn't like to eat while she was stressed, and normally, being around strangers in an unfamiliar situation took her appetite from her. Yet, as she subtly looked to her oldest enemy dining next to her, the four strangers at the back of the table, and the friends that she had around her, she found herself not hesitating to signal for a refill of her cup as she dined on high-class poultry.

She normally would have opted for anything _but_ bird, but the first bite she'd taken to be polite was quickly followed by a second… perhaps it was the quality of the bird in question; it was certainly better than dining on old fried chicken for the ninth day in a row.

"So," Coco started between bites of her food, looking around the table at the various first years, "what do we wanna talk about?"

" _How I can buy those chefs…"_ Nora ran her fingers down her face. Ren didn't correct her; rather, he bobbed his head in agreement, quickly carving up his bird and forcing himself to eat slowly to _savor it._

"Best watch yourself, Valkyrie, I don't sell out my dining staff to anybody." Coco teased, but Nora was too enraptured with the taste to care.

"They made pheasant not _suck."_ Jaune mumbled in surprise to himself, drawing a small giggle from Pyrrha. "This is the first pheasant I've had that I _like."_ Coco merely looked joyful at his assessment.

"Is your team ready for the end of the month tests?" Weiss asked their hostess.

"Nope!" Coco shrugged, and none of her team refuted the answer, leaving Weiss looking annoyed.

"Maybe we just… _don't talk."_ Yang suggested, drawing a surprised look from the rest of her team as she downed a bite of food with a hum of delight, "let's just _enjoy…"_

There were a few nods of agreement, but after some time passed and nobody had said a word, Yatsuhashi leaned back from his meal, passing his empty plate to a waiter with a thankful nod, then turned to the table with a roll of his jaw. "I would like to ask, because I do not know much otherwise, what of the White Fang?"

Most of the table gave him a curious glance, but Blake all but sank into her meal, refusing to say anything as an icy jolt made her limbs tremble, and her heart hammer. She swallowed her next mouthful thickly, glad that the sudden shock hadn't ruined the taste she was very much enjoying.

"What about 'em, Yatsu?" Coco inquired, and the Luigosian boy took a moment to screw his face up thoughtfully as he chose his words.

"I hear from many that the White Fang are good; I hear from many that the White Fang are bad. Food is good or bad because there are many tongues, but the White Fang is more than food, they are people; are they good, or bad?" He asked, his expression tightening. "If I make sense?"

"I'm not really sure it's a good dinner topic with strangers…" Velvet mentioned, but Yatsuhashi firmed his expression.

"We have many minds around us; I would like to know more. Luigosa has little meeting with the White Fang, you all would be better teachers."

The silence around the table went by for a good while, nobody taking the first plunge into a precarious discussion, but after Jaune pushed his plate away and rubbed his stomach, he spoke in an almost casual way. "They're freedom fighters, aren't they? Trying to make humankind and Faunuskind equal?"

"That's what they _say_ they want." Coco pointed out, prompting a quick nod from Weiss.

"It's a… _complicated_ thing, Yatsu." Velvet rest a hand on his large arm, looking up to him with an expression that seemed to be trying to figure out how best to describe it. "The White Fang have always wanted to stop the humans from exploiting the Faunus, but there are… _factions_ within it that have grown violent."

"Mere _factions?"_ Weiss challenged, and despite Ruby's attempts to curb what would no doubt be a rant with a loud, obnoxious cough, Weiss barreled onwards. "I'm not the only one who heard Sienna Khan's recorded speech, am I? I think she made it _quite_ clear what the White Fang are all about."

By her side, Blake turned away from Weiss with a small frown, refusing to let her ears droop despite her sinking heart.

"Khan's vision for the White Fang is a complete separation of humans and Faunus, and she wants for every person in the world to know it. They're already seeking to establish their own civilizations across the various continents, and undermine industries with substantial Faunus employment." Coco added, and Yatsuhashi look displeased with the information.

"I can see where they're coming from." Ren spoke up in a calm voice, Weiss and Coco giving him uncertain expressions as he crossed his arms over his chest, Nora's hand fidgeting in his. "I do not condone violence towards our fellow man unless absolutely necessary, but they have had plenty of reasons to deem what they do as necessary."

"So you… _agree_ with them?" Weiss asked in a testing voice, and he shook his head.

"I'm saying I _understand_ them; Nora and I have been given more than enough reason to resort to violence on multiple occasions despite our attempts to prevent otherwise. We grew tired of being viewed as ' _easy prey'_ by bandits and townspeople alike, and sought a place where we could live in relative security."

"We could have kept a guy from trying stick his hand in my panties if we'd just kicked his ass _before_ it got to that point." Nora grumbled. Moods around the table cooled at the implication, then heightened the moment they felt the mood shift to an unhealthy level of bloodlust. Ren's body language was relaxed, but his arm wordlessly snaked around Nora's shoulders to draw her closer as he tried to stare a hole through the middle of the table.

"Some people _need_ a proper ass-kicking before they'll listen to anything sensible." Fox chimed in.

"Even still…" Weiss started in a low, gentle tone, before rousing herself to speak more plainly. "The damage they're doing is overall affecting their public perception; violence _never_ reflects well, it's why reports of mine cruelty is often the best path to take to fix the negligence found in them. They have long suffered, true, but things _are_ getting better, things _are_ changing; resorting to violence is stymying that growth, and their lack of patience is making things exponentially more difficult for them."

Blake felt something burning at the back of her tongue. Her head shot up and she turned to her inattentive _friend,_ a decade's worth of arguments, proof, and _anger_ filling her mind with a hot haze that threatened to burst. The White Fang rarely came up longer than for a few sentences within their teams, Weiss had expressed her displeasure, but to hear such… _ignorance_ spill out of her mouth now, it was so difficult to bite down on her lower lip and keep her mouth _shut._

As if it was _their_ fault the humans were scared, as if it was _their_ fault they were resorting to violence; the White Fang had been heading that way for far longer than Blake was willing to admit that she'd hadn't noticed, but what did she expect?! After years of oppression, slavery, exploitation, and—

"—uncalled for _violence,_ you really think they're going to sit around and take it now that they're so close to the finish line?"

Blake's eyes shot open, and she looked past Weiss and Ruby to see Yang holding her hands out like she was analyzing the issue between them.

"Like, they didn't _start_ the problem, they didn't _start_ being violence, a lot of them are responding to it in their own way. I mean, _jeez,_ there's a whole security force practically dedicated to treating the White Fang like criminals, and that's like- that's—…" Yang turned to Ruby, "part of a government's orders, or something like that?"

Ruby tapped her chin "' _Systemic?'"_

"Yeah!" Yang continued on. "That's, like, _systemic_ racism. They can say it's to stop any and all terrorism, but when eighty-percent of their activity is about the White Fang, you have to _wonder,_ especially with the big drug trade going on around Vale nobody seems to be able to find a lead in. Sure, we're getting better, but at this point I just want to know why it's so hard to give the Faunus equal treatment and pay in society if we all already know the Faunus aren't all that much different."

Was Yang actually _defending_ the White Fang…? Blake felt her hands shiver, her heart skipping a beat; Yang seemed fine around the Faunus, but to actually go so far as to try and understand the most extreme of them?

Coco took a deep breath, and spoke as carefully as she could manage. "The White Fang's continuing usage of violence—"

" _Sucks,_ I know." Yang interrupted, leaving Coco pursing her lips. "But, like, I've talked to White Fang people before, I've asked their supporters stuff, and what a bunch of it comes down to is: ' _they've seen the light at the end of the tunnel, now they're sick of being told to wait.'_ What are they waiting for at this point, the fugly old racists to _die?_ They fought in _our war,_ they got a cheap-as-shit prize for it, people around the world are saying ' _they deserve more',_ but they aren't getting it."

"Y-yeah." Blake added quietly, staring down at her lap as she quivered.

"I-I…" Ruby raised her voice, the angle of her head telling the rest of them that she was staring at the table, more than likely avoiding any conflicting looks they might be giving her. "I know w-what it's l-like to be… t-to be not n _-normal,_ a-and to just w-want to walk down the s-street w-with my goggles off w-without worrying about… u-um, looks." Her hands wrestled together aggressively in front of her, and she tightly bit down on her lower lips as protectively hovered nearby, her eyes scanning the rest of them in case they _questioned._ "I… also know what i-it's like n-not having something e-everyone e-else gets, a-and wanting it so badly you'd-… you'd d-do stupid things for it. At the e-end of the day, I-I don't care… If I-I can save them f-from the Grimm, th-they can w-work their p-problems out."

And Ruby too…?

"Even if they are relatable," Weiss' brow knit together in a show of controlled anger, "what they've done is unforgivable. The costs, both personal and financial, of their actions have driven my family to greater and greater stress!"

"Mine as well." Coco said, arms crossed over her bust. "It's not just the sabotage and the illegal squatting on land, they've committed murder, stimulated the drug trade, compromised the defenses of numerous villages and military bases alike, and have stolen both vital supplies and information, putting people at risk for starvation and attack." Coco tapped the tabletop with one finger, her lips drawn tightly. "And that's just in _Vale."_

Though she looked rigid in doing so, Pyrrha gently raised her voice, wrestling her hands as she did so. "Not to mention…" She bit her lip. "Not to mention that, as time has gone on, the attacks are less and less provoked. Things _are_ moving slowly, it _does_ seem ridiculous, but the damage they've done is very much real. Human lives aren't the only thing at stake, their assaults have left Faunus living among the humans in the line of fire as well. Their lack of discipline is hurting them as a _whole,_ not just individually."

"Um…" Velvet's small voice drew an audience, and she breathed deeply to calm herself. "I think we all agree that the White Fang turning violent is a bad thing; it makes sense, but it's _bad."_ There were several nods. "But, the White Fang are why I'm here today."

"How?" Weiss questioned, though none could tell if her uncertainty was directed towards Velvet or herself. "I wasn't aware the White Fang funded Beacon admittance."

"They don't, at least in no official capacity. It would look spectacularly bad for Beacon to openly accept any charity with their name on it." Coco added, and Velvet confirmed with a nod.

"I came from a large family in the rural part of Vale, South Burgese Town. We were one of two Faunus families there, the only ones that stayed after the Burgese Mines were closed down. My parents and older siblings were barely able to find jobs to support us, nobody was willing to hire the Faunus, and their reasons were… _unkind._ We many times ate soup that consisted of vegetables we got out of the garbage, and what little we could grow. It wasn't until the White Fang started operating closer to Burgese that we started to get actual food… from where, I don't know, but they sold it very cheaply, gave us more than we needed, and kept away human debt collectors, thieves, and people who wanted to punish us for just talking to the White Fang. I…" Velvet's eyes went to the ceiling, and she chewed her lower lip in thought. "I forget if I was eight or I was nine when I looked in the mirror and couldn't see my ribs for the first time. I thought I was sick, everyone else told me it was because I was _healthy…_ it was also the first time I didn't feel hurt all the time, when I had the energy to help work the fields, when it wasn't a chore to just _wake up._ If it wasn't for the White Fang, I might be dead."

Neither Coco nor Weiss met her eye, and Yatsuhashi's heavy hand settled on Velvet's arm. "Then the White Fang are good."

"It's… not _that_ simple." Weiss tried to refute.

"Yes, it is." Yatsuhashi countered, looking to the debutante thoughtfully. "Everyone thinks different for their own reasons. I do not know who is right, but it is because of them Velvet is my partner, so they are good." He nodded his head, and though Weiss opened her mouth, she shut it again. For her part, Velvet hid her blush with a long draw from her glass.

It really wasn't that simple, though Blake could understand how it could be for Yatsuhashi. _Her_ opinions on the White Fang were complicated, but for Yatsuhashi, and the island of Luigosa, what affected them personally mattered the most. She wanted to say something, to say _her_ piece, to tell them about the Fang, what it represented, what it gave her, what it taught her… what it took from her.

But… that took admitting to them that she had been present at murders, that she had facilitated theft, that property and people went _missing_ because of some of her actions. She wilted in her seat, remaining silent, not wanting to expose herself, failing her purpose for her people because she was _scared…_ not like she didn't have a right to be. She silently glanced to Weiss who, despite clearly having a different opinion about the Fang, she considered somebody respectable, to be kept around and listened to.

Why couldn't the world be a little more black and white? It would have made things so much easier…

"Coco?" Pyrrha spoke up as their dishes were collected, the conversation having ended with Yatsuhashi's declaration. "I don't mean to sound… _greedy,_ but will there be dessert?" She asked softly, and Coco gave a little, relieved laugh.

"Of _course,_ queenie, what's a good dinner without dessert? Hope y'all have some room left." She sounded pleased with the change in topic, and the table's mood lifted considerably with the expectation of sweets to cap off an already satisfying meal.

Ruby especially was bouncing in her seat in anticipation, even amidst Weiss' and Yang's teasing that it _wouldn't_ be more cookies. Her excitement and chatter with her teammates made her miss the looks she got from the various people around the table, all of whom eyed her goggles curiously, questions on the edges of their lips, but Jaune's sharp look kept his team from inquiring, and CFVY politely ignored their curiosity in the face of their dinner guests.

Blake could only wonder as she stared at her little leader; what secret could Ruby be hiding? The little lady had declared her protection for all species on Remnant against the Grimm, she seemed so gentle and pleasant… what _was_ she hiding? She turned her eyes to Weiss who, sitting by her side, had defaulted to her more pleasant side without the White Fang being their topic. Blake squared herself up; she was at a nice dinner party, it would have been rude to mope and get introspective on them in the middle of it.

Besides, after the oysters and the pheasant, Blake was looking forward to dessert.

"Chocolate souffle!" Lumiere announced with grand flourish, Cogsworth and the waiters passing out the risen, brown pastry standing twice the height of the dish they were in. Ruby almost _babbled_ from her delight as the wobbling dessert was put in front of her, the powdered sugar on top making her want to mash her face into the treat. "Now if you will each take a moment to ruin our hard work by poking a hole in the top of the souffle, we have a special orange sauce that pairs with it so delightfully, your tastebuds will be singing well into your dreams tonight!" The chef promised.

One by one, each student poked a hole in their dessert, and as promised, a hot cream was poured in and around the hole to fill it with a sweet orange and dairy scent. The moment Coco jabbed her fork into the souffle to take her first bite, a loud lip-smack caused everyone to turn to face Ruby; half her souffle was gone, and she was alternating between swallowing and blowing furiously as she smacked at her red-hot cheeks. " _Sho good, sho hot!"_ She whimpered.

"Don't eat like a _pig_ in front of _Coco!"_ Weiss admonished, grabbing Ruby's fork from her hand, the younger girl wrestling to get it back with pathetic squeaks to continue devastating the carefully crafted dessert. Coco's eyebrows could only lift in amusement at the absurdity, but nothing could match her expression when Blake took the coveted fork.

"I have an easy solution." Blake announced, gesturing to Weiss to trade seats with her. Once the switch was made, Blake prodded Ruby's souffle with her fork, and presented it to her mouth. "Now say, ' _aaah.'"_

Almost childishly, Ruby did. She took the much smaller, more polite bite with a blush on her cheeks as Blake alternated between feeding herself and feeding Ruby, and though Weiss and Yang both watched with disapproving expressions, the rest of the table was almost entranced watching Blake feed her leader.

"Alright Blake, she's not a baby." Yang's hand reached out towards her partner's. "Lemme—" Her hand was deflected by Ruby's, and their eyes 'met' as they both had a silent war of sisterly commands and desires, while Weiss buried her face into her palms and simply _sighed._

Across the table, Ren jumped as hot metal prodded his lip, and he stared at the bite of souffle on a spoon, then to Nora. " _Boop."_ Nora beamed, and Ren sighed as he took the bite, savored the taste, and dragged Nora's chair closer to give her the same.

Coco's eyes went right, then left, then focused on Pyrrha; the gladiator supreme fed herself small bites of dessert, and kept looking over at Nora and Ren, then to Jaune, her eyes focused, yet her expression distant, a blatant longing that she hid so poorly that Coco couldn't help but feel pity… and amusement.

The souffles were finished, the dishes were collected, and the two waiters began collecting the various fineries that made the meal feel so much richer. They folded the table cloth themselves despite several offers of assistance, and the students mingled. As Coco leaned back against a railing to watch, she noted that she wasn't being swamped with attention. Blake was sticking oddly close to Yang, and both watched Weiss use one of the cloth napkins to get the powdered sugar off of Ruby's dress. Pyrrha was having an animated talk with Yatsuhashi and Velvet, while Fox badgered Jaune about the quality of his female teammates and friends, much to the blonde's obvious embarrassment.

That only left Nora and Ren, who were approaching Coco with a pair of friendly smiles that left Coco feeling relaxed. Neither carried that aura of desperation or overt desire that made Coco suspicious of their intentions, and when presented with Nora's hand, she shook it with a polite enthusiasm.

"Milady— _Coco,_ I said Coco!" Nora corrected herself, drawing a snicker from their upperclassmen. "This was _super_ fun and _so_ delicious, and I'm still feeling all like _rawr_ because of it and-and I wanted to say thanks and stuff for having us!" Nora's cheeks were an embarrassed, yet satisfied rosey red, and she offered a quick, sloppy bow as Coco drew herself to stand up straight.

"We've never had anything like this before; the food, the company, the service, it was…" Ren looked over at Nora thoughtfully, his hand resting easily on the small of her back. "Well, much like Fox, we didn't grow up with such fineries. I don't know how I can possibly express my thanks for such stellar treatment; I certainly don't know what I can do to impress _Nora_ now." He gave her a teasing grin, then stiffened up tightly as a pair of fingers dug into his buttcheeks. Nora beamed cheekily, and Ren gave her a frustrated look.

Coco evaluated the couple before her with a thoughtful expression, her smile small, but warmed by their praise. "Having been in a palace all my life, I can't say I can relate, but I can say I'm happy to give you two a good time and a taste of class. I know some people like to write off the rich parties and food as just people burning wealth for the hell of it, but even somebody as rough as Fox melts in this sorta atmosphere."

"Like, I felt all worried and stuff at first 'cuz I thought it'd be all stiff and these pumps _suck,"_ she wiggled her foot, "but it was chill, and I wasn't bored and stuff. I'd… _really_ like to try it again; but, um, no pressure!" She bobbed her head quickly. "Ren and I can save up for our own dinners and stuff, so—"

"Sweet stuff, if the company is as good as it was tonight, I wouldn't mind hosting all of you again someday." Coco winked, and Nora all but glowed in delight. "But, remember, I'm Coco Adel here. Only people I really care to entertain while I'm at Beacon are my friends, not people thinking they can make it big by hanging out with me. If you two can stay my friends, I can promise you some special treatment in the future."

The couple looked to each other in minor awe, and Ren offered a short bow, then a pleasant smile. "Of course, Coco. As your friends, if you ever need _anything,_ please don't hesitate to ask."

The princess gave them a pleased smile and a quick nod, and the two excused themselves from the afterparty to find some privacy. Coco leaned back to watch Jaune and Yatsuhashi compare their biceps; Yatsu was obviously the bigger of the two by a longshot, and despite teasing Jaune about it, he didn't show any real malice. Pyrrha stood between them, feeling their arms, briefly looking to Yatsuhashi to nod at what he was saying, then turning back to _stare_ at Jaune. Coco grinned at the obvious _thirst_ in the girl's expression.

She cast her eyes over to team RWBY, who seemed to be having a rather heated discussion between themselves. Coco craned her ear to catch a hint of the whisperings, but got nothing but fuzzy murmurings. She huffed, turning to Fox, whose hand slid along the bannister towards her until she reached out to guide him closer. Standing side-by-side with his partner, Fox eased his back and tilted his head towards Coco.

"Are they what you wanted 'em to be?" Fox asked, and Coco gave a small, forced laugh to indicate to the boy that she was feeling pleased.

"I like 'em alright. Velvet was right, they're good kids. Looks like they came off the goddamn runway too; like, holy crap…" Coco's nostrils flared, and Fox just gave a toothy grin as he glanced around, ears open to the surrounding chatter.

"I told you that I hadn't touched the photo up." Velvet harrumphed softly as she joined Coco and Fox, looking pleasantly lazy as she always did after a good meal.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm always eating my own words." Coco rolled her eyes, but grinned.

"And they got some _cute_ voices too; Yang's the husky one, right?" Fox shot a look over in the direction of the chattering girls. "I wanna hear her call me ' _daddy.'"_

"You're _so_ gross…" Coco groaned, but turned to stare at the blonde in the handsome suit.

"Nnnnnot a _good_ idea…" Velvet chuckled, getting a curious glance from them both. "She's a lesbian."

"Oh." Fox's nose wrinkled. "Well, there goes my 'train the newbie' idea."

"Also, the PE teacher is her _actual_ 'daddy.'"

Coco and Fox both blinked. Coco held a finger up in thought. "Like… _sugar_ daddy or—"

"Her _biological father,_ Coco." Velvet sighed.

Coco nodded after a second. "Okay, I see the resemblance. Wow, that is one absurdly hot family."

"Even the squeaky little one?" Fox looked unconvinced, so Coco and Velvet both looked Ruby's way, watching her talk with her team in a secretive manner, wearing that strangely dark dress and odd goggles… Coco had rarely met girls like Ruby.

The rest of her team was notably lovely, but where Weiss had her classical beauty, Blake's had her smoky intrigue, and Yang's amazonian perfection, Ruby was… cute. Cute, with some of her baby fat fading away to reveal more refined features amidst a playful, fetching bob-cut. She wasn't curved like a girl on the front cover of a magazine, nor was she awkwardly shapeless and looking younger than she was.

She was far from ugly, but she would have trouble standing out next to the incredible specimens that were her teammates. Coco could picture a girl next door scenario, slowly falling in love with a more down-to-earth sweetness than the jaw-dropping wonder of her older sister.

"Yeah." Coco finally answered. Certainly not the type of girl she'd one day want to make a queen, but… she was gentle and sweet, but despite her sensitivity, had taken advantage of Coco's guilt to initiate a rather fun party. It could have been a fluke, but it could have been _much_ more.

The three upperclassmen drew themselves up as team RWBY approached, looking curious as Weiss, rather tiredly, waved a hand out to the two sisters of their group. "Coco, Ruby and Yang have an announcement to make."

She stood aside, watching with a quirk of her lips as Ruby and Yang strut forward, noses in the air, arms crossed under their breasts. "Ahem! Coco!" Ruby began in her high-pitched voice, the princess growing a smirk at the attitude.

"As a group, we have come to a decision!" Yang continued, bobbing her head.

"We have decided, t-together, to forgive you f-for your ' _test!'"_ Ruby stated authoritatively, and Coco looked into her goggle lenses with her brows raised in quiet delight.

"A test we still know nothing about." Blake murmured from behind Ruby and Yang, hiding herself, but still looking pleased with the way the day had gone.

"That's great to hear, ya brats." Coco chuckled, moving her hands to her hips to stare the two down with a raise of her eyebrow, and a mischievous little grin. "'Cuz I have one more test for ya!"

Ruby and Yang's good cheer disappeared as they changed to flat expressions and openly pouted, and a sharp pain made Coco yelp, leaning away as Velvet pulled Coco back by the ear with a glare. "One more _what,_ Coco?" Velvet demanded, while her team leader gave a pained wail and slapped at the rabbit girl's hands.

" _Stooop!_ I was kidding!" Coco squeaked, getting her ear back despite Velvet's simmering stare. Coco massaged her pained ear, a grumble escaping her. "Coulda shown that viciousness towards the guy they beat up for ya, y'know."

"It looks bad to beat up younger students." Velvet stated, flicking Coco's forehead to make her flinch.

"Yeah Coco, be good to the kids." Fox snickered, drawing a quick glare.

"Ruby and I _almost_ ended up in a cell." Yang gave Coco a light punch to the arm, and the Princess gave her a cheeky smirk.

"If I'm gonna be one-hundred percent honest, I'm not totally kidding." Coco rolled her shoulders, crossing her arms as her surrounding peers looked her over curiously. "Ruby, you mind talking to me alone real quick? I promise this won't end with you in tears or me on the bloody end of your sister's fist."

The young lady glanced around at her friends, and though Yang seemed skeptical, Weiss pushed Ruby out. "You are being invited to a private talk with _royalty,_ be honored and comply."

With a hesitant nod, Ruby followed Coco to a part of the veranda that was unoccupied, the princess leaning over a railing while Ruby followed suit. Fox seemed nonplussed, but Velvet watched with quiet intensity. Yang nudged Blake, and nodded in the leaders' direction. "Think you can get close enough to listen in?"

"Already am." Blake smirked, tapping one of her human ears, while keeping her head facing the girls' direction so her hidden cat ears could pick up every word.

Away from their teams, Coco looked over the well-groomed grass around Beacon's cafeteria, the trees and towers in the distance, the cultivated beauty that resulted from the dedicated work of numerous men, women, benefactors, and idealists coming together to create something that could only be attributed to the will of mankind.

Animals, Grimm, gods, whatever else there was in the world may have carved out homes of their own, but none of them shaped stone, metal, and wood quite like human and Faunuskind. Nature was vast and remarkable, so filled with dangers and wonders that it made her understand how small she truly was standing amidst towering tree trunks, all while listening to the low howls of the inhabitants in the distance.

In civilization, however, she could walk freely, talk freely, eat freely, and had numerous ways to entertain herself, busy herself, and make money, should she have needed it. It was two entirely different worlds, and Coco vastly preferred the latter. Even if the woods held a mysteriousness that could not be answered through books and research alone, Coco found something equally interesting in civilization: people.

What did each person want? What did they have to offer? What did they believe in? It would have been easy to lump everyone together, but each person in the world was the protagonist of their own story, for good or for ill, and each of these people were the most important person in the world to themselves. Coco felt that way; what _she_ wanted mattered most, though she certainly gave her friends plenty of assistance and thought.

But, what did a girl like Ruby want? Somebody of such frail nature with such a strong spine, whose ever present goggles baffled her, who showed such open _want_ towards helping others… it could have been a lie. Ruby's declaration could have been posturing, but Coco never got the sense that, despite her hidden eyes, Ruby's words were untrue. Years of dealing with people with ulterior motives gave Coco a great bullshit sense, and Ruby barely pinged on it.

That was why Coco had agreed to the dinner in the first place.

"So… how's it feel?" Coco suddenly asked.

By her side, Ruby having joined her in watching their surroundings, glanced over at her curiously, those dark lenses hiding something that Coco could not guess at. "H-how's what feel?"

Coco smirked, her eyebrows wiggling in delight. "To be hanging out with _me,_ girl. You know how many people would kill to be where you're standing right now?" She asked, and Ruby's lips formed a small pout.

"... A lot?" Ruby ventured, admittedly not very far.

" _More."_ Coco nodded with a very serious expression.

"What's more than ' _a lot?'"_ Ruby asked in raw confusion, and Coco snickered.

"I dunno, a bunch?"

"I dunno, I-I think you could fit a lot o-of bunches in a lot…" Ruby glanced up at the orange sky, her tongue smacking the roof of her mouth in thought. "... A buttload."

Coco grinned. "A ton."

" _Nearly all."_

"Eh, I dunno, that seems _too_ broad."

"You don't think n-nearly everyone would wanna hang out with you?" Ruby asked Coco curiously, and after a moment of thought, Coco laughed.

"I mean of _course_ they would, but I just mean in using terms. I like ' _a buttload.'"_

"Me too." Ruby bobbed her head, and Coco… sighed. Freagin' cute underclassmen… "I… I dunno." The young lady answered, watching the grass flow in the breeze as she laced her fingers together. "It's kinda surreal. I've seen your face e-everywhere, but you're really, um…" Ruby looked up to Coco, the older girl looking back. "Normal."

"Cool." Coco broke eye contact with a putter of her lips. "I've had people here, at Beacon, act like meeting me was some transcendental experience of a lifetime, like I'd descended from the heavens for them and them alone." Coco reached into her handbag without looking and pulled out two mints. Ruby took one, Coco sucked on the other, and the girl toyed with the breath freshener for a few seconds as Ruby watched her. "I don't care much about being ' _normal',_ I like being me. Being a princess freagin' _rocks,"_ she chuckled, "but I don't like _shallow,_ y'know?"

"Yang's the same way." Ruby spoke around the cool, refreshing taste of mint. "She'd have guys and girls obsessed with h-her looks, and, like, how big her boobs were, and not really about her. Yang c-can be that way sometimes too, dating people she thinks looks good, b-but… she likes connections more than arm-candy. She's my best friend; I… _think_ I'm hers, too." Ruby sounded hopeful, and Coco recalled how quickly she found her back to a wall thanks to Yang protecting Ruby…

"Probably." Coco nodded. "Being a hunter's opened my eyes up; I wanna look good, I want people around me to look good, I want the world to bow to my beauty… but the people I care most about care about me, _Coco,_ not princess Coco, as awesome as she is. It's weird thinking back on it; me and Weiss butt heads all the time, I thought she was an obnoxious know-it-all, but I always _wanted_ to see her, y'know? She's in the same place I am, and whenever we talked, it wasn't ' _milady this'_ or ' _princess Adel'_ that, she'd look me in the eye and call me a spoiled brat. Getting to know Fox, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi made me realize I wanted equals, not servants."

Ruby nodded and chewed, though Coco was under the impression the little lady didn't completely understand. "I always just wanted friends." Ruby stated calmly, her fingers working together. "Yang's great, but, Weiss 'n Blake 'n JNPR make me feel strong. I-I wanna make them happy, and _show them_ I'm strong. Whenever I look at Yang, I feel like I have so much to catch up to, but I don't wanna give up."

"You wanna beat her someday?" Coco guessed, but Ruby shook her head.

"No, I wanna fight by her side, a-and feel like I'm doing as m-much as her."

Companions to the end… "I getcha." Coco kinda didn't, she wanted to generically be the best, but that wasn't her true end goal. Everybody wanted to be the top of their field in some way, shape, or form, and it was a nice dream that Coco knew was unrealistic, but it felt good to get the highest score or be the last hunter standing in the ring. "So, changing topics; hunting, to me, is proving that I'm more than somebody who was born on the coattails of a dead monarchy. It's getting to know people, getting people to know _me,_ to rely on _me,_ to want _my_ help. Professor Ozpin once told me that the power of a princess is in her sociability; no government in the world is going to take me seriously, I've got no political power, but people on the street look up to me, and their strength is in their numbers. I don't wanna ride the coattails, I wanna _wear 'em,_ and if I can do that by killing Grimm and telling people what's what, I'ma do it."

"Th-that sounds nice." Ruby smiled approvingly, like Coco was asking for her opinion on her motivations. The princess turned her head towards Ruby, trying to look straight through those goggles into the eyes of the girl underneath.

"So, what about you?"

"What about me?" Ruby asked, and Coco examined her face as closely as she could.

"What do you want out of being a huntress?" Coco asked slowly and clearly, and Ruby's frowned.

"I want to help people." Ruby stated, as she had done before, while Coco's eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but what does that get _you?"_ Coco pressured, and Ruby's mouth opened, then shut as Coco waited.

It was clearly a question Ruby hadn't been asked before, or at least not often. Watching Ruby muse made Coco hum to herself; most people she asked at least had an answer, more often than not based around the same three ideas: lien, fame, or family legacy.

"It…" Ruby mused, touching her chin."It m-makes me happy." She finally put out, but Coco didn't shrug, or nod, or do anything more than stare.

"And you're a-hundred percent okay with that?" The princess asked, and Ruby looked more confused than ever.

"W-why wouldn't I be? Doesn't everyone wanna be h-happy?"

"Sure, but, like, you can protect people with a cushier job, like being a cop. Being a hunter is hard work; tons of training, merciless enemies, long trips away from home, it ain't the most fun or rewarding job in the world; so, lemme ask again: why choose the hard path? What does being a hunter do for you?"

Ruby felt as though she was being singled out; why her? Did anybody have a good reason to do a job with a mortality rate near the triple digits? Any one of them could have gone to be a cop to protect people; Ruby thought happiness was a perfectly reasonable answer… even if it wasn't the truth. It's not like anybody else had profound answers either.

But… how could she tell Coco that what she wanted was to save more lives than she could possibly take? How could Coco possibly understand what it meant to want to be human? How could she tell Coco that, with one slip up, Ruby could be the reason that the princess was called out to some annihilated village in the middle of nowhere…?

The answer was that she couldn't… cool as Coco was, esteemed as she was, the headmaster's orders had been very clear: no more slip ups. No more revealing _anything._

"Does… does it really matter?" Ruby asked softly, musing on her situation in annoyance, but Coco nodded slowly.

"It does to me." Coco answered. "I chose the hard path 'cuz I've been living the easy life; maybe I don't wanna go into the woods every other week, but I still want people to want my help, no matter what. So, if it makes you happy, why not go join law enforcement?"

Because she was more likely to kill people that way, because being a hunter meant she was taking her own downfall seriously…

"I need the d-discipline." Ruby said, and Coco's brows rose curiously.

"Wanna elaborate?"

"No." Ruby stated truthfully, squeezing her fingers together to Coco's dismay. "But… that's the truth. I-I have to be i-in control of myself; all the t-training, the killing Grimm, it's-it's important to me that I do this. Otherwise… I-I don't h-have much meaning."

Coco stared at Ruby for a while, their eyes not meeting as the younger of the pair stared off into the distance, looking strangely unhappy. After a few moments of brooding, she settled a hand on Ruby's head. "Damn, girl, I was just asking if you were in it for, like, money. Didn't mean to make you feel worthless."

"It's the truth…"

"And I didn't say I didn't believe you; though I guess I'm not a-hundred percent convinced."

Ruby's nostrils flared, and she gave her senior a frustrated frown that made Coco stretch her arms behind her to try and keep things loosened up.

"D-does it matter? Does e-everybody h-have to _want_ stuff?" She asked, and Coco gave her a little nod.

"Well yeah, it's part of what separates us from the animals." Coco smirked, while Ruby remained unsure. "Think about it; ya give a dog some food, water, a pat on the head, and a warm place to sleep? It's happy for the rest of its life if that's all it gets. Give a guy a-million lien, and he'll be wondering, ' _how can I get_ two _million lien?'_ We wanted to fly, so we made airships; we wanted everything automated, so we made computers. People want stuff, and it's how we got the stuff we have today. I just wanna know what _you_ want, Ruby Rose."

After a minute of silence, during which Ruby stared out at the forest in thought, pondering her own perilous existence, Ruby answered. "I… _want_ to be a huntress."

"For what?"

"To _hunt;_ I w-want to stop evil, and h-have a team, a-and be strong. That's what I want." Ruby answered definitely, and she expected another question, more prodding, more _demanding…_ but Coco just smirked, shrugged, and nodded.

"Then you do you, Ruby."

As frustrating and unsatisfactory as Coco's acknowledgement had been, she was no longer staring like she was trying to see where Ruby had hidden her wallet on her body.

"Did you just want to a-ask me _that?"_ Ruby asked in a small huff, and Coco nodded.

"Pretty much." Coco rolled her shoulders.

At a distance, where the rest of the party was still gathered, Blake's eyes were firmly settled on Ruby. She'd heard people talk about protecting and saving lives, but specifically Faunus lives. The people she had spent so much time with, the organization she had dedicated her life to, they wanted to protect the Faunus from humanity… Ruby's goal was much more broad, much more difficult, and plenty naive, but she never gave any indication that it was futile.

She wanted to save lives, let people figure their own problems out without the Grimm getting involved. It was noble, foolish… but the girl didn't waste her chance here at Beacon. Despite her stutter and nervousness, she bucked up, went to class, and did what she had to do to succeed.

She wasn't the tidal wave of charisma and power that Adam was… but in Blake's eyes, it made the younger girl all the more curious. Blake looked from Ruby to Yang, then quietly down at her fingertips; what a big goddamn lie it had all been. Somehow, she ended up teamed with two people who didn't see the Faunus as a problem.

She'd spent her life living in smoke, and saw a fire everywhere she went…

The two team leaders had meandered back to the crowd, and Blake quietly backed herself up to the wall, settling into a chair to watch. She felt oddly dull; she remembered the years running from hooting humans and their violent threats, she remembered helping pulling Faunus out of the brink from a violent beating by the humans…

… Where had these two been when she needed to prove to her former allies that there were humans worth sparing?

Blake felt a sudden bolt of annoyance at the absurdity of her life, and the annoyance she was feeling watching Ruby reach up to tentatively scratch the backs of Velvet's offered ears. The rabbit Faunus giggled as Ruby gave her an awe-filled gasp, feeling the fur lining the delicate organ.

Blake hadn't had _her_ ears scratched in a long time, she was usually above such a simplistic desire. It was a ridiculous, childish thing to _want,_ but it honestly felt good, and watching Velvet relax and coo under Ruby's hand made Blake tremble.

… Soon…

She would tell them soon… after the tests, once she knew she could trust them. She already _trusted_ them, but she just needed some time to prepare, to shrink the pit opening in her stomach at the thought of revealing herself, but she was tired…

Tired, and angry, and wanting things to feel _normal_ and _happy_ and not full of paranoia…

Yeah… _soon…_


	15. A Test of Wills

At the window behind his desk, Ozpin stared down at the sprawling valley Beacon sat in, watching the grass and trees sway, a steaming mug in one hand. Behind him, Glynda Goodwitch sat in his chair, poring over several holoscreens with her fingers bridged in front of her mouth in preparation for the day's events.

Ozpin breathed deep, smiling a smile that lacked in empathy or mercy. His academy was on the cutting edge of technology, and was rivaled only by Haven Academy in aesthetics and beauty. No scenic vistas and waterfalls for Beacon, no ancient architectural appeal… Ozpin found Beacon beautiful for an extremely simple reason:

Tension.

The students' stress was palpable in this early light. As they crawled out of bed and scampered to gather their things, their combined worries formed a cloud that reached the top of his tower, giving Ozpin a smile.

He did not cackle in delight at their pain, no. To Ozpin, a student's fears were something to cultivate and carefully manage. After all, growth came from discomfort, skill was sharpened by worry, and good habits were motivated through fear.

Today would be a day he would teach his students to be afraid of; it was the last day of the month, after all, a Friday at that; a day of revelry, affection, and fun, to most people. Ozpin would see that changed in his students' eyes.

* * *

"Name the three founders of the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition."

"Uh… ah! Michael Crane, Tetsua Lakshmi, and Lien Judon."

"And their political affiliations at the time?"

"Crane was the chairman for the Schnee Dust Company of Vacuo, Lakshmi was… was the Chieftain... Chieftess?" Yang looked up to Weiss, unsure, and Weiss shook her head.

"Chieftain is gender-neutral in this case, such as ' _Chieftain Sienna.'"_

"Right! Crane was the SDCV, Lakshmi was the Chieftain of the Vacuo Vipers–put your finger down Weiss, I'm getting there–which would later meld into the Vacuo chapter of the White Fang, and Judon represented the Vacuo Homeland Alliance."

"Excellent." Weiss turned a page in her notes and turned to face Ruby, who sat up sharply, her own notes at the ready. "Ruby, what was the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition's purp—"

"' _To establish a more secure border, to recreate the oasis of peace and equality, and to bring about an era of camaraderie between foreigners, faunus, and humanity!'"_ Ruby recited with a broad smile, earning a somewhat annoyed look from Weiss, but the heiress merely grunted.

"Correct, though I'd prefer you let me finish next time. Blake?" Weiss looked up. Peering over them, lazing on top of her bed, holding a book over her face to read, Blake responded with a grunt. "This would be _far_ easier if you came down here…"

"Yeah, probably. Anyways, what's up?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, and spoke more loudly for Blake to hear. "What would lead to the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition's eventual downfall?"

Blake snapped her book shut, setting it aside as she rolled onto her side to stare down at her teammates, who had set up three chairs in a triangle between their bunks. Blake closed her eyes, and breathed deep. "Chairman Crane's death during a Grimm attack caused the SDCV to pull back to safety while a new head was established. This lead to the Vacuo Homeland Alliance getting caught in a Grimm ambush. The dissension between the two factions was briefly tempered by Lakshmi's daughter, Aya, until the SDCV discovered her using the opportunity to smuggle Dust to the Vipers." She neglected to inform her teammates that the SDCV had been withholding Dust from a supposedly allied faction out of paranoia and racism. "This would lead to the dissolution of the Vacuo Hunter's Coalition, and pave the way for Aya Lakshmi to create the United Vacuan Hunter's Guild alongside General Mateus Ahn."

"Correct on all fronts." Weiss informed her calmly, and then turned to Yang with the next question.

The last school day of each month was feared and dreaded across the Beacon campus, and with good reasons. It was unknown when the standard had been set, but even adults well past their Beacon years reported waking up in cold sweats on on the thirty-first, scrambling through their research and gear while trying to remember the month before.

They were test days after all, and the professors were advised by their benevolent headmaster to pull no punches.

Passing tests meant good grades, and good grades meant the students could keep various privileges such as leisure time in Vale instead of mandatory study hall, and their portion of the weekly allowance. In a school full of college-age kids, self-indulgent hours after class were highly important, so any chance they could avoid being held back from leaving the school or forced into study halls was taken seriously, from the first years to the fourth years, every student was scrambling to make sure they didn't blow their first week of tests.

The morning was unusually quiet, at least compared to what they'd gotten used to; it was only occasionally broken by somebody running about in the hallways, or small argument that was muffled by the thick walls, the students were otherwise under a stifling malaise as they gathered together in hopes that their combined efforts would be enough.

While many students felt sluggish, hesitant, and even tired from a night of cramming, Ruby felt surprisingly energetic. She couldn't say why–she felt just as nervous as everyone else, which had made sleep difficult–but she'd woken up tossing the covers off herself, even outperforming Yang during their morning workout. It was like she'd downed two coffees and chased them down with the most perfect breakfast in the world!

Each of her teammates was relaxed. Weiss was in full study mode from the moment she'd stepped out of the shower, while Yang had, to Ruby's surprise, been in agreement with Weiss. Yang wasn't terrible at studying by any means–she'd passed all her classes at Signal with hardly any issues–but she was strangely calm as she poured over their notes, even cribbing some of the excess details Ruby added to hers.

Blake was as hard to read as ever; she was content with one of Ruby's novels, only marginally part of their study session. However, as they continued to go over questions and answers, Ruby noticed that Blake never once flipped the pages in the book. She was concentrating on something else, and considering she kept glancing down…

" _OKAY!"_ Weiss suddenly shouted, nearly making Ruby jump in a panic. "That's all our history notes! Everyone grab your notes from Professor Peach, we're going over them extensively. And Ruby?" Weiss's eyes narrowed, and Ruby put on a nervous smile. " _Nerves._ No blowing up today."

"I-I won't!"

"If I end up wringing ice crystals out of my hair _again_ —"

"You won't!"

"Hey!" Yang suddenly interrupted, opening her Dust notebook with a small frown. "Focus." It was all she said on the matter, and Ruby wasn't sure what unnerved her more: angry Yang or chill-angry Yang.

"Ahem…" Weiss cleared her throat nervously at Yang's order, briefly looking over the normally brash blonde in curiosity and worry. "Right." Weiss leafed through her notebook, and began quizzing her teammates on Dust.

Dust, of course, was followed by Grimm Studies, and immediately after, a discussion on tactics for PE, followed by determining how best to handle combat class. Blake lay on her side lazily, watching, answering, and chiming in where she thought was necessary, but for the most part, kept to herself.

Blake felt that it was less formal. She disliked the stiffness of a group circle; there was this sinister feeling of… _scheming_ she associated with it. She knew that wasn't accurate, but she was more relaxed higher up. She enjoyed the looseness of the study group, even if Weiss's demanded rigidity earned her an eyeroll or two from Blake.

Ruby's scroll beeped, causing the girl to scramble to shut off the alarm Weiss had her set the night before. "Ah! It's _time!"_ Ruby squeaked, trying to gather her notes and her things together in her bag. Weiss and Yang were by the door by the time Ruby managed to get everything together, and Blake dropped down by their side with a small stretch.

"Now, nobody panic and we'll breeze through these tests no problem." Weiss stated with her chin high and her icy stare going from girl to girl, though her lips quirked up in a small smile. "Shall we?"

"W-wait!" Ruby suddenly gasped, before quickly gathering herself up into something resembling a functioning captain. Weiss shot her a sideways look, Blake glanced over her curiously, and Yang put on a little smile as Ruby squeezed the straps to her bag. "I-I know these are just some-some dumb tests and all that, but…" Ruby swallowed thickly. "I-I mean, I can't s-say they _aren't_ important, a-and…" Ruby paused, her brow furrowed, her hidden eyes squinting in frustration as the other three silently stared. "... Thank you for being here." Ruby finally spoke up after a moment of silence. "This is my first time at a real s-school, and my first t-tests, and I'm ne-nervous, b-but, I feel better knowing we're all going through it. I feel… I feel confident. For all of us. We'll pass." Ruby squared her shoulders, and smiled. "I know how smart each of you is, so don't let me down! Let's aim for the top!" Ruby held a hand out, palm down, and spoke confidently. "R!" She announced.

Weiss, Blake, and Yang stared down at her hand silently, then glanced up to Ruby. A bead of sweat formed on Ruby's forehead. "' _R'_ what?" Yang asked with a smirk. A confused smirk, but a smirk nonetheless.

"I-I'm tryin'a do a th-thing! C'mon!" Ruby squeaked, hunkering down, her hand still extended. A low chuckle escaped both Blake and Yang, and Yang's hand extended, only to be swatted out of the way by Weiss.

" _I_ go next!" Weiss insisted sternly, earning a raised eyebrow from Yang as the heiress put her hand on top of Ruby's. "Ahem… W?" She looked to Ruby, earning an encouraging grin.

Blake put her hand on the pile, her other hand on her hip, unable to suppress a grin. "B." Ruby was practically trembling now.

Yang's hand came all but crashing down on Blake's, earning a flinch from the black-haired girl, as the tallest of the four proudly bellowed, "Y!" And with that, the four of them threw their hands into the air, Ruby leaping up with an excited squeal.

" _Go team RWBY!"_ Their four voices came together as one, and the four bodies immediately raced out of their dormroom.

* * *

" _We're not late!"_ Nora announced as she nearly busted the door down.

"Yes, yes, have a seat, team JNPR." Doctor Oobleck ordered them. The class of hunters hardly glanced up from their notes as Nora walked in, Pyrrha meekly following behind her, and Jaune and Ren crept in after them.

Jaune plopped down in his usual seat, right by Ruby, with Pyrrha on his other side. Slowly, he dug through his things, hardly looking up as he set his notes and writing utensils in front of them. Then, with a heavy sigh, he dropped his forehead to the desk. His every motion, expression, and even his posture screamed that of a defeated man, and Ruby silently stared, while Pyrrha squeaked and tried to nudge him up.

"Is he okay?" Ruby whispered over his back, and Pyrrha put on a large, frustrated pout.

"He's…" Pyrrha stroked Jaune's shoulders, earning nothing more than a moan of defeat. "Unconfident in his test-taking abilities."

"Despite his lack of confidence, we did spend nearly all of yesterday afternoon covering class material." Ren spoke up from Pyrrha's other side. He looked as hawk-eyed and calm-faced as ever, but Ruby detected the beginnings of tired bags under those pretty pink eyes.

"Eh, who cares. It's just _writing."_ Nora snorted, already looking bored as she flipped a pencil between her fingers. Compared to her boyfriend, she looked totally relaxed. "This'll be a cakewalk… mmm, cake…"

"We have this, Jaune." Pyrrha tried to say reassuringly.

"Uuuggggh, I don't remember _anything…"_ Jaune whimpered. His team doted over him, his expression a mask of pure defeat. Ruby pursed her lips in thought.

She understood how he felt; everything felt jumbled up and lost: names, numbers, and more swam through her head without direction, completely meaningless without context, and fighting for prominence in her head. However, Ruby glanced to her collection of pens and pencils in their little Beowolf case, and a small idea formed.

Jaune looked up as a red pencil rolled in front of him. It was sharpened, its eraser hardly worn, and he looked over to Ruby. The younger girl squirmed quietly, putting on a small, innocent smile. "Here." She poked the pencil closer to him.

"... A pencil?" Jaune asked, picking it up incredulously between his fingers. "Isn't this all going to be done on a holoscreen?" He asked, tapping the emitter on his desk. Ruby grinned awkwardly and nodded.

"Yeah but… i-it's my lucky pencil!" She explained, poking it with one finger. "It's the one I carried when I got into Beacon, and the one I carried w-when I won a write-in book contest! See, it's special." She held up a yellow, standard pencil. "It was miscolored, and still showed up in the pencil box! And it's my favorite color! So it's lucky!"

Jaune's eyes went from Ruby's goggles to her pencil. He twiddled it between his fingers as Pyrrha watched on. "I-I… really? Shouldn't you have it then? It's _your_ pencil."

"Who, _me?_ Nah, I'll totally ace this test." She spoke with false confidence, her smile wide and sweet. "It's all y-yours today, you can use it as a stylus! J-just be good to it, okay?"

Jaune looked from Ruby to the pencil, and his head tilted in puppy-esque curiosity. Being a rural farm boy, Jaune had been around the superstitious all his life; creaks in the house were from ghosts, missing items were because of goblins, and any unfortunate accident was an omen that the Grimm were near.

He didn't believe it for a second, but Jaune looked to his fellow leader, her smile nervous and adorable beyond belief, and he hid a chuckle. Squeezing the wood between his fingers, he took a deep breath. "Thanks Ruby. Though, it'd _probably_ be better if I was smarter than I was lucky."

"Ah!" Ruby clasped her hands together, "But luck is something a hunter needs sometimes! W-when your enemy hesitates, or steps on a leaf, or you find an extra bullet you packed. Being lucky's a good thing! S-so, use it!" She put on her best, determined look, and Jaune gave a little smile.

"Alright, Ruby." He squeezed the pencil again. His whole tenure up to this point had felt like luck, so a little more wouldn't hurt. He wished he had Ruby's confidence, but… he'd settle for her pencil. "Thanks."

Ruby nodded at him, then took a deep breath and clasped her hands. Jaune was better, her team was full of vim and vigor, and her heartbeat was going to kill her as it played like a drum in her chest. "Deep breaths…" She reminded herself.

"And calm your hands." Weiss whispered by her side, making Ruby flinch, then nod. Weiss looked as serious as usual, which meant she was relaxed. She had total assuredness, while, by her side, Yang was going over her notes one more time, and Blake held what appeared to be a silent prayer.

"Students!" Dr. Oobleck suddenly spoke up, making the class go silent and stiff with anticipation. The green-haired coffee-addict strutted in front of his students, hands behind his back, long legs leading him in a slow army march before them. "Today is the day of your first big test here at Beacon; it is not going to be easy, and there _is indeed_ a punishment for failure. Each and every single one of you is young and deserves your free time… _should_ you succeed!"

A flick of his wrist extended a telescoping rod to its maximum length and he pointed to the board, which was full of test-taking information. "You will follow these instructions to access your test, then follow the instructions on-screen. These are your protocols to follow in case of an emergency, as _silently_ and _unobtrusively_ as possible! If you cause too much of a ruckus, or do not follow protocol, you will receive an automatic _zero._ You have five tests today, one from each of your professors, and need to average out a sixty to avoid weekend study halls and retain access to Vale! This may _seem_ lenient, but I assure you, you will need to have studied every scrap of information we have given you over the month! If you fail today, take it as a warning of a necessary change in habits! Any questions?!" A hand shot up. "Yes, Mr. Winchester?"

"Is it true that we're ranked by test scores?" Cardin asked from the back of the class, causing a low murmur of curiosity and surprise to spring up from the rest of the students.

"Ah! Yes, rankings." Oobleck adjusted his tie, and flared his nostrils. "It is proven that a healthy sense of competition encourages a more concentrated effort in one's work! We will be evaluating your overall scores: individual test-taking scores, in-class partner scores, and homework! The better you do, the higher your rank, the better your privileges!"

The girls had heard the rumors that there were in-school rankings posted at the end of each month, and rewards for scoring high. The confirmation of the rumor made Weiss' eyes widen, and all but _sparkle._

"The top ten performers will be granted _unlimited access_ to the school's entertainment facilities, double the allotted check-out time for materials from the library, and the ability to reserve front-row seating during school plays and movie nights." The implications left a number of students silently looking to each other with big, awestruck eyes. "So!" Oobleck threw a slow, encouraging right hook in front of his chest, and smiled. "Give your best! Even if you don't get the highest score, you will be able to enjoy the campus as normal! I expect nothing but good grades! Now, with that in mind, clear your desks except for scrap paper and writing utensils, and let's begin."

Oobleck typed at a keyboard on his desk, and each student had a holoscreen pop up in front of them. The room filled with the soft beeps of their holo-keyboards turning on, and the test began.

Perhaps nobody was more intense in their typing than Weiss. Leaned forward, eyes on the screen, fingers flying across the buttons as she quickly broke down questions and answers, a _need_ filled her. She would be amongst the elite! To be anything less than number one would be unacceptable! Ultimate victory was in her grasp!

To her side, Yang was quiet and contemplative. Each question was read thoroughly, and she double-checked her answers repeatedly. Her nostrils flared each time she typed in her answer, which were sometimes hastily deleted as she reevaluated.

Blake was quietly chewing one end of a stylus. She wrote without hesitation, reading quickly and answering faster. Her eyes began to wander as she wrote; there was something hanging from the ceiling… string? Tape? Some sort of fiber? Should she mention something...?

Pyrrha smiled to herself as she typed. She had skipped to her favorite part of the test: the essay. There were so many ways to answer essay questions, and she was well-practiced in essay creation, since she relieved some of her pre-fight boredom by doing her homework. The multiple choice wouldn't be difficult, so she needed to use her energy on what counted!

Ren had his eyes closed, fingers connected in front of him as he meditated on each question. He had to clear his mind of all distractions, understand _what_ was being asked of him, the _intent_ of the question, and find the answer himself. Only once he knew did he open his eyes, mark the right answer, and continue.

Nora stared at the screen, her eyes slowly drifting apart as words blurred, the sounds around her becoming a continuous stream of nothing and everything. She finally shook herself out of it to stare at a question and answer what sounded right. Then, the next question came, and the world began to blur…

Jaune knew this. He knew this. He also knew _this_. This one, he didn't know. He _thought_ he knew this one. Crap, why did King Ronald disappear? Assassins? His ex-wife? Both?! Why were both on there?! Didn't his ex-wife _hire_ the assassins?! Jaune stared at Ruby's pencil. Well, obviously if she hired the assassins, she would ultimately be responsible for his disappearance…

Ruby stared at the question on the screen, and breathed slowly through her nostrils. It taunted her, made her _squirm,_ the listed names seemed to meld together and become one. Darius? Anglius? Fijas? Wait, those sounded familiar... ' _Lord London had bought land for his eight children. Eight acres for Darius, who brought the Grimm low, seven acres for Nautilus whose gardens did grow, six acres for Fijas who married a man widely adored, five acres for Arguul who wrote up the Vacuan accord, four acres for Limsa whose bare feet wandered the earth, three acres for Yarman whose wife had given birth, two acres for Anglius who was still but a boy, and no acres for Hamon who'd slain the viceroy..."_ Ruby immediately picked Hamon, and breathed deep in relief.

History of Remnant ended with a call to stop and submit, then an order of dismissal. Ruby rubbed her hands together nervously as the crowd of students thundered out, racing to their next class. Keeping up with Weiss was a challenge as the normally composed girl was racing full tilt, leaving behind Blake and Yang, who took the journey in stride.

* * *

"... I can't believe I get the chance to say this, but I'm proud of you." Professor Peach chuckled good-naturedly as she reached her hands out.

Ruby smiled stiffly, her arms shaking as she carefully set the flask of turbocharged emergency lightning dust into her professor's hands. Peach took the glass and pulled, pausing to look up at Ruby.

"You'll have to let go, Ruby, if you want me to grade this." She said calmly. Ruby's hands opened like robotic claws, and went down to her sides in a stiff, swinging motion as she just let out a _loud_ groan of relief. "Hm… hm, hm, ah-hah, yes, mhmm…" Peach mused as she tilted the flask around to examine the contents with an extremely critical eye. "Alright. Go sit down, Ruby."

"D-di-did R-R-Ruby d-do-do g-good P-pr-proff-profes-pro-pr— ma'am?" Ruby jittered in place, and Peach gave her a small smile.

"Please, go sit down Ruby, you'll know your grade after your last class."

"Y-yaa-aaaay." Ruby wheezed, then turned on her heels, and walked like a tin man back to her seat. A bit of red dust on her shoulder erupted into a miniscule puff of smoke, and as she passed by her fellow students, they took their dust concoctions and moved them well away from _She Who Annihilates Desktops._

* * *

Weiss walked through the fading black mist, a small, queenly smile on her face, and her rapier shining brilliantly as the remnants of her Aura pulse faded. In the private training room, Professor Port put on a big smile beneath his bushy moustache.

Weiss approached the older man, Myrtenaster now hanging loosely off her hip as she waited for his evaluation. "Young lady, look at what you have accomplished so easily." Professor Port shook his head, his eyes opening marginally to show his twinkling pupils.

"I have my team to thank for my improved performance." Despite her clinical speak, her smile grew wider at his praise, and she silently shimmied on her heels. "Thank you for the opportunity to prove myself, Professor Port."

The Boarbatusk had been straight from the fields of Vale, slightly larger than average, with a greater inclination towards reckless aggression; compared to the Boarbatusk Weiss had fought during her first class it was bigger, angrier, and definitely heavier.

It had done an almost artistic flip from Weiss's interjecting strike, and paid gruesomely for its crimes at the point her second. There had been zero hesitation, no thinking, and not a single misstep. By now, Weiss knew her distance, and had followed through with prejudice.

"Of course, Weiss. Please go let the next student know they are allowed to come in… and try not to look _too_ pleased when you walk out there, we don't want them thinking this is easy!" He chuckled mirthfully, and Weiss bowed her head low.

"As you wish, Professor." Her smile disappeared into a neutral frown, and she walked out, only giving a single, gleeful skip before opening the door for the next student.

* * *

Taiyang braced himself, and firmed his abs as his youngest daughter crashed into him. Wrapped around his torso, Ruby let out a sad whimper. " _Daaaaa-aaad,_ these tests are _haaaard!"_ Ruby whimpered, clinging to his shirt as she looked up at her father's smirking face.

"Yes they are, Ruby, but you only have two more and the day is over. Go stand with your team, okay?" Taiyang instructed, ruffling her hair. With a nod, Ruby extricated herself from her father's midsection, and shuffled back into place in front of her team. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but a quick elbow from Yang shut her up, and the blonde shot her teammate a cautionary look.

Weiss harrumphed. _Such_ a child.

"Alright," Taiyang began, clapping his hands together, "we're now going to start the Physical Fitness test for team RWBY." He swept a hand out. They were in one of the small, rentable training rooms inside the gym. Big enough for a team of four, a little stifling with five, even if three of the four girls were rather lithe and compact. Taiyang continued, referring to a scroll. "First off, I'll weigh the four of you– _and don't be shy about it_ –before starting two of you on weightlifting. Take your time stretching and warming up; you get three attempts to lift as much as you can over your head for _three seconds straight,_ and I'll be counting! The other two will take turns on the treadmill. It's preset to steadily increase in speed, and you are to run until you can't go any faster. Aura is not allowed, so do _not_ overdo it, or you'll get screwed over for your combat class. Any questions?"

"Is—" Weiss raised her hand quickly, before she could be accused of speaking out of line, "Is this the whole test? Just weight, lifting, and running?" She asked, looking confused. She was expecting much _much_ worse, and Blake couldn't help but agree. Their entire month in PE had been a chaotic scramble, when they weren't dragging themselves out of class because of muscle-building days, which meant core exercises until both she and Weiss were begging for a shower, a bed, and a bed in the shower.

"Yep." Taiyang was casually inputting the girls' names as they lined up in front of an electronic scale. Their light, loose gym clothing would add hardly a thing to their weight, but Weiss couldn't help but feel slighted. "These tests are going to let me get a feel for your progress, seeing how you improve or fall month to month. You'll be doing plenty of workouts in class, hopefully _out_ of class too, and I'll be adding more as time goes on. For now, let's start easy."

Ruby stepped onto the scale first, hands balled into nervous fists. Physical fitness didn't scare her, but she had the post-test nerves, as well as their upcoming combat class test. She straightened up, breathed deep, let it out, and stood still as the scale clocked her in at 138 pounds. Though the youngest, as well as the shortest, she had excellent muscle mass from her training. She paid little mind to the reading, and stepped out of the way.

Weiss came up next, trying to be as light as possible. Compared to Ruby, she was the picture of calmness, convinced, without a doubt, that she lead the pack in test scores. After all, she was Weiss Schnee, it was what she _did._ She frowned as the scale put her at 132 pounds. Easily the most waifish of the team, her training gave her a very limber, agile build without much added weight. Not that Weiss cared, she'd gained six pounds in just a month!

Blake stepped up next, eyes on Taiyang as he inspected her and read the scale. She had a knot in her stomach as the coach's eyes roamed her hair, looking at her bow, but he shrugged it off and put down the number. Blake was unconvinced that the tests were terribly important; she would pass, and that's all she cared about. Standing at 144 pounds, Blake nodded. An acceptable number; she was better-built than Weiss and had a good few inches on her as well, but had no fears of being overweight.

Yang was the last to get on the scale, hands on her hips, her smile firm. She'd done it. The hardest part of the test day was over with, and she knew full well she'd done more than admirably. Hell, she may have even done amazing! As far as she was concerned, the rest of the day would be about fun and games! She pursed her lips as 165 lbs. popped up, then shrugged it off. Yang stood over her team in terms of height, musculature, and ' _additional mass;'_ it was natural that their bruiser was also the heaviest.

"Alright." Taiyang looked over the team, his smile growing. It was hard to step into the educator role when both his daughters looked up to him, waiting for orders and praise, but having blown his chance to grab Signal's attention, he didn't want to ruin this opportunity at Beacon. "Ruby, Weiss, how about you two start at the treadmill. Blake, Yang, you two hit the weights."

"Yes sir." Weiss, Blake, and Yang spoke as one.

"Okay dad!" Ruby said instead, bouncing over to the treadmill. Taiyang chuckled, and Weiss sighed before she followed.

"Don't worry about trying to win anything, Ruby!" Tai called after her. "Just do your best, sweetheart, and I'll be proud!" Taiyang then turned to Blake and Yang, and Blake noticed a shift in the upbeat man's eyes. Friendliness evaporated, fatherliness disappeared. His eyes were sharp, his smile cruel and tough, and he all but spoke through his teeth. "Yang, I'd better see you dominating that barbell. I swear, if you score lower than your last test at Signal, it'll be a full week of private training with me, nothing but ass-whuppings until I see it improve!"

Blake blinked rapidly, looking at Taiyang's almost _violent_ smile at the prospect, and gave her partner a worried glance that was quickly replaced by confusion. Rather than fear, or even nervousness, Yang matched his grin, looking like she was ready to rip his arms off. "What's that? I fail and I get to kick your ass in front of the whole school? Is that what I heard? Oh, papa, don't dangle that carrot in front'a me!"

"Hey, you need some gifts for the tooth fairy and I'll be happy to provide, li'l dragon." Taiyang crossed his arms over his chest, and Blake did not miss the way his knuckles cracked as he tightened his fists.

"Pity there ain't a rib fairy to do the same for you, old man." Yang stretched her fingers ahead of herself.

Blake silently worried just what the barbell would be used _for_ once they were done…

"Are you able to talk, Ruby?" Weiss asked as Ruby started the treadmill. Biting the hem of Ruby's shirt's collar was a plastic pincer, attached by a chord to an emergency stop magnet on the treadmill's control panel. The readout read 'Ruby Rose-Xiao Long,' along with the machine's slowly climbing speed.

"Yeah. Is everything okay?" Ruby asked, starting out at a leisurely walk, but it quickly picked up.

"I just wanted to say that I am proud of your performance in Professor Peach's class." Despite her words, Weiss spoke with an uncompromisingly clinical nature, as if she'd been practicing for a speech she wasn't used to giving. "I know you have been improving, but you really kept your nerve today."

"Oh!" Ruby blinked behind her goggles, now at a slow jog, increasing to a quicker pace. "Th-thanks Weiss. I-I t-tried really hard to not b-blow up!" Ruby smiled, her arms swinging faster.

"I could tell. Considering, as partners, our scores outside of class will be shared, I have confidence that the two of us will pass without fail. However, we have this class and the next to worry about, so _don't slack."_ She ordered, looking up to Ruby seriously.

Ruby stared straight forward, nodding without speaking, breathing calmly, but deeply through her mouth as she began to run.

"Now, _that_ said…" Weiss crossed her arms and tapped her foot, looking away in thought. "My performance in Grimm Studies was fantastic, in no small part due to your help." Weiss glanced to Ruby again, trying to not look _too_ thankful. "Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone to help me, the Boarbatusk I fought could have hardly been called a challenge with the technique you taught me. I will be coming to you for future advice in the dealings of Grimm."

"Okay!" Was all Ruby could manage. Her powerful legs carried her forward in long strides, easily making up for her height with a mixture of muscle memory and well-honed strength. The slap of her feet against the treadmill's revolving suspension belt was a steadily growing rhythm that had Weiss quietly counting.

Ruby's speed was admirable, Weiss always knew that. Their combat classes with Professor Goodwitch had more than proven that when she'd gotten into a comfortable groove. Watching Ruby skip around her opponents, constantly revolving, her feet always on point, her scythe barely visible when she struck. It was mesmerizing, and even though Weiss's fencing was undeniably skilled, Ruby _always_ turned heads.

There was a mixture of envy over Ruby's talent, and pride over having her as a partner… and a friend. Weiss's fingers curled together shyly as she remembered that; they weren't tools for one another to use, they weren't associates passing off paperwork, they had fought together, protected each other, and worked to improve each other for their mutual benefit. It was… nice. A clean and efficient relationship with her partner, her teammate, her team leader.

It certainly helped that Ruby could be so endearing with her honest and optimistic nature.

… and good looking to boot.

Weiss whipped her head back and forth, and metaphorically stamped that thought out. Ruby looked _fine,_ naked or clothed, but it was Blake and Yang that shined in the showers. Red-faced, Weiss turned away with a frustrated frown, while Ruby focused on her running and remained ignorant of Weiss's plight.

After a short time, Ruby ripped the magnetic brake out of its slot on the treadmill, and flew off the treadmill and onto her feet, barely catching herself in time. She trembled, her legs red, her breath escaping her in heavy pants, but she gathered herself up and stretched with a girlish grunt. "O-okay, I finished." She looked to Weiss with a smile.

Weiss nodded her head; running would clear her mind. She took the brake and put it back in its slot, and glanced up to type in her name. She reached for the ' _clear'_ button, but paused. ' _Ruby Rose-Xiao Long: 21 mph.'_ Weiss silently glanced over her shoulder at Ruby, who had wandered over to lean against her dad, earning an affectionate rub to her shoulder.

 _Twenty-one?_ Weiss's eyelashes fluttered. She couldn't beat twenty-one, could she? That was nearly a professional runner's level, and _without_ Aura. With Aura and her semblance, Weiss could move faster than anybody lacking in a speed semblance, but without it, she was a much more slender, if still fit, young lady. She knew Ruby had monstrous strength and willpower–in addition to summoning actual monsters _with_ her willpower–but that was absurd.

Weiss hit ' _clear',_ and the Coach's scrollpad updated with Ruby's impressive top speed. It made sense considering who her father was, but it left Weiss feeling weak. At the very least she had her brains. With her brains, her body, her semblance, and her Aura she was a huntress and the heir to her dynasty. She took comfort knowing that, outside the class, she would excel.

She entered ' _Weiss Schnee'_ and began to walk, building up to a jog.

One thing had been made abundantly clear by her time with her team: they were all stronger than her. They were faster, stronger, and as proven in Professor Goodwitch's class, much more capable in combating other hunters. They could hit harder, run faster, climb higher, and jump further than she could. PE was proving to be strenuous, leaving her too winded and achy to be acceptable. If she was to be a huntress, to lead with the same strength as her grandfather, she would need to be stronger.

Her mind was a finely sharpened tool, she was a veritable bank of worldly information, as well as the science of their most abundant and important energy source. She'd read thousands of books, journals, articles, and theses, she'd attended hundreds of lectures, tutors, and classes, she had personally lead conferences and speeches on Dust and the SDC, she was brimming with intelligence and had a capacity for far greater…

Yet, as she slowed down and hopped off the treadmill, ending her run, her legs pulsating, her lungs aching, her heart racing, she stared at her top speed: 15 mph. She was small and frail compared to her teammates. She grit her teeth; she needed to be stronger. Not stronger than her teammates, but stronger than who she was _now._

If she stood up to her father as she was she would fail. She needed to be strong enough to look him in the eye and speak her mind without a trace of doubt or fear. Just _picturing_ his sneer made her knees tremble more. She needed more. She would grow, and she would leave _that man_ behind in terms of accomplishment. His money and cold intellect would fail him in the face of the inferno that Weiss would become.

Fifteen miles per hour… she had four years to improve. Ruby clocked in at twenty-one, and Weiss nodded her head. By the end of her tenure at Beacon, she would catch up to Ruby's first test score. She had zero doubt Ruby would also increase exponentially… but this was Weiss's first goal. She would, at the very least, catch up to the girl she knew right now.

"Well, damn." Taiyang said, barely able to get the words out as pride overwhelmed him. "Look at my girls go! Guess I don't need to beat you up, Yang." Taiyang snickered, and got a good, friendly punch to the arm for it.

"You can still try, dad, see how it goes for you." Yang winked, and Weiss quickly joined Ruby, Yang, and the Coach to look at his scrollpad. Yang's final lifting weight had been 350 lbs. Weiss paled at the number; Yang didn't _need_ her Aura to get beastly results. Beneath it, Blake had rung in at 170 lbs, and as the black-haired beauty relaxed against the wall, she seemed rather nonplussed about it.

"I'll take a raincheck until I don't have a mountain of paperwork to do. Blake, Yang, you two go run. Done, Weiss?" Taiyang looked back at her, and Weiss nodded stiffly. "Excellent. Good scores, girls, now show me some more!"

"Yes sir!" Weiss, Blake, and Yang said.

"Okay dad!" Ruby answered. With that, Ruby went to the barbell. She was quickly peeling the weights Yang had been using off, and courteously returning them to the respective stacks with little issue. She took her own weights, and began securing them to the barbell.

It was a best of three attempts, and it involved lifting from the ground to above their heads for three seconds. To Weiss' surprise, Ruby had some fairly heavy weights on the bar, and entered the pick-up stance behind it. Two hands on the bar, leaning over, knees bent, as if giving a most awkward bow, Ruby began to hoist the weight, lifting with her legs, then, once the barbell was overhead, dropped her backside to the floor in a low crouch. Weiss quivered a moment, worried Ruby might fall, but she remained stable as she kept the barbell above her head.

Ruby stayed squatting for a moment, clearly straining. Weiss glanced to the coach, who watched silently, his arm tense. He seemed patient as his youngest struggled, but then Ruby stood. The weight was above her head, her posture perfect, her neck and spine straight, her legs spread and no longer shaking. Ruby stared forward, her face red, and then Tai called the third second. Ruby pitched the barbell, the clang as it hit the floor making Weiss flinch, then stretched, straightened, and panted.

"Feeling okay, Ruby?" Taiyang asked, unable to keep the worried pride out of his voice. "You have two more tries, you can go light." He offered. Weiss worked her jaw, wondering if that was the coach or the dad in him talking. Her own father would have huffed and shaken his head; after all, Yang had proven stronger.

"I-I think that was too light, actually." Ruby flashed her father a little smile.

"Ruby…" Taiyang spoke cautiously, but he didn't make a move to stop her as she upgraded her weight. "You don't have to prove anything."

"Yes, I do." Ruby countered.

Rather than argue, Taiyang simply asked, "how much did you just lift?"

"Two-hundred." Ruby answered. Weiss tightened a fist. Thirty pounds more than Blake, despite being a head shorter. The heiress stared at Ruby's bulging forearms. For such a little thing, she was _thick._ Not quite like Nora's stocky build, but when Ruby pushed herself, her seemingly lean muscles announced themselves proudly.

In the meantime, Ruby knew better than to overdo it. Her father, uncle, and sister warned her that pushing the limit was good until it hurt you. She had to know her limitations, where to begin, where to stop. She was far past the little pink weights of her youth; her dad had spent months teaching her proper form and lifting technique.

Crescent Rose, for all her beauty, was not light. The haft had to be thick and sturdy enough to support the head, as well as a fully concealed, completely protected sniper system. Twirling it at the speed her uncle pushed her to was not easy, even with Aura. The precision was one thing, but the strength needed to get it there, maintain it, and move with confidence while keeping control was just a pipe dream when she first started.

However, it motivated her. Get stronger with her family, get stronger with her scythe, make a heavy-duty killing machine that she could grow with, and prove to herself, her family, and the world that she could be a huntress without her semblance.

Aura was enhanced by physical strength as much as mental. A hunter had to _know_ they were strong if they were to _be_ strong. Desperation, overconfidence, and sheer tenacity could compensate with Aura, as belief drove people to do amazing and terrible things, but in keeping herself physically fit, and capable of wielding Crescent Rose even without her Aura, Ruby's strength would not fail her no matter how low she felt.

 _That_ was what was important to Ruby. So full of doubts and fear, she had to be able to fight through it. The Grimm were terrifying, the Grimm were _monsters,_ hunting them took guts, and Ruby compensated for guts with raw power and refined technique.

She stood, barbell over her head, pride swelling in her chest. She was growing stronger. She would surpass that doubt and fear. If she was to show Beacon that she could protect humanity, she had to be stronger than the negativity that gnawed at her, and lingered in her belly whenever the snarling entered the back of her mind.

The barbell dropped, and Ruby straightened out, panting. "Two-hundred ten." She announced to her father. Taiyang nodded, writing it down, and Yang gave a proud whoop as she awaited her turn on the treadmill. Ruby went back to the stacks of weights and took two more; she wasn't done, not just yet.

Weiss watched quietly, staring as her partner lifted the barbell. She stood, short and proud, two-hundred and twenty pounds over her head with her best effort. When the coach called the time the barbell hit the floor, and Ruby threw her hands up. In three, solid attempts, Ruby had broken her old record.

If push came to shove, if there were teeth at her neck and no Aura to speak of, she had something to rely on in her darkest moment.

Weiss swallowed thickly. Ruby had a fire in her that burned when she proudly looked over her collective fitness scores. The trembling girl that sweat, squeaked, and shook during their first two tests was replaced by somebody who looked fierce and in charge.

Weiss had to remind herself of what she was good at. She wasn't here to prove anything to anybody… even if she desperately wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was. She had to accept reality, and know that she _would_ get stronger.

As Ruby had done, Weiss restacked her weights with some difficulty, and picked out her own. She had to try harder than she did back home for her tutors; she was proving herself to her _team_ here as well.

No overdoing it, however. Weiss grit her teeth silently, and picked out a reasonable weight for herself.

Three attempts later, she panted, her arms hanging loosely by her side.

"And finishing up at 150 lbs, that's everybody on team RWBY." Taiyang remarked. "Girls, fantastic job today, we'll see to those numbers over the coming weeks, so don't think for even a second you have time to waste." His wink was both reassuring and off-putting, considering the grind he'd put the girls through on PE days.

"Sure thing, pops. Don't sprain anything resetting the weights." Yang teased, earning a snort from the man.

"Thanks dad! I'll visit soon!" Ruby squeaked, waving.

"Later." Blake shrugged, heading for the door.

Weiss said nothing as she followed. Blake had reached 19 mph, Yang had reached 17. Weiss had been dead last on her team for both of their physical fitness tests. It wasn't a _failure_ –she was in great shape, compared to the average person–but with her teammates around, she was the weakest.

"Hold up, just a sec!" Taiyang called. Four heads snapped back curiously, and the coach pointed a finger at Weiss. "Weiss, c'mere, I wanna talk to you for a bit." Weiss' eyes widened, but her expression lowered. Weiss felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Ruby gave her an encouraging smile before pushing Weiss towards Tai.

She had performed the weakest out of her team. She was about to be told that she'd failed, and that she had no hope of a perfect score or being a top-scoring student. The knot in her stomach tightened. She stood before the muscled man, staring down at his feet, when a hand delicately rest on her head. She looked up, and the coach was smiling at her.

Weiss looked up at him with quietly glimmering blue eyes, clearly hoping for some good news, and Taiyang let out a small sigh. He was friendly, his smile was more than warm, his eyes weren't piercing, demanding, or accusing, and the way he ruffled her hair was playful. There was no pain, he didn't try to drag her away by her ponytail, yet Weiss couldn't help but feel… small. Her father was not a towering man by any means–Jacques Schnee was perfectly average in height and build–but Weiss was short. Having an older man loom over her, pulling her away from a safety net of witnesses and defenders, made her lungs tighten and her heart pound.

"Y'know…" Taiyang started, putting his hand back on his hip. Weiss' eyes flickered to his, their gazes locking for a moment, before Weiss turned her head away. "They always make you look taller on the television." He chuckled jokingly, and Weiss gave him an unsure look. "So what's the secret? Platform heels? Stand on a box?"

"... Err, the box." Weiss muttered, rubbing one of her tender forearms as Taiyang nodded. Without a word, he slid down to one knee, capturing Weiss's attention as he shrank down a good few inches shorter than her.

"Good thinking; I never noticed, and the camera always caught your good side. They say TV adds ten pounds to whoever's on screen, I think it just hides how toned you are." He scrutinized her, without leering too long to come off as provocative. "Yeah. The dresses are pretty, but they don't show the _real_ you. My late wife, Summer, Ruby's mom, hated dresses 'cuz of that, but she was always a tomboy."

"Well, I mean…" Weiss felt her tongue loosen; he wasn't so scary when he was shorter. "Dresses are a spectacle in and of themselves. You wear them to make not just a statement about your figure, but your affluence and taste. When I wore them, it was to feel beautiful, and to represent the Schnee family name."

"You did good." Tai assured her. "At least, _I_ was always convinced." His grin was friendly, if goofy.

"Thank you, Coach." Weiss stroked her arm comfortingly, and looked him in the eye, trying to have some semblance of a spine. "You wanted to talk to me?" She asked meekly. With that, Tai nodded.

"So, this should be obvious, but I was keeping an eye on scores in there, yours and your team's. You look pretty put out, not happy with what you got?"

"I scored the _lowest_ out of the four of us!" Weiss hid a growl of annoyance, not wanting to offend nor accuse her coach of anything, but having her flaws pulled out into the open so plainly… "I was weak, and _slow._ I can admit I need improvement, and next time—"

"You'll be okay." Tai interjected, and Weiss swallowed her words as he ran his fingers through the blonde stubble on his chin. He was stereotypically rugged, and it made Weiss twitch. He was definitely _Yang's_ father with how much he flustered Weiss with nothing but good looks. "You are _not weak._ Your teammates may have had better performances, but that's not what's important. You're better than some run-of-the-mill civilian."

"Even so, I underperformed as a _hunter,_ not a civilian." Weiss muttered.

"Not at all. In fact, you're in the same position _my_ team leader was when I first came here." At that, Weiss quelled her thoughts to listen, the knot in her stomach loosening the tiniest bit. "Summer Rose was…" His words failed him, his eyes going to the floor, but he snapped himself out of it, almost quick enough to throw off Weiss's skepticism. "She was hardcore. Think Ruby, but without the stutter, and enough spine to put me in line when things got rowdy."

"So not Ruby at all." Weiss countered, and the two shared a smirk.

"Thing is, Summer wasn't very strong, or super fast. Between me, her, and our other two teammates, she came up short, and not just because she was 5'3" in heels."

"Cute."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Taiyang spoke wistfully, his eyes closing briefly, but again, he shook himself out of it. "Point is, when Summer fought, she didn't _need_ to be the fastest or the strongest. She was clever, resourceful, _never_ at a loss in battle. She pulled us through so much crap we should have bailed on because of that brain of hers. Of course, I can't talk about Summer without talking about how she fought…"

"Let me guess, you, big and tough, couldn't touch her." Weiss crossed her arms in front of her chest, the stress drifting away as Taiyang guffawed.

" _Hell_ no, Weiss, I kicked her ass whenever we fought!" Taiyang's smile grew, but it wasn't the evil smile he kept for Yang, it was wistful and encouraging. "She wasn't a gladiator in the slightest, but she _tore up_ the Grimm _._ She was so goddamned good at kicking their ass; it was magical watching her work; the moment she appeared on the battlefield, no matter how bad we were losing to the Grimm, it's like they all grew slower, and weaker. Whenever she showed up we knew things would be okay. So… don't worry about what a bunch of numbers say. That's for _me_ to worry about, so I can get you pumped up even stronger. All you gotta worry about, Weiss, is giving your best." His smile was pure and genuine, and Weiss felt a lump appear in her throat. "I know what you can do in a real fight. I'm going to work you hard, but it'll get easier as time goes on, and soon enough, you'll see these old numbers and realize how far you've come. That's a _promise."_

Weiss's eyes quivered. Was _this_ how a father was supposed to be? It almost hurt worse than the petty put-downs, because Weiss knew this meant she was going to go back out to the fields and do push-ups until she wanted to throw up. It was seriously disconcerting, _real_ dads were dangerous! "Y-yes sir."

"Good, now go prepare for your last test." Taiyang stood to his full height, and gave Weiss's shoulder a friendly pat before glancing towards Weiss's team, waiting near the locker room doors. Weiss turned to obey, but Tai got one last word in. "Oh, and Weiss?" Weiss looked over her shoulder. "Thanks for being Ruby's friend. She's got nothing but the best to say about you." The coach nodded his head, once again so heart-on-his-sleeve honest that it made Weiss uncomfortable.

"It's no problem." Weiss nodded. "She… she really helped me out too. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, and I believe our cooperation will only grow as time goes on." It wasn't at all sweet and sappy, but it got a friendly smile from Taiyang.

Weiss accepted that with a blush, and hurried after her team.

* * *

' _Put on your uniforms, summon your weapons, and wait for me to call your name.'_ It was amazing how such a simple set of orders could leave the students itching and squirming in discomfort as they tried to guess exactly what they were going to do.

They were sorely unprepared for the mundanity of the ' _test'_ she had devised for them, and it showed on each of their countenances when they were invited to sit and asked a simple series of questions for Glynda to better psychologically evaluate the soon-to-be-adults' personal determination of their own abilities.

Her office, located behind the combat arena she normally hosted her classes, was simple, professional, and contained only the necessities; fitting for a woman like herself. A desk, one chair behind it, one in front, two filing cabinets for whatever paperwork that still existed in this day and age, a cup full of pens, a shelf full of books and data drives containing information on Remnant's numerous fighting styles, and, perhaps most importantly, a small refrigerator with a pitcher full of filtered water stored inside.

Glynda took her test days seriously, of course. Confining them to the final day of each month was a tad erratic for her tests, especially if that day fell on a Monday, but she herself remembered the anxious scramble to ensure her preparedness for these days, as well as how her combat instructor had taken those days to roundly prove to his students that he was far, _far_ above their level.

She never liked the man, and was more than happy to have replaced his egotistical method of teaching, even if he _had_ been a highly talented hunter in his own right. Glynda prefered that her students understand their own flaws, not the level of difference between themselves and a master of their profession, and there was no better way to determine her students' mindsets than to ask them themselves.

Sitting before her presently was a miss Yang Xiao Long, somebody that made the lady professor that reminded her of an attitude she was hoping to suppress in the upcoming generation. A combination of self-sacrificing heroism and celebrity culture gave birth to what Glynda referred to as the ' _Hunter's Celebrity,'_ something she'd cribbed from a book a decade or so back. People loved their heroes, and the more daring the deeds, the better the displays, and the more boastful their persona, the easier it was to sell out.

Glynda had an intense distaste for the Hunter's celebrity and it being influenced by merchandising and modern entertainment, as it encouraged hunters to showboat and make asses of themselves trying to promote an image to sell. Money, fame, grandeur, it could easily drown out the sense of self-sacrifice and seriousness hunters had to endure. For some people, it became more important to be recognized than to study the Grimm's weaknesses.

Of course, Ozpin thought otherwise. The headmaster thought the frivolities of a celebrity hunter were a reward for the people who worked so hard to defend the human race, and that seeking self-gratification for their due-diligence was wholly justified. After all, giving one's life and soul to a career with a near-perfect mortality rate and expecting nothing in return was absurd. At its heart, humanity was a greedy thing, but doing the right thing for personal gain _was still_ doing the right thing.

As much as Glynda disliked the greed it could spark in hunters, she couldn't deny that it drew some impressive people to the job.

"Miss Xiao Long, how would you describe your fighting style?" The professor asked, sitting behind her desk as Yang sat before her. The girl's leather-and-skin style of clothing gave Glynda pause, if only out of annoyance. Good looks didn't take you far in a fight with the Grimm...

"One-hundred percent _kickass."_ Yang spoke with a charming ease, leaning back in Glynda's spare office chair. Glynda couldn't exactly argue with that one; Yang's showing in the fighting ring were above and beyond exceptional, her dominance tempered only by Pyrrha Nikos who, in total fairness, had spent her life learning to fight other hunters.

"I see." Glynda adjusted her glasses and gave Yang a look that silently demanded a better explanation.

"I learned my fighting style from my father, Taiyang Xiao Long." Yang explained, and Glynda began to silently write, making note that the new PE coach's methods of physical training clearly had appropriate long term payoffs. Yang engaged Ember Celica on her arms to stroke the offensively yellow metal. "He learned how to fight on the streets of Mistral as a kid, and said he got his skills sharpened by a local martial arts master who thought he had a natural talent for it. Got taught the God Fist style, but used it to enhance his street fighting, and later figured out how to turn it against the Grimm. We don't really have a name for it."

Yang's fighting style could be summed up in a single word: brutal. Glynda had watched the young lady before her turn steel-and-plastic dummies into pulp under a relentless flurry of strikes, and her human opponents didn't fare much better. Even those with effective defensive styles struggled as their defenses were rapidly battered open, and the more offensive inclined found that hitting Yang only built her into a much more deadly threat. Glynda made an important note that, despite the speed of her blows, they were not mindless in the slightest. Weak points were uncovered and exploited, every strike was thrown efficiently, the practiced movements engraved in Yang's muscle memory. Some were slower, sloppier, or less serious, but Yang at her most focused was a deadly predator.

Yang Xiao Long could have gone to the MRT and rose to challenge Pyrrha Nikos on her own merits, and considering the fiery blonde's competitive streak, Glynda could only assume it had crossed the girl's mind more than once; why she did not pursue that path left Glynda racking her brain for a possible answer; her younger sister was heavily hunter inclined, perhaps a desire to watch over her? Or maybe a guilt complex from the loss of two mothers? Or maybe the desire to follow in her parents' footsteps was stronger than the need to be number one.

"Mhmm." Glynda's expression did not change. Yang never lost her ease, though she kept shifting in her chair under the educator's scrutiny. The next question was more important than how one fought, "now, tell me, what do you contribute to your team in combat?"

Yang looked up to the ceiling. It was question that caught a lot of students off-guard in their first year at Beacon. While team fighting was covered in intermediate schools, their primary focus in those years was refining a student's strength and fighting style. Individually, the students could combat the Grimm without worry, but forcing them to think about how they meshed with their new teammates, and how they would enhance the team as a whole, made them reconsider what they brought to the scramble of combat.

"Well…" Yang shrugged her shoulders, pursing her lips, her eyes never travelling down. "I'm pretty sure I'm the toughest one on our team, so I'm kinda the ' _tank,'_ y'know? I keep aggro and peel the mobs off my squishies."

Glynda stared down at her scrollpad, then sighed. "Once more, miss Xiao Long; layman's terms, please."

Yang stuck her tongue out in thought. "I'm big and distracting, so the Grimm pay attention to me when I come in. I hit hard, and can take more hits than my teammates, so I make sure Ruby, Weiss, and Blake aren't getting ganged up on, and give them the space they need to set up an attack. I don't need to think too hard, I just need to make sure my peeps are safe and healthy."

"Mhmm…" Glynda nodded slowly. "Now, would you say you have succeeded thus far, in that regard?"

Yang looked down from the ceiling at her professor, thinking back to the fights they'd had. "... Yeah, yeah I think I have."

She wasn't wrong. Glynda recalled how Yang made a nuisance of herself towards her enemies in the Emerald Forest, how she took and returned hits, how she was always racing to stand between her allies and her enemies, and delivering righteous anger upon the latter.

"Very well then." Glynda wrote on her scrollpad, then glanced up to Yang. "Call in the next person and leave out the left door." Yang's hands went from behind her head to on her lap as she stared at the professor curiously.

"Wait, that's it?" Yang cocked her head.

"Of course." Glynda didn't look up at Yang as she prepared her next status sheet. "I have all the information I need from you; this evaluation is over."

"That's… that's the test?" Yang persisted. "What was with the whole ' _put on your hunter's outfit and grab your weapons'_ instruction for?"

"So you would be prepared to answer me."

"Is… this a secret test of character? Do I gotta attack you or somethin'?"

"No." Glynda sighed and stopped what she was doing to look up at Yang, the younger blonde jumping up with her fists in the air. "Miss Xiao Long, we are on a strict time table, but I'll leave you with this food for thought: at any given moment you must be able to don your gear and throw yourself at death, over and over again until your body gives out or the Grimm disappear forever. You must understand who you are and what role you fulfill in those moments; your clothing and your weapon are more than just simple gear, but extensions of _you_ as a huntress, and extensions of your _team_ as well. Does that make sense?"

"I think so?" Yang looked unsure, and if Glynda was a betting woman, she would have put lien on Yang having only ever considered the glamorous side of hunting. She hoped that it would open Yang's mind up some and make her truly think about what she brought to the civilization of Vale, and humanity as a whole. "So… I'm not going to get to beat you up then?"

A sudden, girlish scream erupted from the office, and the students waiting outside each flinched and stared at the door.

Glynda stepped around her desk, riding crop in hand as Yang stared down at her in slight fear, trying to wiggle her way into an upright position as she hung in the air upside down, feet nearly brushing the ceiling. "Miss Xiao Long, let's make one thing abundantly clear: I despise subterfuge in all of its forms, so when I give you instructions, you may take heart in the knowledge that you will never have to think any harder than completing the tasks I set forth for you."

"Sorry Prof!" Yang squeaked, her cheeks turning red, legs and arms still as she stared at her teacher upside down.

"When I set you down, you will walk out the door, _inform the next student to enter, and leave._ _Without_ assaulting a professor." Glynda pushed her glasses up her nose, and gave a loud, dignified sniff. "Am I understood?"

"Yes'm!" Yang managed with big, quivering eyes. Then, without a word, Yang was swirled rightside-up and dropped on her feet. She landed with a shake, and took a moment to regain her bearings. Glynda walked back around to her chair and settled in while looking up to Yang expectantly.

"Miss Xiao Long?" Glynda spoke impatiently. Yang snapped to attention before remembering she was meant to leave and marched towards the door. Yang held the door knob, but turned her head to give her professor a cheeky grin.

"By the way, miss? Your tits are _fantastic_ from that angle." With a squeal of terror, Yang threw herself out the door as Glynda stood, crop raised. Yang bent over, hands on her knees, cackling to herself as the rest of the students stared down at her in confusion and worry. Yang picked herself up, planted her hands on her hips, and loudly announced, " _next!"_

Glynda _hmm'd_ as Blake Belladonna settled into the seat in front of her, thinking hard. A relatively unknown factor, a girl who hid her true self from everyone else out of fear and paranoia. A former terrorist with a handful of crimes under her belt, and a spoken guarantee that she was seeking to reform herself and escape a history of robbery and espionage. She was questionable, that was for sure, but the headmaster trusted her good will implicitly. Glynda had sworn by his judgement, and he was rarely wrong, but recent applicants left her questioning if his optimism went too far.

"Do you have an answer, miss Belladonna?" Glynda cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, um, my combat style's nothing special. I aim to find my opponent's weak spots and expose them, then finish them off as fast as possible, or tangle and confuse them to make an opening of my own." Blake answered, refusing to lock eyes with Glynda as they spoke.

"I see. Anything else?"

Blake winced, drumming her fingers on her knee. Glynda had been in attendance when Blake was admitted, so the deputy headmistress knew everything from the young catgirl's meeting with Professor Ozpin. Blake couldn't tell if the professor was trying to draw some sort of confession out of her or what. "Well, I mean, I use speed and distraction to help. Not much else to say."

"Very well, and what do you contribute to your team in combat?" Glynda asked, her face not so much as twitching as she examined Blake.

"Well…" Blake trailed off, her mind racing in an effort to not incriminate her somehow. "Information, I suppose. I'm a scout, and when the enemy is distracted I can easily go in for the finishing blow." Glynda looked down at her scrollpad and typed. "I guess I'm what you could call a ' _rogue…'"_

"Indeed." Glynda didn't understand the reference, and pushed ahead. "Would you say that you have succeeded so far, in that regard?"

 _Succeeded?_ In combat? Blake worked her jaw thoughtfully. They had fought very little since their time in the forest, but… "I-I would say so."

Glynda nodded at the girl, and finished typing. "Very good. Miss Belladonna when you leave, please call in the next person and exit through the door on the left."

"Right." Blake stood, making no cracks about Glynda's chest, which the professor appreciated more than she thought she would. "Thank you." Blake tacked on meekly, scurrying out the door.

"Of course." Glynda nodded, awaiting the next student, who took her seat with all the grace and presence of high royalty.

"My fighting style takes its roots from ancient Atlesian fencing masters, namely Korvo Gorate and his esteemed rival, Ais Winderbilt." Weiss spoke with her eyes closed, her hand over her heart, Myrtenaster held tightly and affectionately in one hand. "Using a larger blade to strike more decisive blows, and Aura to imitate the quick movements of the old masters, I can strike dozens of inhibiting blows against my opponent, wearing them down. Combined with my semblance, as well as my knowledge of Dust, I am effective at both short and long range, in close combat, as artillery, or in a supportive role, and I like to think that my in depth knowledge of Dust and the variety of subjects Beacon covers grants my team a peerless mind and library of knowledge."

"Mhmm." Glynda wrote rapidly on her scrollpad. Weiss Schnee, the rebellious princess. The Schnee Family had been a controversial one since Nicholas Schnee stepped down, as the current patriarch made many questionable decisions at the expense of his own employees and competitors. Atlesian hunters were meant to join the school of Atlas, yet Weiss curtailed this expectation by admitting to Beacon. Though Beacon had a long and much vaunted history of exceptional students, the Schnees represented Atlas through its tireless technological advancements and distribution of power and energy. Sending the celebrity heir of the family overseas could strike a bitter chord between the Schnee family and the Atlas elites. Ozpin had deduced that Weiss was escaping from home, and Glynda had no knowledge of the girl or her family that could refute the headmaster. "Having preemptively answered my second question–how you contribute to your team–I have one final question: do you believe you have succeeded in contributing to your team?"

" _Ab_ -solutely!" Weiss nodded, meeting Glynda's eyes with ease. "My abilities played a vital role in passing our initiation, and I have helped my team in their studies!" She nodded, confident as could be.

The same could not be said about the next person on the list.

Ruby crept in, her weapon hugged tightly to her chest, her expression a mask of pure nervousness and terror as Glynda looked up to her.

The headmaster's most worrisome decision yet…

Glynda's eyes did not drop to her scrollpad immediately. The young girl's posture was still atrocious: slouched shoulders, a bent spine, and trying to protect her chest and using her weapon and arms as a shield. No moves had been made, no pieces disturbed, no shots fired, no questions asked, and Ruby slid into the chair across from Glynda, already defeated.

The professor silently closed her eyes and took a breath. Glynda had dedicated her life to combat, but not _just_ against Grimm; the Grimm took her childhood away from her, the Grimm took her friends away from her, but the Grimm were a horde of notions, an amalgamated stampede of misanthropy dreamt up and commanded by the true villain, the _true_ enemy to hunters and mankind. Glynda studied combat against _hunters,_ she learned, practiced, and fought against hundreds of styles and hundreds of weapons, all so that she might be prepared for the true fight of her life.

Before her sat a quivering conundrum: a young girl, human in body and soul, who claimed to want humanity's salvation, yet could wordlessly beckon its destroyers. Glynda did not blink as she stared Ruby over, the living paradox of intentions and abilities, and found a much more pressing worry: Ruby fought with a great scythe.

Globally panned for its clumsy, counter-productive design, the great scythe was still a weapon of cultural legend. The weapon of the Grim Reaper, the tool of the Mistral Death Legion, an object that invoked images of death and desecration that was typically crafted to create an eerie keening that was rumored to disrupt Aura through sheer terror. It was the beloved weapon of dozens of fictional villains, but aside from a few notable exceptions, few individuals had the talent and dedication to put it on par with a sword. To put it lightly, anybody who bothered to actually master a great scythe enough to confidently deploy it in combat was somebody worthy of praise and respect, or scorn for their foolish overspecialization.

Against the Grimm, the great scythe had a unique shape perfect for catching the mindless beasts off guard and ending them with a single strike. Against humans, the legends and noise alone often created enough hesitation for the scythe-wielder to triumph. But against hunters, whose very nature was built on preparation, training, and adaptation, the scythe had the unique advantage of being near impossible to predict, as _nobody_ taught defensive maneuvers against a scythe without a particular reason to, and great scythe wielders prefered to end the fight in under five strokes.

Qrow Branwen was the only man Glynda personally knew that seriously fought with a great scythe, but only after his greatsword proved ineffective. Qrow Branwen was also an infuriating layabout, who was less interested in teaching his allies about a relatively unknown method of combat than finding the serial number at the bottom of a bottle. He did not fight like the Mistral Death Legion, his movements weren't anything like the descriptions of High Baron Thanos, his agility and speed overwhelmed his opponents with rapid, awkward strikes from numerous seemingly-impossible angles before a single swing left his opponent floored.

And before her sat his little protege. As if Glynda couldn't develop even more of a headache, it seemed she shared in his speed and confusing movements, but using her shorter height and lighter weight, developed a style unique to herself. Swinging about her scythe like an exotic dancer, Ruby was able to displace herself and set up in a new position with the same ease of a pole or a whip fighter. While she was clearly uncomfortable fighting other hunters, Ruby sometimes found success in sewing discord through her movement and the abnormality of her style, forcing Glynda to toss aside her reference material to create a dossier based on Ruby's style alone.

Glynda would have found it utterly fascinating if it weren't equally frustrating, considering her limited time to devote to each individual student, and having such little knowledge on scythes left her feeling unprepared in helping Ruby Rose, further frustrating any and all engagements she held with the girl.

"Ruby Rose." Glynda spoke up, making the girl pop into an upright, rigid position as she watched and listened in utter terror. "How would you describe your fighting style?" If _anybody_ could explain how Ruby fought, it would be Ruby herself.

"U-uh…" Ruby uttered with a white face. "I-I-..." The squeak of her rubber soled boots swinging across the floor filled in the space between Ruby's mumblings. She swallowed thickly, and Glynda felt a momentary bubble of annoyance, but pushed it away. Her personal feelings aside, she was a professor and it was her duty to raise her students' confidence in combat and life. "I-I fight with a scythe…" Ruby whispered.

"Ahem." Glynda ignored the small whimper from Ruby. "Miss Rose, if I may remind you: this is a simple interview. Evaluate yourself to the best of your ability, that is all I ask. In addition, we are on a schedule, so _please_ do not waste time." Glynda ordered tersely.

"R-right…" Ruby gently lowered Crescent Rose to her lap, and stared down at her folded weapon silently, and thoughtfully for a few moments. "M-my style… i-it's based around k-k-killing G-Grimm fast. Q-quickly, I mean. Fr-from any r-range. I-I learned it from m-my uncle."

Glynda nodded, but inwardly groaned. She would have to be more specific if she intended to learn more about Scythe-wielding, but she would have to press on so the day could end on schedule. "What do you contribute to your team in combat, miss Rose?"

That gave Ruby further pause. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, thinking, and when Glynda was about to speak up again to remind her, again, they didn't have the time, Ruby answered. "I-I-I pr-protect them. I k-kill Grimm s-so they don't h-have to worry."

"And would you say you have succeeded in this role, miss Rose?" Glynda tapped away at her scrollpad. She clearly did not give this much thought…

"N-no…" Ruby answered weakly. Glynda looked up to her student. Ruby had brazenly thrown herself into the Grimm to keep her partner alive, not to mention distracting the Nevermore. Glynda pursed her lips. If there was anything she disliked more than scant knowledge, it was a liar.

"And why do you believe this, Ruby?"

Ruby let out a small sigh, and Glynda could imagine those lethal eyes looking everywhere but at herself. "... Th-they got h-hurt. Even if-if it's only a l-little, I d-didn't do my j-job right…"

Glynda silently shook her head. She would bring up the girl's martyr issues with Ozpin later, the last thing they needed was a student who was locked into riding the Nightmare. "Very well, miss Rose. You may leave; please call in the next student and take the exit on your left." Glynda ordered as normal.

Eight students later, Glynda submitted the last of the class's work to her complete archive in Beacon's databases. She sat alone at her desk, silently examining the last student's evaluation: one Jaune Arc, a boy whose promising records were slowly unravelling themselves in front of Glynda, but despite her logical judgement she ignored the need to go inform her headmaster he was wrong.

After all, it never took long to prove him right when she did, she simply had to have patience with his decisions, immensely questionable as they could be…

' _Traditional Arc family swordsmanship, relying on a mixture of offense and defense to wear down an opponent. Amateurish performance in class, seeming lack of semblance. Claims that he_ wants _to be a leader, but is unsure of his tactical skills. If anything, he shows some promise there. Believes he has succeeded in keeping his team focused, cursory evidence shows otherwise (see: Valkyrie, Nora)."_

* * *

The hushed chatter of the class came to an end at the rhythmic click of a pair of heels across the arena floor. Glynda Goodwitch stood before her students in the open, circular middle of her classroom's combat space, wearing a neutral expression comparable to Weiss's.

Silently glancing over at her patiently glowering partner, Ruby silently wondered what was with the academic types and their constant frowning.

The theater seating for the students was full of curious students, leaning forward, looking to their teams in quiet confidence. Goodwitch was typing away on her scrollpad as Ruby felt a hand settle on her shoulder.

"Don't be so nervous, Rubes, you definitely passed." Yang said gently, squeezing Ruby's shoulder. Ruby stuck her bottom lip out in silent worry, but then sucked her lips back to try and toughen up.

"We _each_ should have passed." Weiss had her arms crossed, watching expectantly as the class instructions on the arena jumbotron disappeared. "We spent practically the entire week studying; if any of us fail, I can only assume deliberate incompetence!" Her declaration made Blake roll her eyes, and make the girl try and imagine the blow up that would happen if Weiss was the only one to have failed…

She imagined the girl hurling herself out of a window while screaming about being cheated...

On the other side of her, Jaune sat trembling, watching their professor. Pyrrha tried to imitate Yang and give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, but he was beginning to turn a little green from nervous nausea.

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat, the sound echoing through the chamber thanks to the microphone clipped to her shirt collar, and lifted her eyes to her class. "While I am pleased to announce that _most_ of you have passed, a small few will be attending detention through the weekend." The announcement left some audience members squirming, Ruby among them, but nowhere near as badly as Jaune was as he melted into the fetal position on the floor, Pyrrha desperately trying to pull him back into his seat.

The professor cleared her throat again. "Your grade and ranking will be updated to your personal profile, accessible through your scroll. For the moment, each of you is dismissed from classes for the weekend—" A loud cheer interrupted her, the cacophony abruptly silenced when the lady professor's cool stare turned to murderous _ice._ "... Each of you is dismissed from classes for the weekend." She repeated, pausing to ensure she heard nothing but the electrical hum of the equipment strewn hidden behind the walls and ceiling of the room. "Remember that you represent Beacon even out of your uniform. I expect no incidents! Am I clear?" Silence and solemn nods were her answer, and she gave a curt nod. "Excellent. Dismissed."

The doors to the classroom opened to release a tidal wave of students, loudly chattering in excitement and relief over their temporary freedom from their responsibilities. Among them were the eight friends of RWBY and JNPR, all but surfing with the tide of excited bodies.

"Well, then, my friends and victims," Nora rubbed her hands together in excitement, her gleeful smile nearly as manic as it was before a fight, "it is the weekend! No more _reading,_ no more _writing,_ no more boring _lectures,_ it's us versus Vale! So… what do we do?!" She bounced in place, drawing a few curious eyes as her skirt fluttered about her thighs. Much to her rising annoyance, however, her seven friends stared down at their scrolls, opening their student profiles nervously. "Guys, we can literally put the screens down and go _do_ things. _Fun_ things!" She reminded them in annoyance.

"It's updated!" Yang blurted out, shoulders hunching in anticipation around her while she quickly read her profile. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked up to their bruiser, and watched as a small frown formed on her face, and her brow tightened. "Aw, _damnit!"_ She threw her hands up with a snarl, and Ruby winced.

"Yaaang, _noooo!"_ Ruby pushed up to her sister, snuggling her tightly. Blake worked her jaw slowly as she watched Yang grumble and growl as she reread her score. "It'll be okay…"

"Did you at _least_ pass?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow, taking Yang's arm to read what was on her scroll. "You were all gungho this morning, and I swear if you didn't even breach the top one-hundre—" Weiss stopped, her lips parted mid-word, and her eyes squinted in confusion. With a near audible creak in her neck, she turned her head to _glare_ at Yang. "You're rank _seven."_

" _Seven?"_ Blake piped up in surprise, cramming into Yang's other side to read. "You made _seventh."_ Blake repeated, her mind stumbling to grasp Yang's apparent dissatisfaction; that was top _ten!_ Her partner, who seemed to care more about studying curves in the locker rooms than she did studying for her classes, was a top-scoring student.

Blake glanced at Yang's plump chest, her lips pursed in confusion; was it all stored in her boobs? … Blake pondered the idea of sharing in her partner's knowledge by nestling into her chest, and drew a few looks as she whipped her head back and forth in a desperate attempt to escape _that_ thought.

"It's okay, Yang." Ruby stated calmly, petting the back of her sister's hand as she stared up at her with a frown. Weiss and Blake both looked utterly scandalized at the soothing tone of her voice. "You'll do better next month." The younger sister said promisingly, and Weiss stomped her foot.

"She made _seventh!"_ Weiss pointed out angrily, and Yang shook her head.

" _Whoop-dee-do,_ seventh!" Yang sounded earnestly frustrated with herself, arms thrown out at the declaration. "Seventh ain't _first,_ princess." Yang planted a hand on her hip, and Weiss's eyebrow twitched, a sudden panic going through her as she finally seemed to connect to Yang's source of her annoyance.

Weiss scrambled to pull up her profile in her scroll and hastily read it in front of her friends, sweating bullets under their judgemental scrutiny, but her face relaxed immediately, and she nodded. "Well, you'll have competition in that regard." With a beaming smile, Weiss turned her scroll around to let them look, and Yang's eyes slipped into a damning wine-red.

" _Gonna beat you up, Weiss."_ Yang muttered, staring at the #1 gracing Weiss's student ranking. Blake blinked at Weiss, whose smug smile drew a menacing growl from her taller teammate.

Weiss being first made sense, the girl clearly had a healthy brain in her head, and was by far the most irritating in her studiousness, so… it _paid off._ Blake hummed to herself, rereading her scroll as Yang stared down at Weiss, the desire for a fight all but etched into her very frame.

Weiss seemed mostly unimpressed, and with good reason; Ruby was nearby, and there was a certain smugness to the heiress' smile as she knew _precisely_ how guilty Yang would look if Ruby got angry. "Are you going to actually _fight me,_ Xiao Long?" Weiss challenged, appearing as if she had all the right cards in her hands.

Even with a stare of certain death, Yang's mind was at work, and a tiny little grin flickered across her face, making Weiss' actually flinch. "Nah, I know when I'm beat." Now Weiss was sweating again in quiet terror… Yang admitting defeat? Was the apocalypse beginning? "No point in throwing a fit; instead, I'll just congratulate you!" Weiss' scream was absorbed by Yang's breasts as she was bearhugged in an only _mostly_ semi-dangerous way, and the smaller girl's arms rained down upon Yang weakly. " _Congratulations Weiss!_ I'm _sooooo_ proud of you!" Yang's giggle was admirably evil, but it ended with a Zwei-like yip as Weiss sank her teeth into the bigger girl's tit.

Weiss fell back, sneering at her presumed lesser academic foe, and the two girls almost literally butt heads as they growled and snarled like a pair of posturing guard dogs. Ruby stood aside, glancing between them while silently wishing she had a bag of popcorn; at least this cat fight wasn't over her!

Blake slid away from her team to check her ranking. She stared at the number, and silently brooded, not sure what to feel... Fifty-second wasn't _bad,_ she told herself, putting the scroll away. She couldn't believe Yang had gotten _seventh,_ while Weiss was _first._ Both were top ten; they had reserve seating to entertainment or something. That was… _cool,_ Blake supposed.

Weiss and Yang's grade-related feud was interrupted when Ren approached them, his lips quirked up. "I heard you scored well." Ren spoke with an unusual levity in his voice as he looked at his scroll. "If I may share in my moment of self-pride, I have made sixth."

"Aww _hell!_ That's _two_ of you ahead of me!" Yang groaned… then offered a hand, all three of her teammates stepping back from the obvious trap. Ren took it for a shake, and was swiftly tugged in for a noogie, tussling his already-messy hair. "This is what you get, pretty boy! _Nobody_ trumps Yang Xiao Long!"

Unseen by the lot of them, Pyrrha, listening in from the side, was staring at Weiss with a fading expression of surprise, her thumb on her scroll in thought, a single tap away from seeing her grade. She looked up at the ceiling in wonder; she couldn't have been far behind, could she?

While Yang and Ren wrestled–with Ruby and Nora cheering their respective loved ones on–a small gasp drew them to look over at Jaune, who was staring at his scroll blankly; it did not go unnoticed.

"Oh." Weiss tilted her head, stepping forward to join Pyrrha and Yang. "Well, he'll try harder next time." Though an attempt at tact was made, a hint of condescension still slipped through that left Pyrrha giving her a slight glare from the side.

"Poor guy." Yang shook her head. She didn't make it a habit to go out of her way and offer him more training advice, but several times she'd found him out in the woods practicing by himself, and each of those times she offered advice and watched for improvement. There was only so much she could do by herself in the short amount of time they had, but she was pleased to see better movements in his form.

"I'm worried it may have hurt his pride." Pyrrha sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Would the best thing be to go speak to him? To pat his back, and assure him things were going to be okay? She didn't like seeing him so put out, but at the same time, would it have been a form of bragging considering her high ranking?

"He'll be fine. Men always bounce back." Blake mumbled, having snuck up to Yang's side with a contemplative stare; she'd seen plenty of men reach a low, only to stand up, roaring vengeance and better results soon after. Something about a man's pride...

Jaune closed his scroll and put it away. Silently, he reached into his old, weathered backpack and pulled a red pencil out. The four observers tilted their heads as he twiddled the pencil, and gulped loudly. "Ruby?" He finally spoke, his eyes quivering.

Ruby turned away from where she had been talking to Ren and Nora curiously, watching Jaune slowly approach her. The other six stared as Jaune took slow steps, staring at Ruby with hunched shoulders, before, three steps away, he stopped and looked up at her with a slack, disbelieving expression; then, he sprang towards her. Ruby let out a squeal as she was lifted by her midsection, several jaws dropping as he crushed the smaller girl to his chest without so much as offering lip-service to her personal space. " _Jaune?!"_ Ruby giggled as he shook her about happily.

"You beautiful _amazing,_ little person! _I did it!"_ Jaune announced loudly, grinning, his eyes wet and sparkling before he wiped them on his sleeve. Ruby was loose in his arms, her shorter legs kicking in excitement before he set her on her feet. He bent almost in half–sending Ruby scurrying back in case he repeated their meeting on the airship–and groaned in relief as he held up a hand, which Ruby eagerly high-fived. "I'm like, rank a-hundred-and-eighty-one, but I'm over a sixty. I _passed."_ He spoke in open disbelief at his accomplishment, and Ruby ruffled his hair fondly.

"I told you it was lucky." Ruby beamed. Pyrrha stood up straight, her hands sliding to her hips subconsciously as she observed the two, her lips quietly pinching together. Weiss rolled her eyes, Blake shook her head, and Yang hid a laugh as Jaune returned Ruby's pencil.

"Well done, Jaune, but we'll need to improve that score in the future." Ren spoke calmly, but his tone brooked no argument.

"Yeah, dork, better numbers." Nora rolled her eyes, while Jaune nudged Ruby.

"So what'd you get?" He asked with a little smile, but the way Ruby's smile suddenly turned to plaster wiped it away. Frozen in place, Ruby oh-so-casually swung her hands behind her back, clasping them together, refusing to meet his eyes. "Ruby?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. At that, Yang groaned as she realized she and Jaune were going to have to combine their older-sibling power to forcibly guilt Ruby into confessing her grade, and wandered over. The two stood side-by-side, and as one, crossed their arms over their chests to stare down at her with disappointed expressions that would have made professor Goodwitch proud.

"What did you get, Ruby?" Yang demanded, drawing a small whimper. Without prompt, Weiss and Blake joined them, Ren and Nora crossing their arms for the full effect, and Ruby found herself in a circle of shame that she mentally associated with a lynching.

Pyrrha, at least, tried not to crowd as Ruby finally forced herself to speak in terror.

"... I-I nunno…" Ruby stared down at her feet to avoid the eyes of disappointment around her.

" _Ruby…"_ Yang and Weiss both said in warning, making Ruby freeze up.

"'M s-s-scared to l-look…" Ruby's quivering hand slid over the pouch her scroll was in, and her face was pale and pinched in worry. With a low sigh, Yang reached out and set a hand on her sister's head, relieving some of the tension with a few, friendly fingertips scratching her head.

"C'mon sis, it's our first grade." Yang assured her, tugging her closer for a warm, sisterly hug that made the girl stop shaking. "They'll get better, alright? Just don't be scared to share with us; I mean, Jaune was brave enough to tell us how _he_ did, right?"

"Yeah!... I mean _hey!_ But yeah! _Yang…"_ Jaune cycled between agreement and embarrassment as Yang smirked.

Ruby sucked her lips in distress as she took her scroll out and activated it. A couple of taps here, a password entry there, and she stared at her student profile. The color slipped back into her cheeks, and a frown formed. Her head tilted as she licked her teeth. "I-I think I n-need to talk to a professor…?" She whispered, scratching above her ear in visible confusion. "There must be a-a bug or something…"

"Unlikely." Weiss started with a huff. She stormed forward, not wanting to be kept in the dark; Ruby was her _partner_ after all, and their grades were intertwined. If Ruby was _failing…_ "Give." Weiss held a hand out. Meekly, Ruby complied, watching Weiss carefully as her partner silently read. Weiss's lips parted, on the verge of saying something, but then sealed. She swallowed thickly, her expression flashing through a number of emotions, ranging from puzzlement, worry, and then… pride? "I see no issues here; it's expected even. Well done, Ruby."

"Y-you think it's right?" Ruby asked, unsure, the surrounding crowd trying to get a closer look at her scroll.

"Of course it's right." Weiss shrugged. She felt a pressure against her back, and glanced to Blake as the girl hung over her shoulder with an annoying disregard to Weiss' personal space.

"... _Uh."_ Was all Blake could say, her brow tightened as she glanced up at Ruby in silent amazement. Once more, fifty-second wasn't _bad…_ but it sure as hell wasn't _amazing._

"What?! Don't be all dramatic about it!" Yang leaned over Weiss's other shoulder and stared. She blinked slowly, took a breath, read again, and looked up to her sister, then back to her scroll, reading one more time, her face paling in horror. " _Nooooooooo…"_ Yang whispered in defeat, grasping at her face as Ruby put on a nervous smile. "Oh _nooo;_ dad's never going to _let this go!"_ Yang shrieked as she stepped back, taking an agonized gasp.

Jaune filled in her spot curiously, and his frown turned into a little grin. "Well damn, you didn't need that pencil! Congratulations Ruby!" He wrapped an arm around her neck, drawing a little smile as he stroked her shoulder. "Second freakin' place!"

" _Really?!"_ Nora gasped.

"... Ah-hah." Ren glanced down to his scroll in idle thought.

The congratulating and surprise came to an unexpected end when Pyrrha suddenly took Ruby's scroll to see for herself, an expression of uncertainty on her face. Again, the lot of them seemed confused as Pyrrha read Ruby's score, then started reviewing the grades she got on each of her tests. The gladiator held her scroll up to review her own, and she looked further and further annoyed.

"What's up, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked testingly, stepping closer to Ruby as he watched Pyrrha work her jaw. With a quiet hum, Pyrrha handed the scroll back over to Ruby, looking frustrated.

"I had scored a ninety-five on my History of Remnant essay," Pyrrha said, calmly factual, arms crossed under her bust as she tapped her foot while staring at Ruby and Weiss both, " _Ruby_ scored a _ninety-eight;_ _that_ is the difference in our grade."

"I—..." Ruby's entire body tensed up, unsure how to take this side of Pyrrha as the red-headed girl openly fumed, the rest of her team looking equally concerned at the odd change in behavior. "I-I'm sorry, Pyrrha, u-uh—… are you third?" She asked, and Pyrrha gave a quick nod of her head.

"It is not your fault, Ruby, you did your absolute best, _that_ I am perfectly fine with; I, on the other hand, _underperformed."_ She reached up and grabbed at her skull, grunting at herself. "That is…" She tapped her chin, forming tight fists, then deflating. " _Abnormal_ for me. I have competition." She noted, her tone rising in an almost pleased way as she settled a little grin on Ruby and Weiss, before her smile turned a degree of feral unbecoming of the normally sweet huntress. "It would appear I will have to put in far greater of an effort; what an exciting prospect!"

"Err, hey, that's great, glad you're, uh… taking this super… _super_ seriously." Jaune sounded both surprised and worried at Pyrrha's brimming excitement, especially the unusual look of ferocity on her face that Weiss matched, a palpable tension building between them as, with nothing more than a number, a rivalry solidified. Ruby, however, looked uncertain, refusing to meet the older girl's eye.

"I-I dunno how l-long I'll hold you back, Pyrrha." Ruby spoke up, and Pyrrha gave her a curious glance as Ruby reached over and nudged her partner. "I-if it w-wasn't for W-Weiss, I probably w-wouldn't have e-even passed." The heiress seemed surprised to be mentioned, much less having her wrist grabbed and held up like she'd triumphed in the ring. "Sh-she's d-done a _lot_ to help me."

"Oh, _please_ don't sell yourself short." Weiss rolled her eyes, tugging her arm back with a huff. "I only showed you the proper habits to succeed, _you_ prevailed through them. You may thank me for bequeathing my techniques on you in due time, but for now…" Weiss turned her icy blue eyes on Pyrrha, who straightened up at the girl's sudden show of defiance, as opposed to her usual flattery. "Don't you believe for a _second_ that I won't be aiming for the top every single day; work as hard as you like, but you will _only_ overcome me if _I_ make a mistake."

Pyrrha stared at the girl in honest shock at her audacity, having come to know her for her constant schmoozing and near lecherous looks, much like numerous other admirers and opportunists Pyrrha had the misfortune of meeting throughout her celebrity career. "You believe that I can't overcome you with my _own_ abilities, Weiss?" Pyrrha asked heatedly, and Weiss huffed.

"I can't deny your talent in Professor Goodwitch's class, Pyrrha, but I have everything _else_ locked down." She turned to look at Ruby with an expression that, for a brief moment, showed comfort, even pleasure.

Ruby, after a moment of hesitation, stepped forward with a nod, and a tiny smile. "A-and she shares all of that w-with _me,_ and I'll try my hardest t-too! So…" Ruby gathered up her strength in her little fists, holding them up before her chin like she was geared up for a fight as Weiss grinned. "W-we're gonna be your competition! You're g-gonna have to try against _all_ of t-team RWBY!"

Yang stepped forward, arm cocked, fist raised, her smile as feisty and challenging as ever, and Blake, despite her lower ranking, felt a flash of… _desire_ within her. She moved ahead, and knew that coasting by was no longer an option… she was growing comfortable and lazy in civilization, but nobody on her team would do the same. She stood with her team, straightening her back and her shoulders, managing to look prepared for a fight despite her much more calm posture.

Pyrrha, despite clearly being on the wrong foot in having found _multiple_ opponents in the field of academia among her friends, put on a small, if frustrated smile, and was joined by her own team in a silent stare down with team RWBY, the hunger for competition and strength creating an almost palpable heat as arms tensed, fingers curled, and Yang's scroll buzzed.

Tensions deflated anticlimactically as the other seven glanced over at the tall blonde, who opened her scroll up with a small pout, blinked, then gasped. " _AH!"_ She quickly packed her scroll away, then fired off a pair of finger guns and a cheesy wink at the rest of them. "Hate ta kill the mood, but mama Yang's got a _hot_ date tonight, and I gotta get my ass in gear!"

"A date?" Blake's eyebrow quirked, staring at Yang in disbelief. "With you buzzing around me so much, _how_ did you find the time to badger some poor girl into a date?"

"Eh, I move fast, y'know?" Yang winked sleazily. "Gotta get to the cuties before everyone else!" She beamed, and Weiss sighed in exasperation, Jaune looked envious beyond belief, and Ruby...

"Who?!" Ruby asked, bouncing around her sister like a little pest as she grabbed arms and tried to take the attention. "Is she cute? Do you at least know this one's name?! I expect a phone call before midnight, missy!"

Yang rolled her eyes at the last demand, _hard._ "Oh my god, fine, _dad,_ fine. Jeez, the last thing I need is a _second_ Tai." Yang carefully pushed Ruby off of her, and plopped a hand on her sister's head to make Ruby settle down. "She's the chick I sit next to in Grimm Studies, Roja Camille. We're going to a little salad place near the movie theater, and then I'm gonna show her how to minigolf."

Ruby… looked unimpressed as her nostrils flared. "Pretty tame for _you,_ sis." She crossed her arms, working her tongue in thought. "Not gonna f-find the ' _sickest ramps'_ in Vale to take her off of with Bumblebee?" Ruby stuck her bottom lip out. "Or ' _blow her mind'_ with some ' _things'_ you bought from the shady kid a-at Signal?"

"Hey, hey, Roja ain't like that!" Yang looked honestly offended on her date's behalf. "She's, like, a _turbo virgin;_ never been on a date before! And she's sweet, and needs to be shown the _moves_ first before I dive in. I ain't about to scare the daylights outta her; girl like her has to be eased into it, warmed up before you get to the hot and heavy stuff." She bounced her golden eyebrows, and only Ruby wasn't left sort of flustered.

"Does _everything_ about you have to be an innuendo?" Weiss muttered.

"In- _yer-_ endo…" Yang snickered, and Weiss looked as if she had half a mind to slap Yang for that one.

Before the annoyed ice queen could color Yang's cheek for her, Ruby stepped forward and squeezed her sister's hands with a tiny grin. "I still want a phone call if you stay out late, okay?"

"You really _are_ becoming dad…" Yang sighed, though seemed less annoyed and more grudgingly accepting of the inevitable.

"No!" Ruby insisted with a blush and a stamp of her foot. "I don't care what you t-two do together–unless it's, like, super illegal and all gross or murdery and stuff–but I'll worry if you aren't back before then." Ruby pouted, "I won't even c-call you first, but, like, if I wake up in the morning and you aren't there…"

Yang pet her sister's head, and puffed up proudly. "I'll leave you a voicemail at least. You're a pain in the ass, Rubes." Yang dragged her into a quick hug. "Thanks for lookin' out for me."

"Only because I love you! Now shoo, go get ready!" Ruby slapped her sister's hip, getting an amused smirk in the process, and Yang strutted away.

"Weiss, Blake, watch Ruby for me! If y'all need me, y'all can shove it! Catch ya later!" Yang waved to her teammates and friends, hustling to the dorms. It would take a good while getting her hair in order, but she had the right outfit picked out already, so she wasn't worried.

With the anxiety of the exams gone and one of their number down, Nora turned to the remaining six. "Soooooo…?!"

Pyrrha was the next to awkwardly rub her arm, and offer an apologetic chuckle, leaving Nora's eye to twitch and silently demand an explanation. "Actually… well, there is something I have a very strong urge to do. I don't mean to disappoint…"

"Pah! Fine, go on your date or whatever, six of us is still good enou—I don't like that look, Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha's cringe only steepened as she slowly turned towards Ruby, who met her eye with a look that implied she remembered Pyrrha's earlier outburst. "Ahem… Ruby, I was wondering if you would like to reserve a practice room and train with me?" Pyrrha tilted her head, wearing a pleasant smile.

"Oh! T-train? Me? W-with _y-you?"_ Ruby blinked as the older girl nodded rapidly.

"I promise it's in no way to attain any sort of perceived vengeance for your greater success; I am frustrated, but not so undisciplined as to take it out on an undeserving friend." Pyrrha looked down at the girl who still puzzled her with her choice of weaponry, her mysterious strength, her bright mind… and her ever-hidden eyes. "So, in place of a spar, would you consider teaching me how to wield a scythe?"

"Oh…" Ruby looked surprised by the question. She wanted to learn to fight with a scythe? Pyrrha had shown curiosity and appreciation before, but this was an honest surprise; wouldn't it have been better for her to learn from an experienced veteran? It took Ruby _years_ to master even the basics, but… Pyrrha was this incredible combat prodigy, perhaps it would come to her quicker, even with a total noob as an instructor. She pursed her lips, and turned to Weiss and Blake just to double check, "Do… we have plans?"

"Don't think so." Blake shrugged, glancing between the two redheads curiously.

" _No."_ Weiss pushed Ruby into Pyrrha's waiting hands, giving her partner a serious look. " _We_ don't. You're being asked by _Pyrrha Nikos_ to give her combat lessons; take _pride,_ and if you learn _anything_ from her, you better memorize them." Weiss ordered, hands on her hips as Ruby and Pyrrha both smiled nervously at her glare.

"O-o-okay W-weiss…!" Ruby squeaked.

"Would, uh, you two mind if I watched?" Jaune suddenly spoke up, drawing more surprised looks, leaving him with a nervous smile.

Nora gasped in outrage, "Jaune! We're supposed to _do stuff!_ How dare you betray the weekend for more school!" She pointed an accusing finger, and Jaune put on a pained smile.

"I kinda _have_ to, I only barely passed, y'know? I need as many tips and tricks as I can, and, like, there's gotta be _some_ stuff I can pick up from them." He grimaced, looking up to Ruby and Pyrrha with a pleading expression.

"I'm not opposed." Pyrrha smiled favorably at her partner, earning a thankful sigh of relief.

"Me neither." Ruby shook her head, and Jaune pumped his arm.

"Awesome! More school… yay." Jaune chuckled. "So let's not waste time! Practice rooms, ho!" He pointed down the hallway, the three of them departing, waving to the other four.

"Our numbers have dwindled." Ren observed dryly, and Nora growled in agreement.

"That means it's just us four! Ugh, four's _fine,_ but eight's more fun!" Nora looked to Weiss and Blake, who looked to each other, then back to Nora. "... Don't you dare."

"Ahem…" Weiss began, drawing a howl of despair from the hammer maiden. "Blake, seeing as Ruby and Yang are occupied, I was wondering if you would like to visit Vale with me." She spoke clearly and slowly, entirely businesslike, as if they were about to sign some papers and visit the post office.

Blake, however, saw the opportunity to shatter Weiss' posturing. "Is… this your way of asking me out on a date?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as Weiss' professionalism disappeared in a shocking sputtering, followed by an embarrassed whine. "'Cuz I'm not sure how dating between teammates will go, especially with Yang around." Blake stroked her chin, staring deep into Weiss' face. "Though, you _are_ cute, and having a rich girlfriend would be cool…"

" _No!"_ Weiss grunted, arms crossed, face red, and Blake grinned at her victory. "I was only thinking that we go find a nice little tea shop and enjoy the warm weather! I could use an afternoon of sitting around and relaxing, and would like some company."

 _Sitting around and relaxing,_ over _tea._ Blake heard an angel choir in her head and could not count her lucky stars quickly enough that she had decided to stick around rather than immediately go find a nice windowsill to occupy. "That sounds nice, actually. You won't mind if I bring a book, will you?" She chuckled; though if this _did_ turn into getting into Weiss' panties, maybe she could convince the girl to make a blind donation to a ' _charity'_ of Blake's choice in a post-orgasmic haze...

"As long as I'm not entirely ignored in favor of literature…" Weiss cautioned.

"No promises, but I'll try." Blake laughed, and turned to Nora and Ren. "Will you two...?"

"We'll be fine." Ren massaged Nora's shoulders as the girl whined and stomped and wailed... "We have the rest of the weekend for everyone to have fun together, you two enjoy your tea. Come now Nora, I can think of plenty we can do together." The boy offered, guiding his fuming lover away.

Weiss and Blake looked to each other, nodded, and headed off to the dorms to freshen up before their departure.

"So, just to be clear, I _shouldn't_ put on a push-up bra…?"

" _It's not a damn date!_ Seriously, _unfriend Yang."_


	16. A Test of Faith

Pyrrha quietly lifted Crescent Rose's folded rifle form in her hands. The blocky, audaciously red weapon was far, _far_ heavier than it looked. It was slightly too small for her–she would have prefered a few extra pounds and a little more length–but it was the perfect size for Ruby.

She knelt to one knee and entered a basic firing stance, her nostrils flaring as Ruby hit a small switch, causing a scope to pop up. "Mm, Atlesian seven-twenty high-impact stability scope." Pyrrha noted out loud, focusing on the plastic mannequin in the distance. A button on the scope's side zoomed it in, and a second tap brought the mannequin's faceless melon closer to her eye. "Oh! You fixed the eight-times zoom defect?"

"My uncle did, actually." Ruby answered, smiling as she looked over her rough beauty of a weapon in pure adoration. "He has a smithing buddy that knew how to fix it."

"I had to use a defective scope while waiting for Miló to be repaired, once. The blur was obnoxious." Pyrrha noted before squeezing the trigger, a practice bullet exiting the chamber with a bark that sounded off more like a scream. Standing nearby, Jaune nearly jumped out of his shoes at how _loud_ the damn thing was. He embarrassedly stuck his pinkie into his ear to try and stop the ringing, and found himself slowing down to stare at the target dummy, which was nearly folded in half from the rifle shot to its gut… from a _practice bullet._

Pyrrha rolled her stabilizing shoulder with a small whistle, looking over Crescent Rose's make a little more closely. "Strong stability, powerful delivery, the kick of a mule…"

"Isn't she great?!" Ruby squeaked, her smile dominating her face as she danced around Pyrrha in overt pride. "I s-spent four months on her sniper shot! She needed to hit like a _truck!_ I knew I was doing something right when I dislocated my shoulder the first time!"

"You _dislocated your shoulder_ and thought it was a good idea?" Jaune piped in with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, _yeah!"_ Ruby beamed. Pyrrha took another shot, noting once more how hard it forced her shoulder back, and how the mannequin's head split open like an over pumped truck tire. "That means she's hitting _hard!_ My pretty girl here can stun an Ursa Major from a range of just over half a mile with a headshot! I think I saw her turn a Beowolf _inside-out!"_

"You _dislocated_ your shoulder."

"Well I had my Aura off…"

"And Yang thought that was okay…?"

At that, Ruby stuck her lower lip out. "She slapped the back of my head and told me to not forget…" She held her little fists up as Pyrrha took a third shot at the dummy's groin, causing it to collapse in on itself and leave the dummy looking like a pile of useless plastic. Pin-point accuracy too; those four months of crafting and refining really showed. "B-but she thought it was really good! She prefers shotguns and stuff, but I _think_ I impressed her, 'cuz she took her out to a school shooting competition and made twelfth with only three weeks of practice."

"Not bad." Pyrrha stood. Crescent Rose's rifle had more power, but less reliability that Miló's, being heavier, slower to load, and enough of a kick to leave her off-kilter for a little longer than she was comfortable. "Yang's placement, I mean. Crescent Rose is phenomenal. How many variations did you go through before you settled on your current model?"

Ruby tapped her chin in thought. "Um, I-I think a full journal of rough sketches, eight schematics, and four models. I knew what I wanted p-pretty much right away, but I just needed the pieces to fit."

"Understandable. I had a similar experience with Miló, though Guivierre was the man who ultimately designed it." Pyrrha smiled as Ruby's jaw dropped, and a loud gasp escaped her. "Yes, _that_ Guivierre." Pyrrha couldn't hide a hint of pat-her-own-back pride in her voice. "My manager was insistent that nothing less than the best would work."

"Who?" Jaune tilted his head.

"Guivierre is the great-grandson of the famed weaponsmith Prometheus, who handmade Excalibur!" Ruby was bouncing in place, squealing as Pyrrha handed Miló over. Ruby twirled and giggled like a girl experiencing her first crush as she admired the beautiful sword. "His father's father only made weapons for anybody who could best him in a duel, and his father created King Oscar's famous warcane, the original design for the Atlesian light rifle, and Nicholas Schnee's dual axes!" With little more than an almost seductive whisper of steel on steel, Miló's handle extended, hidden weights moving down the haft to give the javelin form proper balance. "Guivierre focuses more on aesthetic, but his services can cost _millions_ of Lien, and all of his weapons are functionally perfect, with free repairs for the rest of your life! The very first weapon he was ever commissioned to make is still in service in the Mistral royal family, and is famous for shattering Atlesian Goliath-class shields!"

"... Neat." Jaune bobbed his head, looking only mildly impressed to Ruby's dismay. Staring at Miló in Ruby's hands, he considered the many other weapons he'd seen his friends using in combat, and how they often changed shape, or were a combination of a gun and a melee weapon. But Miló truly was unique in one regard… "So, three-form weapons aren't common, right?"

"Correct." Pyrrha confirmed, examining Crescent Rose, as, in Ruby's hands, Miló flipped between a short sword, a javelin, and a rifle in quick order. "Three-form weapons tend to come at the expense of weaker joints, a greater likelihood of jamming, and overall lower performance due to the materials often being lighter and flimsier to compensate. But... we simply couldn't decide whether I should fight with a sword and rifle, a sword and spear, or a spear and rifle. So, we used some sponsorships to avoid the debate." Pyrrha looked over her weapon fondly. Though it was said that a weapon carried the soul of the creator, Pyrrha felt a bond with her beloved Miló that Guivierre's involvement did not take away. Pyrrha had been a part of every creative process, from the measurements, to the designs, down to the materials used, even if she only made suggestions and approvals, leaving the handiwork to the master. "It had taken an entire year to forge, but it was worth every second, and every lien spent."

"So, why not carry an extra weapon, rather than combine them all together?" Jaune questioned, and with a wobble and a hum, Akoúo̱ answered his question as it flew from Pyrrha's back to her hand.

"To save time." Pyrrha nodded, holding her shield in the air. "With a rifle on my back, sword in hand, and shield in the other, I would have to stow away the latter two to pull the former, and vice versa. Now, as I put away Akoúo̱, my sword becomes a rifle, and I have fired a shot in under a second of making the switch. Speaking of which, Ruby, my lesson…?"

Ruby was very reluctant to return Miló, but conceded and took Crescent Rose back. Jaune considered Crocea Mors by his side as Ruby held the release switches that caused the rifle to unfold and extend, numerous complicated parts collapsing and lengthening into its full-bodied, Pyrrha-sized, head-taking shape. Though simple to envision, Jaune had trouble picturing how one was supposed to fight with a scythe, and Ruby's design was no less befuddling, if only because he began to wonder how many mechanisms were in place to facilitate such a change...

Jaune had a basic understanding of weaponry: you swung a sword differently from an axe, he knew that much. Being a country boy, he had some experience with a gun when his dad took him hunting for food and protection, but a gun didn't feel right in his hands, not as well as a sword did. Sure, Mors had only one form and one shape, but he didn't feel like he needed any more than that. Maybe he relied on his shield a little too much, but all his allies had range if he needed something shot… though if they needed _him_ to shoot…

Pyrrha's hands delicately ran along Crescent Rose's pole. Finding the right grip on this must have taken practice, though she found her non-dominant left hand easily holding where Rose's trigger lay. A simple press of her thumb against a small pressure panel unlocked the rifle's trigger, while her dominant right hand easily gripped the pole higher up. It was all around unusual in its design, yet for all of its eccentricities, she felt no rattling, there was no wobbliness, it was solid in her hands. Again, it would need to be longer for Pyrrha, but it was perfectly Ruby-sized, which was all that mattered.

"She is beautiful." Pyrrha murmured. Every weapon had a _feeling,_ Pyrrha thought. The owner's design influenced its tone, but the weapon's basis had a _feeling._ Swords felt friendly, like they always had your back; spears felt righteous, striking true at the most crucial moments; axes felt bloodthirsty, heavy, and seeking its opponent's flesh; scythes… Pyrrha had rarely held a scythe with a true, analytical eye, since most were props or ceremonial, but Crescent Rose had the same feeling an amateur-work scythe did in her hands so many years ago: cold. The scythe was not cruel, it was not biased, it was not gentle; the scythe bore a purpose, a great and terrible one as the old books would say. The blade was aimed at its owner, a warning of the immense difficulty associated with its style, but held at the right angle, out to the side, the tip pointed towards Ruby, it seemed just as hungry as an axe, but just as righteous as a spear. It would kill, either its owner or its owner's enemies, and it would do so decisively, suddenly, and with the ease of a sigh.

A thrill ran through Pyrrha's shoulders; she doubted she would master a scythe in her lifetime, but she had picked up and thoroughly learned every weapon she could out of curiosity and fascination, and what was more fascinating than the perilously exotic? Pyrrha respected Ruby's dedication to learning it and her skill in wielding it. She wanted to learn from this young master, and should she ever return to the MRT, return as a more sharpened duelist than she'd ever been. The roar of the crowds, the triumph of victory, the pulse-pounding battles against dozens of opponents…

… The under-the-breath insults, the intrusive journalists, the demand for utter perfection in social situations, the careful dietary planning, the money passing from hand to hand, the threats from her opponents and their fans…

Pyrrha shook her head and stood tall, Crescent Rose raised before her. She twisted her wrist and tall weapon spun around her hand in a sloppy circle, much less effective than what Ruby was capable of, but she had not dropped it. She smiled to herself; oh yes, this would be a _fun_ lesson.

"Where did you come up with such a complex design?" Pyrrha asked. The scythe didn't have just a handful of moving parts to transform, its expansion and shrinking was _extraordinarily_ complicated. The number of moving parts that went into it boggled Pyrrha's mind, much the same way Miló had at first, but that simply made the scythe's solid structure even more impressive.

" _So_ many internet videos…" Ruby sighed, rubbing the back of her head. Pyrrha shot her a curious look, smirking as the younger girl whimpered. Jaune just imagined Ruby huddled in front of a computer, scribbling hastily on a notepad, but sketching a dozen weapon designs instead of writing all the steps to a hair tutorial... "L-like I said, I had an idea of what I wanted, I just needed to make it work. I read books, watched videos, and d-drove myself crazy trying to get her _just right._ She needed the right weight, the right height, to be super tough, and smooth, and still be able to fire, and—"

"I would say you've done a masterful job, Ruby." Pyrrha ran her Aura'd thumb along the blade, feeling the sharpness with a thoughtful hum. "Maybe you're not a master smith, but I cannot identify any immediate flaws, other than engagement time. Why, if you had labored under a master smith…" She spoke idly, unaware that her praise was steadily turning Ruby a rosy red.

"N-not _that_ good…"

"Well, compared to your teammates' weapons, her make is much more intricate. The amount of _thought_ put into her…"

"S-stop, I'm n-not th-that g-go—"

"And she's so well maintained! There wasn't even a hitch in her deployment, and she's sharper than Blake's tongue!"

Ruby made a couple of noises as she hid her face behind her hands. Pyrrha chuckled to herself. When a hunter designed their weapon's second form, it usually only included a couple of easy motions that would happen in a second or two. Crescent Rose took her time, but went from reasonably compact to absurdly oversized.

"So, what's the first step to properly wielding a combat great scythe?" Pyrrha asked, entering a stance she had seen Ruby enter several times before. Legs apart, hands wide on the shaft, blade held high out…

Without a word, Ruby took Crescent Rose back, making Pyrrha watch her in somewhat dismayed curiosity. Ruby walked away a few steps, and immediately entered a low stance, a more refined form of what Pyrrha had been imitating. Pyrrha watched as Ruby took a deep breath, settling into the mindset of a huntress. "My uncle Qrow told me that a scythe's true strength lies in momentum." She tightened her legs, raising herself, and slowly began to spin Crescent Rose around her.

The heavy, curved head of Crescent Rose wheeled at a leisurely pace around Ruby's body, its speed slowly increasing as Ruby spoke. "He told me that all weapons in the world n-need _speed,_ but a s-scythe is _useless_ without it." The weapon whirled and spun as Ruby slowly passed it from hand to hand, front to back, walking at a leisurely pace as the heavy weapon swirled dangerously around her body, creating a hissing wall of death around her that made Pyrrha's hackles rise.

' _The Death Wheel,'_ the ' _Circle of Steel,'_ the scythe's most well-known performance. Anybody who picked up a scythe inevitably learned the technique since it was its most famous. Compared to the few show-offs Pyrrha had scene in the MRT, Ruby seemed to spend no undue effort maintaining the movement, and the ' _hissing whisper'_ filled the room.

Between the name, the sound, and the legion that famously carried it, people heavily associated the great scythe with death, and with the constant whisper of steel, mixed with the cool air the weapon whipped up, goose bumps raised and apprehension was heightened. Pyrrha couldn't help but grin, and watch on as Ruby began to leap, keeping her spin going even as she bounced around the room at an impressive speed, the sheer range she controlled and speed with which she moved being intimidating in and of itself.

Pyrrha recalled the _power_ behind it as well; having coach Taiyang and this Uncle Qrow character as her mentors clearly did wonders for Ruby's development, but she was not without her flaws. She hesitated too often before striking in the ring, and even if her movements were fluid, she sometimes misjudged how close she was to a wall behind her. In addition, she often focused more on helping her teammate than protecting herself, leaving her wide open.

She was good, _very_ good, but lacking in anything resembling gladiatorial experience, and Crescent Rose was still made of metal. A simple push of her semblance, and all that lethal momentum would come to a stop…

The queen of the ring hid a confident smile; she was still a step ahead, and even if Ruby could get three points over her on an essay, Pyrrha was still unmatched in a proper one-on-one.

… So why did that prospect annoy her more than relax her? Listening to Ruby explain her deadly dance was intriguing, but as Pyrrha developed more strategies against the girl, she found herself growing more and more frustrated as the idea of a challenge slipped away from her.

Truly, one's fantasies were only impeded by logic and reason...

She shook herself out of her thoughts as Crescent Rose was presented to her with a small, girlish smile, and Pyrrha took the scythe with a grateful little bow. Perhaps this was all she needed to keep her mind off her frustrations; learning something difficult yet new was always satisfying.

* * *

" _Beacon Airbus Beta will be arriving at the Vale Airport in just a few minutes. Please return to your seats and remain buckled in for your safety! Thank you for riding with us today, future hunters of Vale!"_ A soft, pleasing male voice spoke over the airbus intercom.

Blake silently watched Weiss as the Schnee heiress thoughtfully nibbled the end of a cheap pen, a paperback book full of word puzzles open on her lap. In glorious contrast to Yang, Weiss was capable of entertaining herself when there was a lull in the conversation, though she periodically enunciated a question out loud to herself and snatched Blake out of her thoughts.

Getting to Vale was showing to be a remarkably painless procedure; Weiss and Blake both showed up at the airbus platform, where an airclerk beckoned the crowd of waiting students, taking a headcount in the process, and cut them off before they ran out of seats. When Airbus Alpha had taken off, Blake briefly fretted over having to wait for the full round trip, but as it turned out, Beta was waiting to dock, with Delta in transit on the way back, and Gamma unloading its students in Vale.

From what little Blake had picked up from the surrounding crowd, Beacon had a special deal with a small airbus company that made full use of its four busses every weekend, and had at least two busses on standby during the weekdays. Apparently, expedience and convenience was at the forefront of the administrator's minds, as the students were quickly herded to open seats, given a quick, likely-unnecessary primer on safety and rules via a video, and then the airbus was off.

It was no wonder Beacon was so highly regarded when it came to its seamless blending of modern technology with old hunter sensibilities. Blake could respect that, hunting and hunters deserved to be respected, but she didn't like the idea of having to rough it down the Path to Beacon Road every time she wanted to pop into the city.

Overall, it had been a quick and comfortable ride, and Weiss and Blake walked off the departure ramp among a crowd of students with little fuss. Vale's marketplace airbus station was quick and easy to traverse, allowing the students to spill out into the open plaza. Weiss and Blake exited the building side-by-side, staring at the big, circular courtyard.

Students and citizens blended together, a crowd of milling bodies moving to and from the airport, with a ring of stalls selling small, token goods, snacks, and giving out informative brochures on the edges of the courtyard. The sheer number of people made Blake suddenly nervous; it had been forever and then some since she could move around so many _humans_ without fear, or without some _plan_ at their expense.

Mentally, she counted the escape paths she could take if things went wrong, weighing their pros and cons, how visible they would be and easily they would be blocked. Would it be possible to take Weiss with her? Maybe, more than likely not. Weiss was unlikely to be a target unless their theoretical targets were comfortable bringing the wrath of the SDC on their heads, but Blake was a nobody; she could disappear, both intentionally or at the whim of another, and nobody would know the difference…

A shudder went down her spine. She had to calm herself; she was in a safe place, nobody was a counter-operative, or a spy, and she doubted any of the members of the White Fang booth would recognize her–the intercity White Fang was tied only loosely to Blake's former encampment. Her eyes still lingered on the young girl with the large hamster ears, and a man that was most likely her father speaking with another Faunus over who-knew-what. She didn't recognize them; she recognized none of the surrounding Faunus, they were free citizens, not part of the White Fang.

She had nothing to fear… presumably… _maybe._ They could have _all_ been serving as Adam's eyes and ears, and she had walked out into the middle of them...

"Blake?" Weiss' gentle voice punctured the haze of paranoia, and Blake looked to her teammate curiously. "Deep breaths. It's just a crowd, and we won't lose each other. Besides, we have scrolls if we do." Weiss stated factually.

"Huh?" Blake responded in surprise. Weiss pointed, and Blake followed her finger to the far end of the courtyard, the gate.

"We're just going that direction, no pit stops, so don't be scared, nobody will hurt you." Weiss spoke gently, soothingly, and Blake felt the tiniest bit irritated at the condescending tone. Just because she was a _Schnee_ she thought she could treat Blake like—

"Um…" Blake shook her head, dispelling her conflicting thoughts to focus on Weiss. "Sorry, what are you doing?"

Weiss blinked up at her with those icy blues, and then blushed. She turned away, clearing her throat as Blake look quietly dismayed. "You were panting rapidly and you looked like you wanted to run away. I was agoraphobic when I was a little girl too, but you can muscle your way through it, you simply have to keep telling yourself it will be okay. If it would help, I'll offer you my arm to hold." Weiss held her arm out, still looking the other way.

Blake stared. Weiss had read her cues quickly and easily, but came to the wrong conclusion. Blake was thankful for that, but that annoyance deepened. She was a _big girl,_ she didn't need to hold an arm to make it through a crowd… even if it was just Weiss trying to be helpful.

Blake swallowed her denial and took a deep breath; Weiss was _only_ trying to help. She made the wrong assumptions, of course she did, Weiss didn't know Blake at all. Weiss was probably imitating something a family member did for her, telling her to take deep breaths and holding onto them through the crowd. That was…

Blake looked to her feet guiltily; that was a normal thing for a friend to do. Blake would help her rookies get over their fears, disabilities, and self-doubt through soft encouragement. She was letting that fear of being found out get to her.

But, she didn't have to humiliate Weiss by turning her down; Weiss was her friend, and making her feel like crap for trying to help was _mean._ Instead, Blake gave a friendly little smile and held out her own arm. "I'll be alright; unless _you_ wanna hold _my_ arm?" Blake countered teasingly. Weiss glanced her, then to the offered elbow, and looked away shyly.

"We don't have to, I just thought it might help." Weiss mumbled with reddened cheeks, taking hold of Blake's inner elbow, which flexed comfortingly.

"It might. I haven't been through a crowd like this in a long time." Blake smiled calmly, but found herself trying to picture Weiss with a pair of rabbit ears. That was better, she could better envision Weiss as a newbie trying her best to provide for the pack. By the same token gesture, she felt a little stronger herself. The whispers of doubt and fear quieted for at least a moment as the two made their way down the port steps, slipping into the crowd of people and moving towards the exit. "You still get nervous around groups of people?" Blake spoke through the din of the crowd.

"A little!" Weiss was squeezing Blake's arm tightly as they brushed and pardoned their way past numerous shoulders. "I do better leading a crowd; being in the middle of them? I mean," Weiss faltered a bit, but her follow-up made Blake laugh, "I'm a little on the small side."

"Yeah, you're kinda on the short side for an almighty Schnee." Blake snickered. Weiss' warm hand squeezed Blake's bicep in annoyed vengeance, but it didn't hurt. Compared to Blake's calloused fingers, Weiss was a dainty princess, and Blake amused herself thinking that she was the bodyguard, or the escort.

For a _Schnee._

 _For Weiss,_ Blake corrected herself. She had no obligations to the Schnee Dust Company, or its business practices and partners, just her teammate. Weiss was not dangerous, not to Blake…

Not unless she _found out._

The two came to a stop just outside the gate. Weiss stretched, sighed, and bounced in place, loosening up after a clearly stressful journey. Blake stroked the arm Weiss had held, and thought to herself; if Weiss knew what she was… who knew how she'd react. Weiss seemed okay with Faunus, she got along with Velvet just fine, and the only anger she had displayed towards the Faunus in general were towards the White Fang.

How would she react knowing Blake had lied to her for an entire month? Blake's ears would have been obvious from the get-go if she didn't hide them, Weiss would want to know why they had been hidden; Ruby and Yang would probably be curious too.

But more distressingly, how would Weiss react to knowing she had been part of the White Fang? That she had carried out missions to steal? To detract? To defame? How would Weiss feel knowing that Blake had been on missions where SDC workers had been killed?

 _Murdered?_

Blake flexed her fingers gently. How would Yang react? How would optimistic little _Ruby_ react…?

As long as she played it safe, there was no way she'd be found out, right? What were the chances of one of her teammates one day walking in on her while she had her ribbon off, see her ears, and demand to know what the hell was going on? What were the chances one of her old White Fang buddies would find her and try to take her back?

Blake squeezed her forearms and itched. By her side, Weiss opened a brochure to read, and Blake's eyes sank low to the floor.

She could run away again.

She could escape to Mistral, _anybody_ could disappear there. She could join up with Sienna Khan's chapter and explain why she had to leave Adam, and hopefully he wouldn't be alerted to her change in prefered leadership.

Assuming that all went fine and dandy and she was now continuing to work with the White Fang under Sienna Khan, what then…? Would she go through the same cycle of hurting she went through with Adam; go back to hurting humans, go back to spending every day an anxious, guilty wreck among people she'd lost all faith and understanding in…

Go back to betraying her own and her father's desires.

The thought of her dad made her grit her teeth. The very thought of that _man,_ tired and defeated by years of slow progress, grated on her mind. He wanted humans and Faunus to join together, he did not want to be _feared_ , not like Chieftain Sienna. Blake wanted her whole race to be respected for their power and abilities, she wanted them to be afraid of what the Faunus _could_ do.

But… not through pain, and not through violence. When she had been full of fire and a need to prove herself inflicting pain seemed acceptable, up until starved corpses began to appear, and rookies were being trained to slit throats.

Would the rest of the White Fang go through this… _madness?_ For as long as she could remember they were her home, her hope for the future, and now they were falling headlong into the savage, monstrous stereotype they'd been pinned as for years, but crossed with modern-day terrorism.

She didn't have a place among the humans, the White Fang had evolved into something that terrified her, the rest of the Faunus were too complacent, things were moving too slowly, and there was still so much injustice in the world, but now Blake's original hope for the future had joined it…

It was only a matter of time before her team found out too. They'd see her ears, and then the questions would arise. She'd simply have to run away, never see them again; she only knew them for a month, but she could live with that, it's not like they were her friends, or people she respected, or who cared for her, and constantly wanted her thoughts and opinions like she _mattered_ to them…

She could leave Ruby to look over Blake's books in mute pain. She could leave Weiss, who would wonder where the next sarcastic quip at her expense would come from. And Yang… she could leave her partner picking up the pieces with a new partner, or none at all, probably raging and lonely… wondering if she did something wrong…

Blake dug her fingernails into her palms. She could leave behind three complete strangers who, through sheer innocence and friendliness, made her feel welcome.

Safe.

Happy.

Three things she hadn't felt in a number of years.

She could… she _could…_ she _couldn't_ run away from this. She'd spent so long afraid, tired, disappointed, and uncomfortable, she'd been out of place and unhappy for years, she couldn't keep hurting herself. She couldn't keep lying to herself and saying ' _this is okay'_ over and over again while watching her friends turn into criminals.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang had shown her, in their own ways, that one didn't need to be cruel in order to have drive; their ambitions were tempered by their empathy, and even team JNPR, people not on her team, her _side,_ were an enjoyable presence in her life. They were each good and loving in their own ways, and Blake found that aching loneliness and guilt ebbing away as seven people she felt she'd only just met butt into her life and displayed that innocence she'd long missed.

So if she wanted to stay, if she wanted to be with her team, they'd have to find out... but from _her._

Her chest swelled, her eyes opened, she straightened her blouse, and she turned to face Weiss with purpose in her mind. "Weiss." She said with her hands clenched into tight fists, her fear and pride welling all at once, her ears itching _terribly._ "I need to tell you something."

"Just a second, Blake." Weiss answered. Blake felt the truth at the tip of her tongue, her lips parted, her expression stern… and it wouldn't escape. Weiss continued to look down at her scroll, and Blake wound down with an unheard sigh. "Ah-hah, Tea Oasis." Weiss smiled, typing at the holoscreen. "Just a twenty minute ride through the mercantile district into the business district. There was a girl in Dust Mixing who was going on and on about the tea at this place; said she got authentic Vacuan cactus tea, _without_ the hallucinogens." Weiss chuckled at that, then looked up to Blake with an excited expression. "Now, what did you want to tell me, Blake?"

Blake met Weiss's eye, then looked down at Weiss's shoes. "I... Nothing. Let's go." She insisted. Weiss gave her a curious look, but then silently granted Blake her chance to be mysterious, and hailed a taxi.

Perhaps relaxing tea time wasn't the right time for Persona-changing reveals; that seemed like more of a private thing. She somehow doubted Weiss would remain cool and calm if she suddenly revealed her ears, though the idea of leaving the white haired heiress utterly stunned and wide-eyed tickled Blake. Maybe she was overthinking this…

Maybe the cab driver could have turned the AC down, too. She stroked her arms and looked grumpy as goosebumps appeared all over her exposed arms; it wasn't even that chilly, and Blake sorta felt bad that she was missing Weiss's story about cab drivers in Atlas, but at the same time, she was preoccupied. When and how did she want to show herself? She couldn't keep the charade up forever…

Well, she _could;_ Ruby seemed intent to.

Another flash of irritation, but this one did not pass, this one lingered. Ruby was a good girl, an absolute sweetheart who was cute to boot, but there was something very… _off_ about her that Blake couldn't identify. It wasn't just in the eyes, it was in the secrecy surrounding her, like she was a secret weapon, or she was a Faunus of her own...

Was… was that even _possible?_ Blake touched her bow, hiding a twitch in her ear as she considered; Ruby may have been a nervous Faunus as well, hiding reptilian eyes, or maybe like… compound eyes. Lots of people had arachnophobia, so it was entirely reasonable to assume she would be persecuted for eyes like that! That sounded neat. Maybe her ' _eye condition'_ was a light sensitivity from her Faunus mixing, or maybe she was afraid of being revealed! She was born on Patch after all, and had a different mother than Yang. That was… plausible; both had positive opinions regarding the Faunus, if Ruby had some sorta secret Faunus mom, and was herself a Faunus, it would easily explain _why_ Yang was extraordinarily sympathetic to the Faunus.

Blake couldn't stop the narrative from racing through her mind: Cardin seemed like the sort of jerk to attack Ruby using his own dog as a cover. Patch Island had a reputation as being a haven for anti-Faunus attitudes thanks to the attitudes of early settlers combined with its isolation; maybe she had been victimized, _forced_ to wear the goggles. Maybe her mom was somebody important, like Chieftain Sienna under the poetically absurd alias Summer Rose…

Blake's jaw gently dropped at the thought: _Ruby Khan._ Whatever Weiss was babbling about now could not be anywhere _near_ as interesting as the story Blake was building.

Yes, and the years of abuse at the hands of other humans, and the fear of revealing her heritage to the chieftain of the White Fang, would lead her to hide her eyes. It was almost too amazing to be true! She _knew_ she liked Ruby right away for a good reason! A fellow Faunus on her team to relate to?!

Blake caught herself and took a deep breath, forcing herself to slow down, look at Weiss, and nod when Weiss asked her an unheard question. Weiss knew what was under Ruby's goggles, as far as Blake had picked up on. If Ruby was a Faunus and Weiss was protecting her even from Blake, Weiss must have had some deep sympathies for the Faunus people… or at least Ruby, assuming Ruby _was_ a Faunus, and really didn't have some absurd condition that demanded twenty-four-seven eye protection.

Blake's heart was hammering as she considered the possibilities, the rights, the wrong, what could be and what couldn't be… she had to know. If Ruby was a Faunus, or even if she wasn't, Ruby also had a secret, a much more visible one that made everyone hush-hush, and Blake wasn't allowed in on it.

It left Blake with a clenched stomach and a small frown knowing her teammates didn't trust her with such a stupidly obvious secret, but… maybe if she just… _asked?_ She could poke around a bit more, settle everyone's nerves, and remain sympathetic. Then… _then_ she could reveal herself. A big, secret-revealing party, where everyone would come forward with their dirty laundry, and all that tension and mystery would be _gone._

She wouldn't have to hide from or be afraid of her pack anymore. The thought made Blake blush; her _pack..._ She could show her ears, but… but only once she knew what Ruby was hiding. She was their leader, and Blake hated being left out of the know when the rest of their group was in on it. If they trusted her with Ruby's eyes, she could trust them with her true identity. Now she completely itched to _know;_ nervous tingles ran up and down her arms, thinking on what Ruby's secret could be, and about unveiling herself.

It wouldn't have to be flashy, just a simple admittance and removal of her bow. No excessive drama, just… talking with her team. That was all. She just needed to know they trusted her, and that she could trust them…

Blake tuned back into reality in time to hear music. The cab driver had turned the radio on, which was playing a pop song. Blake glanced toward Weiss to see her teammate dancing in her seat, quietly singing along to the song. Blake pat her own cheeks and shook her head to dismiss the lingering doubts, and to refocus on her goal: enjoy a nice afternoon with Weiss, her teammate, her friend, and try to pry into Ruby's secrets.

Vale's Spring afternoons were some of the coziest times of the year, at least in Blake's opinion; far better than the chill of a cold taxi. She slid into a wicker chair and picked up a menu from the squat, wooden table between her and Weiss. The outdoor patio had a shady overhang with a couple of slowly revolving fans, low lighting over each table, with a bug-catching mesh keeping the dozen-and-a-half or so customers protected from miniscule annoyances.

A musician was on a small stage playing a slow, warm Jazz song, adding to the cozy and stress-free atmosphere of the small, out-of-the-way building. Though a fenced yard blocked the view, the smell of salt spray and the distant crashing of waves told Blake they were near the ocean. Even if she cared little for taking a dip herself, the sight, the sound, the smell… they all relaxed her. Blake understood immediately why this place was popular, but no teahouse could survive on its scenery alone.

"What's your preference?" Weiss asked, calmly turning the pages of the laminated menu booklet. The page color indicated the kingdom the various teas came from, with the blue pages that were indicative of Mistral outnumbered Vale's green, Atlas' white, or Vacuo's yellow. The sheer variety was impressive, as Blake found herself reading the names of teas she'd never heard of.

"Hm, hot green is my favorite day to day, but I'm feeling a teensy bit risky today…" Blake mused out loud, saying more in one sentence than in the entirety of their cab drive over. "Hmm, an Oolong from the Yoshi province sounds interesting." Blake smiled to herself and flipped to the part of the menu dedicated to their lunch offerings, her appetite catching up to her after so much time hemming and hawing to herself.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked with a quirked brow, looking over the various Vacuan selections. "I hear Yoshi-style Oolong can be pretty bitter."

"Nothing some cream and sugar won't temper." _Genuine_ cream and sugar at that, not the cheap, dehydrated milk–as regular milk was at a premium in her old camp–or, worse than dehydrated milk, the packets of artificial sugar. She glanced up to see Weiss eyeballing her with a sharp look. "... Problem, princess?"

"Nothing…" Weiss flipped a page with a huff. "... _Heretic…"_ She grunted under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Blake straightened up, putting on a wry smile at the challenge in Weiss' tone. "I do believe you just insulted me, Weiss."

"No, no, _you_ are perfectly fine, I was merely commenting on your _tongue's_ lack of taste." Weiss waved away with an airy voice, and Blake was simultaneously impressed and offended at Weiss's ease delivering such a passive insult.

"Cream and sugar are _staples_ to tea drinking, Weiss." Blake pointed out, and the Heiress simply sighed in such a way that Blake felt her lips tighten in now genuine annoyance.

"Sure, sure, staples for somebody raised in a _barn._ I don't know of any _true_ tea drinker that would pass up perfectly good honey." Weiss wasn't looking at Blake, and Blake's nostrils flared as she began to see the attitude her brethren had commented on being so prevalent in the human aristocracy.

"I'm sorry, Weiss, you are correct." Blake delicately shut her menu, her threatening, golden eyes fixed unblinking on Weiss's nonchalant expression. "I would _love_ to try some honey, it's just, after so long out of civilization, where resources are rare, you grow a taste for certain things you can't find or _afford."_

"Oh, it's perfectly fine Blake." Weiss's smile turned a shade of smug that made Blake's stomach tighten. "I will be more than happy to teach you the finer points of civilized tea drinking."

"And what's wrong with how _I_ drink tea?" Blake asked in a very calm voice, masking her growing animosity.

At Blake's sharp tone, Weiss gave a tiny, rich girl's laugh that left Blake feeling her face flush as she grew incensed, but then… "Oh, I don't know, nothing, really." Weiss answered with a small shrug, and a little grin. Blake's eyebrow raised and her shoulders remained hitched, ready to fight. "Have you ever had to sit with a tea snob? It's the most upsetting thing in Remnant, over something so horribly petty."

"What are you talking about?" Blake downplayed the demand, trying to refrain over growing upset at her own confusion..

"My second mentor, one of the noble girls I regularly attended events with, and my older sister are some of the _snobbiest_ people in the world when it comes to tea. _I_ don't mind cream and sugar, though it's far from my favorite, but if you dared bring up ' _cream and sugar'_ and ' _tea'_ in the same breath, each of them would be more than happy enough to shout your ears off about how terrible they ' _ruin the taste'_ or ' _sicken your palette.'"_ Weiss stated, starting to snicker at the memories of their outrage.

She was joking… of course she was just joking; Blake tightened her brow as she found herself feeling stupid.

"Each of them _insisted_ that only honey can enhance the flavor of tea properly. I only switched to honey to get them off my back, but now that I have a taste for it, cream and sugar is hard to go back to unless the tea is particularly harsh… or _cheap_."

"So… wait." Blake held her hands up. "You _like_ cream and sugar in your tea?"

"Of course." Weiss confirmed, looking confused. "It's just a preference, anybody who gets that stuck up over a drink is ridiculous. Disregarding Ruby's attempts to turn coffee into a caffeinated _milkshake…"_

"Oh." Blake paused. She rolled her shoulders and sat back, furrowing her brow and trying to figure out why she was getting so upset. Was she that tense from having her tastes insulted? It was just supposed to be banter, she and Yang teased each other, so why was the Schnee such a problem?

Blake shook her head. Why was _Weiss_ getting under her skin? Did she just not understand Weiss' sense of humor, or was she still seeing Weiss for the _Schnee…?_

After a moment of silence and quietly staring at one another, Weiss shifted in discomfort, a small frown growing before she spoke again. "You aren't insulted, are you?" She asked, and Blake glanced up, her shoulders sinking in embarrassment.

"I, uh, maybe have thought you were serious, so a tiny bit?" Blake offered, trying to put on a smile. "It's no biggie now, I promise, I thought you were actually, you know… being a tea snob."

"Of course not!" Weiss's face tensed, putting on her own offended frown. Blake sighed… this wasn't relaxing at all, and even worse, it was a stupid misunderstanding. "Hmph!" The noise made Blake wince, and she expected to get an earful about how she was wrong, or stupid, or— "Well, if that's the case, I shall cover our bill."

"Huh?" Blake glanced up at Weiss, the girl flagging down a waiter. "We could—I mean, splitting the bill isn't—"

"I've played a poor friend and host of our little outing, so allow me to make up for my faux pas, at the very least." Weiss insisted, causing Blake to settle back in her chair. This girl was so confusing right now; it was an apology, right? So why did Weiss look upset? Was _she_ upset at Blake for being upset? Or… more likely, upset at herself for upsetting Blake?

It was… it was a nice gesture, and it _did_ put Blake at some ease knowing there'd be no burden on her wallet, but it also made Blake feel extra embarrassed, and extraordinarily guilty at the same time. She had no issues poking and prodding at Weiss and couldn't take the same. The very definition of a narcissist…

A waiter came by to take their orders and drop off a basket of biscuits and bread. Blake took a biscuit and nibbled on it to hide her reddened cheek. She was thinking too much; she felt like a roller coaster today, going from happy and excited to annoyed and despondent within the space of a few words. With Yang, she was almost always the former, but Weiss kept flipping that switch, through no intentional fault of her own.

The issue ultimately came down to the fact that she liked Weiss, and she wanted to get to know more about her, but there was a not-insignificant fear that Weiss might one-eighty the moment she knew the truth. This relaxing tea trip was proving to be much harsher on Blake's nerves than she expected…

However, that could easily be remedied by some curious conversation. It might get them on the same page again, and also directly answer some of Blake's more pressing questions.

"Hmm…" Blake glanced up to Weiss after their waiter walked away, taking their order to the front counter. "Weiss?" Her voice was soft and curious, much more _afraid_ than she meant it to be.

"Yes Blake?" Weiss had opened her scroll on the table, but her attention was firmly on her teammate.

Blake squirmed in her seat, trying to correct her posture and somehow feel more brave in asking her question. "I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to make you look bad, but, well, your family has had some, err…" Blake stroked the back of her head. This was harder than she expected, and merely mentioning Weiss's family caused the heiress's stare to harden. "I'm not _ignorant,_ I won't pretend to be, but, I-I mean, I have to know because it's kind of a big deal, so—"

"You're meandering." Weiss interrupted stiffly. Blake froze in place at the chilling tone of voice, and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Get to the point, my family is _what?"_ Her eyes… Blake was caught off guard by how cold her gaze went. Sharper than steel, harsher than the coldest winter months, Weiss's normally bratty authority was replaced by something almost frightening. Blake made a mental note that the topic of the Schnee family was not to be approached lightly…

"Your family…" Blake began again, taking a deep breath to clear the storm of her thoughts. "Your family has a rather sordid history with Faunus-kind." Weiss's eyebrow twitched, but there was no shift in mood. "I am personally pro-Faunus, and I know we may be better off agreeing to disagree, but I would like to know how you personally feel." That sounded like a non-obtrusive way of asking the question...

"Oh." Weiss visibly relaxed, her expression and tone no longer carrying that cold annoyance. She crossed her legs and gave a moment of thought before answering. "Having worked alongside only a few Faunus, I can say that they are no different from humans I have spoken to in similar positions. I _will_ say they tend to be more paranoid and attentive of their work, and their ignorance in certain fields beyond their specializations can be headache-inducing, but they are growing into their role as citizens of Remnant."

Blake perked up; it was a brilliantly analytical little speech, showing little in the way of emotion or bias, but presented factually. It was so _so_ Weiss! It was also surprisingly heartening to hear; there was no pity or insulting sympathy in her tone, just her thoughts. "So, if you were in charge of the SDC…?"

"I would see to it that all of my employees would be properly compensated for their efforts." Weiss said clinically. Blake nodded, settling more comfortably back in her seat; more at ease knowing Weiss' exact feelings on the matter. Blake found herself more annoyed than relieved when her race was referred to as this defenseless group of illiterates who couldn't fend for themselves... "Besides looking into improving working conditions, I will see to it that they have other channels to go to in search of help besides those _brutes_ in the White Fang."

"Pardon?" Blake's internal comfort ended with a punctured brass note and a wide-eyed stare.

"You know who I'm talking about!" Weiss all but growled, looking down at the table with an expression like an Ursa. Blake blinked twice, she hadn't seen Weiss this angry since initiation day; she even maintained a much more calm attitude at Coco's dinner. Blake felt awkwardly imbalanced; either Weiss trusted Blake enough to show an ignoble anger, or was only restraining herself for polite company. "An entire ' _organization'_ of violent thugs who hide behind the idea of ' _equality'_ to bully and kill humans, and cry foul when people point this out to them! They're a bunch of uneducated, self-righteous, myopic… _animals."_ Weiss almost spat the word. "They helped Velvet's family, _great!_ In turn, _my_ family and _my_ business are regularly assaulted and insulted, regardless of what they've individually done!"

It would have been _far_ more merciful if Weiss had just jammed a knife through Blake's unguarded hand, and Blake had to swallow thickly as resentment and fury bubbled up in her chest. Her knuckles went white as she clenched her fists, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep a snarl and a sneer off of her face. "They aren't _all_ bad." Blake spoke with only the slightest tremor in her voice.

Weiss snorted, and Blake felt her jaw twitch in response. "And I would love to have a list of which of those thieves and murderers _wouldn't_ slit my throat the moment they could get away with it."

"Weiss, they're not _all_ bad." Blake's voice rose, but she kept ahold of the reigns, ensuring her voice did not betray her stance. Weiss opened her mouth to refute, but Blake pushed her voice out to cut the tirade. "They once stood for equality and justice for all; they exposed corruption, defilement, and exploitation, they actually got high-class lawyers to help them sue the people taking advantage of them!" Blake's voice was low, slow, but carried an anger to it. She had to look down, away from Weiss to avoid directing her rage at her.

Weiss was silent. Blake looked up after several, uncertain seconds, and saw Weiss staring at her scroll, frowning. The red-faced anger was gone, but there was an expression of unhappiness that made Blake's skin crawl. When Weiss spoke, it was with a tone of such long suffering defeatism that Blake, regardless of their differing sides, felt sympathy. "Maybe they've done _some_ good for _their_ people, but all they've done for me is leave me scared. Honestly, I almost didn't come to Beacon because they've been so active in Vale. The theft, the intimidation, it might not affect me directly, but my father would get so angry and…" She went quiet. Weiss put her hands together, as if she suddenly felt clammy.

Blake, wordlessly, reached across the table to take Weiss' hands. Weiss flinched for a moment, her hand stiff as a plank of wood, Blake sensed she wanted to pull away, but Weiss did not. She forced herself to relax, and her anger slipped into guilt. Blake's face was like stone, but she did her best to swallow her negativity. "I'm sorry." She apologized, trying to not shake. "I know it must be hard on you in some way, but they don't do it for fun, or to hurt people." She then lowered her voice. "Not all of them, anyways…" She cleared her throat, and spoke up again. "Sometimes, the only way people will listen is if they're afraid."

Her teammate did not respond. Weiss's hand lay limp under Blake's, and the heiress simply looked up, took a deep breath, and let it out just as slowly. It didn't feel like a victory, Blake wasn't even sure if it could be _called_ one, she was just another girl feeling the ripples of war; Blake could sympathize, as all that glory had dried up for her, and she'd only seen the horrible things they'd inflicted on each other. She knew there must have been a lot more to Weiss's opinion than some anger-by-proxy, but Blake couldn't have this argument. Not here. Not without blowing her cover. "Tea's taking a while." Weiss noted.

"Yeah, it is." Blake looked to the door, taking her hand back.

"... Nice day, too."

"Very." Blake nodded. She drummed the table with her fingers. On the other side, Weiss rolled her shoulders, and glanced back down at her scroll. Even though Blake wasn't actually curious, she found her eyes drawn to the glowing holoscreen, and tried to taking things a different direction. "Watcha looking at?" Blake pointed curiously.

"Oh, um…" Weiss picked her scroll up, inverting the screen for Blake to see: company names, accompanied by lien prices, and percentages indicating a rise or a fall. "Stock prices in some companies I've invested in. Ramuld Sr. died a few days ago, so I've been monitoring Ramuld's Future Industries since investors have been in a flux."

"Oh. Cool." Blake stopped her ears from falling flat. She was already emotional, and even the thought of stock trading made her mind blank. "You know, whenever I thought of Weiss Schnee, I thought you were just a socialite with good grades. I didn't expect you to know how to fight, or be into stock trading."

A huff escaped Weiss as she pulled her scroll back to read, but a little smile graced her face. "You aren't the first to think that; lots of people are surprised I care about being a huntress, or even about controlling the SDC. I was the only one in my intermediate classes back in Atlas who wanted to go to college, much less a hunter's school. Every other girl wanted to coast by on sugar daddies, good looks, and inheritance."

"Mmm." Blake couldn't say she understood the experience. "So, why? You, of all people, could get away with all three of those things. I know you said you wanted to be like your grandfather, but _why?"_ Weiss, as Blake had come to know her, was surprisingly ambitious for the daughter of the most wealthy family on Remnant.

"Because I want nothing more in this world than to be better than my father." Weiss' answer was surprisingly blunt, but more than that, soft, as if she herself was unsure about it as she spoke. It left Blake quietly blinking in surprise, her mind scrambling as she remembered saying something similar to a friend years ago. "I'm not going to let history pass me by, and be forgotten." Weiss looked up at Blake, her expression quietly serious. "So, I'm going to be a better business woman than him, and a better hunter than my grandfather, and make the world safer than either ever could."

"I see." Blake tapped her fingertips together, finding it to be a rather inspiring answer. She was clearly a much different person than she thought she was two months ago; it was rather lucky they met under the circumstances they did, and Blake had been forced to interact with her, otherwise, she might not have ever known better… "So, again, why? Why is the world's safety _your_ concern."

"Because," Weiss began instantly, not having to think like Ruby often did, "if you look at how much we've accomplished in the inner cities, humanity is capable of incredible things; our technological level has accelerated to a degree that modern day marvels are being rendered obsolete in just a few weeks; imagine how much we'll develop and evolve as we expand _without_ the fear of the Grimm?" Weiss was grinning now, the topic clearly one she enjoyed a good deal. "Airships, computers, robotic sentries, all of that will be updated by _next year,_ and that's with a reasonable population kept safe in a city. Imagine the _whole world_ working together to make this stuff!"

Blake found herself laughing a little at Weiss' enthusiasm, but it was a nice thought… and so very _childish._ "You sound like _Ruby."_ Blake pointed out, and Weiss immediately went rigid, and huffed.

"We _may_ have talked about this ourselves." Weiss confirmed, making Blake snicker.

Their idle chatter continued, covering a plethora of topics from the perceived difficulty of the tests they'd taken, to remarking on the shoes of an older woman whose fashion sense ran a few degrees north of ' _eccentric.'_ It was surreal; they both had a reason to be angry not two minutes ago, but Weiss' enthusiasm and general… _friendliness_ kept Blake from nursing a grudge.

Though she knew that starting a conversation on the Faunus could have been detrimental, she was confident that it wouldn't ruin her budding friendship with the young lady before her, as odd of a realization that was.

"Your tea, ladies." The waiter reappeared, carrying two steaming tea pots on a long, silver serving tray. It was the perfect thing to interrupt any lingering brooding, as a pair of teacups were placed before the pair of now-excited girls, and Blake was graced with a small, ceramic plate that bore a slice of warm coffee cake. Tiny pitchers filled with sugars and liquids sat between them, and the two took their time pouring, sniffing, and sipping their tea before treating them.

Weiss had been correct, Yoshi-province Oolong had a bitter bite that left her tongue curling and her brow wrinkled, but it was, in its own way, exhilarating. Through the disgust, she could taste the unique flavors that made the tea appealing, and reached for the tray. _Real_ cream… years of surviving on lesser ingredients would pay off when she got her hands on the real stuff!

As her fingers gripped the little pitcher, she paused, thinking. With a small hum, her fingers changed course; she had a full pot, she could be experimental. Weiss watched as Blake took the honey and added just a dollop to the Oolong.

Weiss, of course, had chosen a black tea, pairing it with the Vacuan honey. The two girls set their spoons aside, leaned back in their seats, tipped the rims of their cups to their lips, and sipped in silence. As one, their cups lowered, and they released a pair of happy sighs.

After some time, Weiss sipped at Blake's Oolong, her expression going from apprehensive, to curious, to somewhat frustrated. "I think you're right. The honey cuts it a little bit, but the cream and sugar was _far_ better."

"Careful Weissy, if the _snobs_ hear you…" Blake's eyes widened in mock terror, and Weiss smirked behind the tea cup.

"Hmph." She slid Blake's cup back, and poured herself a new cup of black tea to polish off her order. "A few bumps aside, I would say this was an excellent idea."

"Careful, don't pat yourself on the back too hard." Blake sighed, staring into her drink curiously, her rippling reflection peering back. "But it is nice. Sorry I… you know." She trailed off, lips tightening.

"It was bound to come up eventually, Faunus rights are all the talk these days. Not to mention it's impossible to discuss them without talking about the White Fang." Weiss worked her jaw slowly, trying to fight a scowl. "I don't mind being asked about my opinions, but… why did you want to know? Why bring up my family?" Weiss looked up at Blake, who sipped her tea thoughtfully.

"Your family is important to the whole debate. You're the heiress to a whole legacy that changed how the world works, including Faunus treatment." Blake steepled her fingers, reminding herself to be nice. "I guess, like, I was trying to connect you to something. They _have_ had problems with the Faunus, but I wanted to know _your_ opinions, not the Schnee Dust Company's canned responses."

Weiss gingerly turned her cup in a circle, and a low, annoyed sigh escaped her. "It's not like the SDC gets its kicks seeing Faunus dead. Abusing a stable workforce is idiotic to the extreme, but it's not as if we're hurting for miners and drivers. I believe the last census report found that only forty-nine percent of Faunus in Remnant have an education, and under two hundred of them have an advanced degree. We don't rig the mines to collapse, you know, all our mines are _found_ to be to the inspectors' standards, but you know how volatile Dust can be. It's not perfect, I think it can be improved, but there's the question of cost, and the politics and bureaucracy involved…"

Blake let out an agitated breath through her nostrils. Yes, that made sense, but Weiss was glossing over–or perhaps didn't know about–the politicians and sorts of management the SDC backed. It was easier to keep a stable, steady flow of workers looking to make some easy lien through hard labor when the SDC's chosen partners enforced a casually superior attitude that left the Faunus grasping for straws and options.

Weiss continued, "I suppose that doesn't make me _pro-_ Faunus–at the end of the day, I will protect my family from harm–but I'm not _anti-_ Faunus either. As I said before, they're citizens of Remnant, it would be stupid to completely write them off."

"Hm." Blake nodded. She finished her cup, and Weiss took the chance to drink. Again, the mood had sunk, but Blake didn't see it as an omen. A change of topics was in order, to get to Blake's true mission while Weiss was still vulnerable. "Part of why I came to Beacon was because somebody very close to me… _betrayed_ me." Blake began carefully, causing Weiss to lower her cup with a wide-eyed stare. "Not like, stabbed me in the back, but they became a different person; somebody full of hate and anger, and they lost sight of why we became _hunters_ in the first place. I stopped feeling welcome, so I came here, to Vale, to Beacon." Blake looked to the fence, where the ocean lay beyond it, and her eyes sank. "I don't want that happening again. I didn't think I could trust anyone after what happened, but then I met Ruby, and Yang, and you." Blake looked Weiss's way, putting on a small, disarming smile, that left Weiss red-cheeked and squirming silently in her seat. "I feel a lot better since coming here. It's good knowing that I have this group of people who will watch my back and, when there's time to train and plan, go have some tea instead, and talk about really personal stuff without shouting at one another."

Weiss's eyes flickered up to Blake's, then down to her tea, and bounced back and forth in embarrassment the whole time she did. She coughed into her fist gently, tugging at her side-tail in embarrassment. "W-well, that's certainly... It's good to have you with us, Blake. You may be rude, insulting, and agitating, but I've enjoyed every second of it. But… why tell _me_ this?" Weiss squirmed in place, and Blake chuckled.

"Well, you can't ask for people's secrets without giving a few yourself." Blake answered, forcing herself to look at Weiss as she continued. "I… I know _you_ know what Ruby's hiding. Her goggles, her semblance, Ruby won't talk about them, Yang won't talk about them, and you seem to know a thing or two…" Weiss twitched, a deep frown crossing her face. "I want to trust you all, but I feel locked out of things."

Weiss contemplated her tea for a while, and Blake gave her the time. She knew this wouldn't be something that could be easily dismissed, and certainly not a topic she would allow to be waved away. She squeezed her wrist and watched Weiss's face as the girl took her time before finally answering. "I know you're frustrated not knowing, I know I would be too, but I swore a promise, not just to Ruby, but to the headmaster that I'd be quiet about it."

The _headmaster_ was in on it too? Blake chose to ignore the alarm bell ringing in her head…

"But, I'm sure Ruby trusts you by this point. We've managed to keep it under wraps, and it would be, frankly, absurd for you to not know after a certain point…"

"It's just not your place to tell." Blake vocalized the statement that had gone unspoken, and Weiss looked to her hands in shame. "It's okay." She reassured, making Weiss pout. "Really, I get it. I guess asking you first is kinda dumb in hindsight, but I get it. At this point, I just want to know. To feel _trusted."_

"Well, it has been an entire month, and leaving you out of the loop while the rest of us dance around the issue is weird." Weiss groaned, resting her cheek against one hand. "I can't imagine Ruby will want to spend the rest of the afternoon training with Pyrrha, and knowing Yang, she won't make it back until late. You're bound to find some time to ask Ruby."

"And if not, it won't be hard to make some." Blake chuckled, and Weiss nodded.

"Just… promise you'll be understanding?" Weiss asked softly, catching Blake off guard. "No matter how she looks and what she does, she's exactly what you see, and hear, and feel. She hides about as much depth as a puddle."

"Right." Blake answered, her mind trying to wrap itself around the implications of what Weiss had said. "I'll try to keep an open mind."

None of that sounded… _right._ Ruby, Weiss, Yang, _and_ the headmaster knew what was going on, didn't want anyone else to know, and Blake would have to be understanding…?

… Could Ruby have been a former White Fang operative too?!

Blake silently cursed at her overactive imagination and shook the thought out of her head.

* * *

"Hoo…" Pyrrha walked along, taking the opportunity provided by their leisurely walk to twist her torso left and right, stretching her muscles to keep them from cramping. "Using a scythe is so much more involved than I thought it would be; using Crescent Rose is a good upper body workout."

Walking at her side, Ruby walked with a little hop in her step; beyond being at ease, Ruby was almost jubilant, looking up to Pyrrha with a little smile that made the older huntress grin. "Dad says I have an _amazing_ c-core because of it! I'm glad you had fun."

"It really was quite the experience, but it's such a steep learning curve to try and use it efficiently." Pyrrha noted. While Ruby made it look like a dance, actually wielding Crescent Rose was a full-body experience; moving one's body fully into a weapon's swing was common practice, but the scythe capitalized more fully on generated momentum to allow the wielder to ' _go-with-the-flow'_ and reposition themselves while angling their next swing.

Unlike a bo staff, the heavier head meant there was far more at stake with each swing as improper timing or position would cause the weapon to swing wide, and being mindful of the angle of the blade at any and all times was also mentally exhausting. The basics of a kusarigama had been less of a challenge, as it didn't take much thinking to wrap an opponent up in the chain and go in for the kill with the sickle; the advanced moves were certainly challenging, but the scythe felt like an exercise in frustration. The blade itself was cumbersome, killing strokes were hard to prepare and measure in the moment, and despite having decent range on the blade, simply hitting the opponent with the haft wasn't going to cause much damage. _How_ to kill was obvious, but between the range, foreknowledge, speed, and power needed for every single swipe, it gave Pyrrha some frustration once they moved beyond the _Circle of Steel_.

She kept her opinion to herself, however. She had seen Ruby in action, and had been impressed by her skill with the weapon, though she silently wondered if that meant giving up basic combat knowledge with less complicated weaponry. Pyrrha had come to understand the difficulties of learning the scythe, and by her side was somebody who was brimming with skill, and she intended to milk the opportunity dry to learn proper scythe combat.

Jaune walked behind the two girls, watching them closely as they passed by a series of windows, displaying the reddening sky. Watching them fight, practice, and talk all about their weaponry was a solid reminder that, despite being a rather silly and kind pair of girls, they were _warriors._ It was the one thing Jaune found hilarious, even if he saw it every day.

He had always pictured powerful, bulky, aged veterans in heavy plate armor swinging around swords and axes with humorless snarls, but thinking about his grandfather, Pyrrha, and Ruby, he was growing accustomed to the idea that not every great fighter had to be a grim titan in armor.

Some were adorable girls who squealed and bounced around talking about swords and guns as opposed to cute boys and makeup. Some were old men who constantly talked about how much their back hurt. It made Jaune feel more comfortable with how unsure he was; barely passing, barely any skill compared to his partner, but they weren't perfect.

… Just better.

Jaune shook his head out, and sighed. That wasn't _wrong,_ but it made his stomach sink just thinking about it. He needed to practice harder, _far_ harder to catch up, and he needed to study more, and he needed to get his head in the game and figure out why he was here…

"Perhaps next time, I can trade you the favor." Pyrrha chuckled, bending back to stretch her spine, unaware of the bouncing view she gave Ruby and Jaune both; the two teens sighed, but said nothing.

"Y-you mean, like, gladiator training?" Ruby asked tentatively. Pyrrha's friendly smile, then nod, made Ruby all but swell up as she gasped. "A-are you sure?! I-I mean i-if you have b-big gladiator secrets and s-stuff l-like you don't have to share, b-but I'd really a-appreciate your h-help!" Ruby was hopping now, not walking, and Jaune couldn't help but draw comparisons to an excitable puppy.

Pyrrha hid her mouth behind one hand, giggling at Ruby's ear-to-ear grin, and set a hand on her head to try and stop her bouncing. Despite the resistance, Ruby's jumping didn't come to an end… "There's no need to worry about _that;_ nothing I know is considerably dangerous, the most important aspect about gladiatorial fights are the _basics._ You'll spend ninety-five percent of the time in close quarters swinging your weapons at each other, after all, and finding your unique ' _winning blow'_ is on you."

"Like the _mordhau!"_

"Precisely."

Ruby trembled looking up at Pyrrha; a proper lesson in hunter-to-hunter combat from the pro?! It was a tantalizing and exciting prospect…! One that didn't have much use in fighting the Grimm, just other _hunters._ Ruby's excitement began to diminish gently, a discomforting thought passing through her head: ' _was it worth learning to fight hunters?'_ That wasn't what she wanted, but… her mind flashed to the gang of thugs that had started this whole mess, that had forced her to summon Grimm in a dark Vale street, forcing her to make a weapon to keep them, herself, and the rest of the city safe.

The prospect of fighting _people_ made her feel ill, but what good was she if she couldn't even defend herself from them?

Pyrrha slowed, and neither she nor Jaune missed the way Ruby stopped bouncing, and a fleeting look of distress crossed her face. They didn't see the conflict of interests within her, the fright of sinking to the level of Grimm, or the terror of being burnt at the stake.

Pyrrha tilted her head in concern at Ruby's sudden change, but gave her a little smile when she finally spoke, her voice calm and determined "H-how about… tomorrow?" She asked, swallowing thickly, her fists small and tight. "I-if you aren't busy."

"Hmm…" Pyrrha tapped her lips, considering Ruby before her, but Jaune spoke up.

"Nora's probably going to make us do _something,_ otherwise she'll probably make something _happen."_ The possibility of a vengeful Nora made the three of them privately worry about their health and sanity, and Jaune alleviated the mood with a quick, nervous chuckle. "So, y'know, maybe super early morning? Or, maybe, like, late night?"

"We'll talk to Nora and Ren on what we'll do tomorrow. I hope you don't mind if I knock early?" Pyrrha tilted her head, and Ruby considered it for a minute.

"Yang might get grouchy, and I-I dunno about Weiss and Blake. Maybe..." Ruby reached into her pocket and held up her scroll. Pyrrha immediately popped her scroll out, and Jaune scrambled to do the same. A round of passing numbers, and Ruby excitedly filled out their information, giggling in open glee.

While Pyrrha had numerous contacts in her scroll, she had made a special folder for the scroll numbers of friends. It had, at one point, been empty, but now she had Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Ruby, on the other hand, only had three numbers for a very long time, and recently added Weiss and Blake's. Now she had Jaune's and Pyrrha's! And Jaune… Jaune had the numbers for each and every single member of his family, but with a new scroll he hadn't given the number to, no messages from any of them. He wanted to establish his place here before he contacted them again, he just hoped they trusted he was safe.

"Awesome." Jaune ran his fingers through his blonde hair, his thumb hovering over Lydia's name briefly, before he closed his scroll and pocketed it. "Well, I mean, I'd _like_ to sleep in, but if you two wake up early—"

"We can all train and eat and go do stuff!" Ruby bounced on her toes. She had friends! _Friends! Friendly_ friends! And they could go see movies and clubbing and stuff, like Yang did! She smiled so widely at Jaune and Pyrrha, the two were briefly taken aback, slightly confused, then offered returning smiles.

"Of course, Ruby." Pyrrha settled a hand on Ruby's head, stopping the younger girl's excited hopping.

"Yeah, and Rubes, you know you can come knock at any time, right?" Jaune offered casually, watching the way her face went from over-excited to somewhat awed and surprised. "So if you need anything, don't worry about bothering us."

"O-okay!" Ruby bobbed her head. She took a second to examine herself shyly, kicking her foot in idle thought as Jaune and Pyrrha watched with a pair of amused smirks. "Th-than-thank you… y-you c-can come t-talk to us t-too!" Ruby nodded.

"We'll keep that in mind!" Pyrrha bobbed her head.

"Yeah, so—" Whatever Jaune was about to say was interrupted by the buzz of his scroll, and he glanced at it with a look of mild interest. Mysteriously, a frown began to form, and he glanced up to Pyrrha with his lips stretched in a boyish pout. "Hey, sorry Ruby, but Pyrrha and I need to duck out real quick, Ren wants to talk to us."

"What about?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune showed her his scroll, and Ruby glanced between the two as Pyrrha's expression fell, and she gave a quick nod. "Understood; we'll get in contact with you tomorrow, Ruby."

"I-is e-everything okay?" Ruby asked, and Pyrrha quietly shook her head.

"Nothing you need to worry about, just some team business; we'll let you know tomorrow." Jaune told her. He turned to Pyrrha, giving her hip a quick smack to get her to follow, making her all but leap up and offer her partner a surprised expression as he gestured down the hall. "Let's go, P." He started off, and with a red face, Pyrrha nodded, giving Ruby one last look, a smile, and she followed after him.

Ruby stood in quiet uncertainty, wondering what could have sent the two older teens back to their room so suddenly. Then again, it felt as though they were about to seperate anyways, so other than the shift in mood, there was nothing lost…

She looked at their numbers in her scroll and smiled to herself; she had friends now! She knew Yang quickly got scroll numbers, and Blake even indicated that she picked some up for emergencies, but this was the first time Ruby had ever gotten somebody's number out of her family and her team.

Of course, Weiss was still number one, and Ruby brimmed with joy seeing that the two numbers of her non-Yang teammates were joined by two more… now she needed Nora's and Ren's, and maybe if she asked, team CFVY's. Would that be too much to ask their upperclassmen…? Then again, Ruby had Weiss', it wasn't like Ruby was trying to sneak her way up the social ranks of Vale by getting Coco's number.

She wouldn't even know what to text them, but… it would have been nice to have them on hand, just in case.

A quick walk down the hallway, followed by popping open her dorm room's door, Ruby stood in her room and exhaled, loud and proud. She couldn't keep herself from smiling as she glanced up to see Weiss silently shut a book she had been reading and stand, and Ruby's good humor immediately curdled as Weiss dusted off her skirt and gave her team leader a serious look.

The atmosphere of optimism and joy was replaced by a powerful anxiety that Ruby felt sink right into her chest. She squirmed in discomfort; this was not what she had wanted to spend the night relaxing to; _something_ was up, and it scared her.

"W-Weiss?" Ruby asked in a gentle voice as the white haired girl walked towards her with a stiff posture, like she was about to start yelling..

Weiss took a deep breath, and looked up to Blake's bunk. Ruby followed her gaze to see Blake relaxed on her bed, one of Ruby's novels open in front of her face, and Weiss cleared her throat. " _I_ am going to grab a late-night snack!" It was a declaration that made Ruby respond with a sputter of confusion. "Do either of you need coffee?!" Weiss asked in a voice full of forced casualness.

"U-uh—?" Ruby blinked behind her goggles as Blake waved her hand.

"Pass." The black-haired beauty answered as if their teammate wasn't acting… _off_.

"S-sure?" Ruby finally answered, and Weiss nodded.

"Very well! I will be back soon. Cream and _four_ sugars, right?" Weiss' eyebrow twitched, and Ruby nodded in her confusion. " _Perfect!"_ Weiss brushed past Ruby and out the door without another word.

Well… that had been _odd._ The first thing out of Weiss's mouth was supposed to be something like ' _did you learn anything from Pyrrha?'_ followed by an eye roll when Ruby said no, then a demand to come along tomorrow after Ruby explained what they were up to. At least, that was how Ruby pictured it.

She let out a small breath and glanced up to Blake, who was now watching her curiously. Ruby smiled sheepishly, and walked over to her bunk to climb in. That tension was still there, and Weiss walking out suddenly didn't remove enough of it. She wondered if Blake was also nervous, or if Weiss' dramatic exit had affected Ruby in some weird way.

With a sigh, Ruby pulled her bunk's curtain to hide herself. She felt a second of hesitation as she touched the strap to her goggles, quickly looking around to make sure she was truly well and hidden away from any prying eyes before she slid her goggles off of her face. She was embarrassed by how naked it made her feel; the cool air around her eyes was both a relief and a terrible discomfort, as it was a reminder of her life for the next four years. Still, the temptation of becoming a fully licensed huntress was greater than missing out on a nice breeze around her eyes, so she shelved her discomfort and reached into the little basket hanging on the wall by her mattress to take a bottle of lotion. She applied it to her eyes and her temples to relieve the dry itch they were developing, and took a cotton swab with some disinfectant to clean the interior of her goggles, then used a small comb to straight out her ruffled hair.

It felt good to tend to herself after a long day, and to get all the sweat and grime out from under her eyewear. She delicately massaged the large, plump black veins around her eyes, happy to relieve the tension on them. She was glad it wasn't winter anymore, she hated using eye drops...

Across the room, sitting up in her bed, Blake watched her teammate–her _friend–_ silently fidget behind the curtains, and she could make out the strap of Ruby's goggles through one of the thin cracks in the sheets. Her ear twitched; Ruby had secrets, Blake did too, but Blake was better with them thus far. Only a few people in the school knew anything about who she truly was, what she had been, what she had _done…_

She was… _excited._ She was brimming with an energy that she normally only got when she was teasing Yang to frustration; this would be the night she revealed herself. She would come clean to Ruby… as long as Ruby did the same with her. After all, Weiss knew, Yang knew, Blake deserved to know and be _in_ on the secret. If they trusted her, she could trust them. She would even let Weiss know that she had been part of the White Fang, she wanted them to trust she had the best intentions.

She had to be cool. Get Ruby comfortable before she broached the subject. This was the _perfect_ moment. Her ears twitched again. No more ribbon, no more fretting and worrying...

Blake cleared her throat, her place in her book forgotten, and spoke aloud. "Ruby? Would you like to read with me?" Blake's called across the room. She hid a little smile as she heard Ruby squeak.

"S-sure! W-wanna pull up chairs, o-or take over Yang's bed, or where are we readin'?" Ruby pushed aside the curtain around her bed, her goggles back in place on her face.

"Actually…" Blake levelled a small smile on Ruby, and the younger girl tilted her head. "Why not the same book? So we can follow the story together." The hidden-Faunus asked, and Ruby seemed to freeze up.

"T-... together?" She asked in a tiny voice, and Blake bobbed her head. It wasn't something she'd done often, and judging by Ruby's expression, she hadn't either. There was something remarkably romantic about two young adults sharing a book and reading together, if only because they would have to squeeze close to read. "O-okay, I-... I even have the perfect book in mind!" Blake closed the book she was reading to watch Ruby zip from her place on the bed to dig through _Yang's_ things. "R-r-remember w-when we first met y-you'd asked if I-I'd read Alfheim and I s-said I hadn't?! Well Yang has o-one of his books a-and I f-figured I'd r-read it next s-so we could talk! Yang used to read books to me i-if I didn't understand them s-so it might be the b-best way— _found it!"_

Ruby waved the thin, red, paperback book at Blake. The edges of each page had been turned yellow with age, and one corner was partially bent, misshaping it. Blake sat up to look over Ruby apprehensively; even with a few scratches in the cover she recognized it: ' _Cherry's Tail.'_ It was a short story discussing the changes in a young, Atlesian girl's life when she one day woke up with a big, fluffy fox tail; a Faunus, in other words. It discussed the societal implications and impact it had on her and her family, her social life, and what laws suddenly did and did not apply to her.

The politics, the scandals, the ' _friends'_ she lost and the friends she made, it was all to highlight the senselessness of anti-Faunus attitudes. It did not sell as well as ' _A Fuzzy Perspective'_ , and controversy kept it out of schools, but Blake personally created the Cherry Initiative for the Vale chapter of the White Fang, in which the books were given, for free, to human children.

It was a project she was still proud in, one she still maintained would have a long-lasting effect… even if Adam thought it was a critical waste of time and resources.

Blake rolled onto her stomach, looking over the edge of the bed with a small smile. "Sure, Ruby. It's a good book to start with."

"Yay!" Ruby bounced in place, briefly scampering from bed to bed to gather pillows. "I'll get the pillow fort started! Y-you grab all the sheets, and w-we'll have a little reading nest! Ooooh, maybe I can text Weiss to bring us some snacks! _Eeeee—!"_

"Ruby?" Blake stopped her with a small chuckle. The enthusiasm was touchingly sweet, she hadn't met somebody so enthusiastic about reading with her since Ilia. A brief pain went through her chest, and she shook that name—that _face_ out of her head. There was nothing left to think about there. "Ruby, why not just join me on my bed?" Blake offered.

Ruby froze in place, looking up to Blake with red cheeks. "W-wha—on your _bed?_ B-but sharing beds are for sisters and lovers!" Ruby squeaked. She was quoting the Duchess's Bride, which was adorable on its own, but then Blake's yellow eyes were roaming Ruby in her little black and red huntress's outfit, and making no attempts to hide her mature inspection of her team's leader. " _B-B-B-Bl-Blake?!"_

"Hmm…" Blake nibbled her pinkie nail in thought. "Sorry, Ruby, was just thinking to myself. Why don't you climb on up… _lover."_ She hissed the word, and slid back, laying on her pillow as Ruby sputtered a couple dozen consonants of complete nonsense.

Roughly a minute later, Ruby was laying by Blake's side. Her cloak had been discarded, along with her boots, to minimize how much space she took up. She was stiff as a board, her head resting on Blake's upper arm, supported by the pillow Blake was resting on. They were pressed together, far too familiar for a girl Ruby only knew for a month, and it was making her body all stiff.

Blake, in the meantime, was enjoying the hell out of how hot and bothered Ruby was already. She had the book open above both of their faces, and Ruby could hardly concentrate, as each little movement pressed them together a little tighter. Blake knew she had a mission, but she was also enjoying herself. She _did_ want to get to know her little leader a little better, and it had been far too long since she had somebody to cuddle up to.

At one time she had a pair of friends she could relax against and share intimacy with, and now… now they were both gone. Far away, or off the deep end. Blake sighed softly, and subconsciously pulled Ruby closer, making the little lady whimper.

"Shall I read first?" Blake asked, turning to look at Ruby. Her lips were within an inch of brushing Ruby's temple, and her words teased Ruby's hair, making the girl flinch, and burn brightly with embarrassment.

"I-I should…" Ruby sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I-I used to f-fall as-asleep to Y-Yang reading t-to me all the t-time, s-so if I go first…" Blake simply nodded, smiling at her team leader. "O-okay… u-um, page one… '"Cherry, it's time for breakfast." Cherry's father's voice could be-' oh it's her dad! Um, '" _Cherry! It's time for breakfast!'"_ Ruby corrected herself by putting on an adorably gruff voice.

"'Coming, Father.' Cherry answered back, believing this morning to be like many before it.'" Blake read, familiar to the point of memorizing the first page, which she had read aloud to groups of both young Faunus and young humans a dozen times before.

"'Sliding out of bed was no easy task for the young, Atlesian princess, as the chilly mornings tempted her to draw the sheets tighter about her neck. With great grief, Cherry cast aside her blanket to rouse herself. She walked to her mirror, unwary of the extra weight that dragged behind her.'"

"'In the mirror, she saw much of the same she saw every morning, every day, every year. A girl with perfect, whitish-blonde tresses, and eyes as gold as the minerals her father's mining company dug out; she was the very picture of Atlas nobility, from head to toe, from hair to... tail? "What's this? What's _this?!"_ She nearly screamed as something that had not quite made itself known finally fluttered into view.'"

Ruby read, then Blake read, back and forth. They fumbled and apologized and passed it off when their voices competed, and the longer they went, the more comfortably Ruby snuggled into Blake's side. Blake, for her part, resisted the urge to tease and befuddle Ruby if it meant actually making it through the book, as it was a favorite of hers. Cherry, for all of her Atlesian nobility flaws, grew to be the sort of heroine Blake admired: her heart swelled for both human and Faunus alike, and she cast aside old prejudices as she realized how unfairly enforced they were.

Blake firmly believed that Ruby had none of these prejudices, and watching the girl's voice break a little in annoyance and disbelief that Cherry's family would be so quick to consider abandoning her made Blake more confident in her assumptions. If Ruby showed so much frustration at the prejudice Cherry faced, then perhaps Blake had a chance…

"... And that was chapter one." Blake smiled at her little teammate, who laid still with an enormous pout on her face. "Thoughts?"

"That's so _dumb!"_ Ruby announced in clear distress, drawing an amused, though curious expression from Blake. "She's their daughter! I-it sh-shouldn't matter what she looks like, disinheriting her is… _is…"_ Ruby squirmed in place. Long-buried fears from her childhood suddenly began to resurface, ones put to rest by her current relationship with her family, for the most part... "Is chapter two better?" She asked weakly.

"Marginally, but it's also worse. The entire book's like this; it's about a human discovering the prejudice Faunus face every day, after all." Blake explained cooly, stroking Ruby's elbow to try and reassure her, but to little success as Ruby frowned. "Do you want to read something else?"

"No…" Ruby sighed, quietly turning the page in the book. "I want to know what happens. Cherry's a good girl, and maybe a dumb one, but she doesn't deserve that. B-besides, if she m-manages to get everyone to l-like her, maybe…" Ruby trailed off, and Blake cocked her head.

' _Maybe'_ what? It almost sounded like Ruby identified with Cherry in some way. Were Blake's predictions true? Was Ruby a secret Faunus with cool, funky eyes that Blake could cast aside by revealing herself?! Would she have another young, adorable Faunus to train and talk to?!

Calm, calm… she had to be calm. No setting herself up for disappointment, or worse, _false_ assumptions that could undermine Ruby's secret. It was these sorts of early, optimistic ideas that lead to Blake getting burnt out and disappointed, time after time, when her plans and trials succeeded, but only half-worked. Few opinions were changed in a short period of time, so it seemed like little progress was made, she had to be realistic.

Realistic, understanding, and direct.

 _Direct._ "Mind if we take a short break? I was hoping to ask you something." Blake could feel a knot in her throat tighten, and her heart hammering. She was closing in, and she clenched her fist in quiet excitement.

"O-okay. Then chapter two?" Ruby wiggled, and Blake nodded her head. "Yay! Okay, um… w-what did you want to ask me?" Ruby looked Blake in the eye, while Blake looked back into the black glass of her goggles.

She needed to think of a tactful way to ask her, something understanding and— "Could I possibly see your eyes, Ruby?"—drive full force into the issue like the brakes in her car had been cut. Smooth.

Blake watched Ruby's childlike curiosity slip away, and with little warning, a pale fear spread across her face that made the knot in Blake's throat grow. "I-I—"

"I don't want to _pry,_ Ruby…" Blake cut, making Ruby go stiff. The warm little girl had gone cold, and Blake knew she'd have to work to ease her, so she squeezed her elbow, wondering if that seemed too possessive... "I-I'm curious is all. I mean, Yang and your father obviously know, but Weiss knows too. I know she's your partner, but I'm your teammate too."

"I—" Ruby turned her head away, now facing the ceiling. "I can't show you." Ruby said, before swallowing thickly.

Blake felt her heart sink, and with a deep breath, she pushed on. She had to _know;_ if she was going to tell them— "Ruby, _please?_ I mean, you can imagine how curious I am, with you talking about your condition, and always wearing your goggles, I just want to see them!" Blake dug her teeth into her lower lip. Ruby mulled quietly, then sat up. Instinctively, Blake grasped Ruby's side, and the younger girl pushed her arm away. "It's not fair." Blake added on in gentle admonishment.

"N-no, it's _not,_ b-but I-I was t-told I _can't_ —" Ruby's nervous stutter had returned in full as she tried to push Blake's hand off of her. "I-it's not f-fa-fair for me e-eith-either! B-but orders—"

"Ruby, I can be trusted!" Blake insisted, closing her arm tightly around Ruby's side. Ruby gasped, and Blake realized she was squeezing flesh and muscle, until Ruby's Aura flared to life, shoving her away as Ruby scrambled up.

No, _no,_ this was not how this was supposed to happen! Ruby trusted her, didn't she?! Just because she had orders— how could she neglect one of her teammates over some _orders?_ She wasn't in danger!

"Ruby—!" Blake sat up as Ruby swung her feet over the bed. Blake's hand closed around Ruby's wrist right as the girl slid off the bunk, causing her to scream as her body fell at an awkward angle, off her feet. Blake's grip slackened, and Ruby hit the floor in a heap, her Aura stained a pitch black as Blake felt her chest tighten in worry. "I-I'm sorry, Ruby!" Blake slid off after the girl, kneeling by her leader's side.

Ruby stood, and Blake froze as her eyes locked onto her; something about the way Ruby had fallen had caused one side of Ruby's goggles to slip a few centimeters. Blake stared, silent and meek at the thick, black vein crawling across Ruby's temple. That… was not _normal._ It looked like somebody had injected an ink pen into her vein, swelling it to an unnatural size and staining it black. It looked ready to pop and spill a diseased _pus…_

"Y-your face…" Blake raised a hand up, morbid curiosity causing her to reach out to Ruby's temple. It was swatted away, and Ruby lurched out of Blake's grip. Ruby quickly readjusted her goggles, hiding the ugly vein from view, and Blake's suspicions about Ruby being a Faunus began to shrivel. Was she truly… _diseased?_ "Ruby, what the hell was that?!" Blake demanded.

Ruby looked back at Blake with a stiff, shaky frown, and by the way her forehead crumpled inwards, it was meant to be a glare. "I-I told you I can't tell you! I-I have o-orders! It's _m-my_ b-business!"

"So you don't trust me?!" Blake demanded. Her chest hurt. How could Ruby not trust her?! It had… it had only been a month, but they'd fought together! Why was everyone else allowed to know?!

"I-I trust you b-but—"

"So why can't I _know?!"_ Blake shouted, forcing her ears to not twitch. She wanted to be trusted, she wanted to trust _them._ If they found out elsewhere… Blake grit her teeth. "You _don't_ trust me!"

Ruby had gone silent, and she looked to the floor. Her little fists were shaking as she considered, and briefly, a hand reached up to touch her goggles… but then lowered again. "I-I need the h-headm-master to t-trust m-me."

"More than you need _me_ to trust you?!" Blake's voice was rising. She couldn't believe this! They were friends, right?! They'd known each other for… for a _month._ They'd fought together and… Blake was feeling more shaky and more uncertain. What platform did she stand on here?

Ruby's chin sank to her chest, and almost too low to hear, she answered, "Yes…"

Blake stared at Ruby in disbelief, and she raised a hand to try and grasp… _something,_ but it lowered back to her side. Ruby tightly held herself in her own arms, refusing to meet Blake's eye. "But… Weiss—"

"Was an _accident!"_ Ruby interrupted promptly, her voice thick and welling with emotion as she spoke to her breast. "Sh-she sh-shoul-shouldn't have f-found out… the h-head-headmaster le-let it go b-but I can't…" Ruby shook her head. "I c-can't push it ag-again. Th-this is my only ch-chance to b-be a hu-hu-huntress."

"But…" Blake spoke weakly. "It's ridiculous! I'm sure he'd understand if I—! I won't hurt you, I won't tell anyone, I'm—"

Ruby looked up at the ceiling as her voice rose, "Blake, I _order_ you to _stop!"_ Ruby commanded, visibly shuddering as her frown deepened, and she fell silent. Blake felt something in her chest crack. Did Ruby just… _command_ her to shut up? That—no, she wasn't like that, not like… "I-I'm sorry… I can't." Ruby sniffled, turning away to present her back. "Thi-this is all I ever wanted… to come here, to train, to learn… I can't be a huntress any other way. I-if the headmaster found out I'd t-told you, i-if he kicked me out of B-Beacon because I can't ke-keep the one s-stupid s-secret he t-told me to…"

Blake squeezed her hands together. Her ears laid flat on her head while Ruby couldn't see her, and it took every ounce of her willpower to make them stand straight again. Her jaw quivered as she slowly strode forward, and rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders heavily. The girl was as tense as a rock, and a small, unhappy noise escaped her. "I-I won't tell, I promise, nobody'll know." Blake whispered in a quivering voice, but her team leader shrugged her hands off. "Ruby… _please…"_

Ruby sighed thickly, and hung her head. "I… I-I'm sorry, Blake. Pl-please don't a-ask ag-again. I-I have to th-think a-about m-my ca-career and..." She felt the hand slide off her shoulder, and Ruby kept her eyes on the floor. After a moment of silence, she heard rapid footsteps behind her, and the door open, then slam shut. Ruby quietly slid to her knees.

Blake wasn't prepared to know. Weiss had eventually come around, but even _still_ she couldn't meet Ruby's eyes. But the kids on Patch who had stolen her little goggles and looked her in the eye, saying they were brave, had proven to be anything but. Ruby didn't want to hurt Blake, but this was the best way to keep Blake from being afraid of Ruby, and for Ruby to stay in the headmaster's good graces.

If she was forced out of Beacon so early, if she'd lost her chance…

Ruby sucked in a shuddering breath, and whimpered to herself.

* * *

The door opened cautiously after some time had passed. Weiss ducked her head through the crack, peering inside to see who was still there. Weiss's brow furrowed, a frown crossing her face; the silence was telling. Ruby was _not_ the sort to shut up if she had to explain herself, so unless the two had prematurely gone to bed with the lights on…

"Ahem?" Weiss announced herself, stepping into the room holding a single cardboard coffee cup for Ruby, filled with enough sweets that Weiss was half-convinced even porcelain would melt. She glanced to the bunks, then the bathroom, and only then noticed the hand lazily waving to her from under the curtain of Ruby's bunk. "I'll make a fairly strong assumption and say that it did not go well?" Weiss asked, trying to sound consoling as she walked to Ruby's bedside.

"Whyzit so hard?..." Ruby sounded awful through the curtain. A loud hiccup, a sad sniffle, a ' _boohoo'_ as well, and Weiss sighed heavily. "I _hate_ k-keeping secrets…"

Weiss tugged the curtain aside, eyes briefly catching the goggles resting on their hook by the bedside. Ruby, however, had one arm over her eyes, keeping them concealed. Weiss's jaw quivered, and she silently took Ruby's hand, putting it around the cup. Ruby rest the cup on her chest and breathed deeply, looking utterly, pathetically miserable.

"Blake's mad at me…" She whispered, and Weiss slowly shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell her, Ruby?" Weiss asked in a quiet, yet stern voice. "She's our teammate, do you really think she'd act any differently?"

"Of course she would..." Ruby murmured, her fingers tightening around the cup in her hand. "She'd act like everyone else... She'd take one look, tell me to stay away, and _run._ Like Yang did when we were kids, like the other kids on Patch, like _you did..."_ Ruby grit her teeth, her voice an accusing barb that made Weiss glare.

"I ran because you nearly _assaulted_ me, and I came _back,_ didn't I?! I seem to recall somebody playing the part of a Grimm beacon in the middle of the woods!" Weiss shot back. She didn't like to recall the events of that day, but she revisited that moment in her dreams often. Seeing Ruby at her most dangerous, her most _feral,_ her most frightened, Weiss knew there was something darker to her semblance and eyes, but she hesitated in trying to delve deeper in the girl's power. "You should have told her."

"D-did you know sh-she was going t-to ask?!" Ruby demanded angrily, turning her eyes towards Weiss. Weiss looked away, inadvertently proving Ruby's point, and Ruby sipped at her coffee almost bitterly. After a minute of silence, she spoke again. "I c-can't tell her. I promised the headmaster I wouldn't."

"I don't recall you making that promise in front of _me,_ the headmaster basically gave us a free pass because I chose to stay your partner!" Weiss pointed out angrily, and Ruby made a small, angry fist. "Why in the world would he—"

" _You_ weren't supposed to know _either!"_ Ruby's voice rose, silencing Weiss in the girl's anger. Ruby snarled, showing her teeth, and Weiss took an unsteady step back as Ruby glared into her coffee, her expression like a cornered animal's, furious, afraid, frightening… soaked with dripping tears. " _Nobody was!_ L-look at me, Weiss!" Ruby ordered, turning to face her partner. Weiss couldn't pull her eyes away, and that grim gnawing at her heart began as those perfect, bloody orbs pierced straight through her, into her soul. "Do you s-seriously think I _deserve_ to be here?!"

Weiss tore her gaze away from Ruby, to avoid looking at those _things,_ but she could still feel that stare on the back of her head. Weiss shuddered, arms pressed tightly to her sides. "Y-you passed the entrance exam, you made second, you've proven that you can—"

"I'm a _monster,_ Weiss! I sh-should have been strangled in my crib b-before I had the chance to hurt anyone! Nobody d-deserves to know the truth about—" Ruby's words were cut short by a slap that left her gasping in pain. Coffee poured out of the crushed cup in Ruby's hand, staining her bedsheets. The young redhead lifted a hand to her stinging cheek, and a small, frightened cry escaped her, and without warning, fingers dug into her hair. The younger girl squealed in pain as she was all but dragged into Weiss' furious expression, with Weiss glaring pointedly at the bridge of Ruby's nose, and nowhere else.

" _Ruby. Rose."_ Weiss's voice was tight and simmering as she held her partner's hair. " _Must_ I remind you _who_ saved my _life?"_ Weiss asked, every motion of her jaw forced and exacting, making Ruby tremble at the barely contained rage. "I. Would have. _Died._ I spend every night thinking about what a _failure_ I am, having to have relied on you! I am a pathetic, talentless little _whelp_ against the Grimm when _you_ are around keeping the _teeth_ out of _my neck._ I, _Weiss Schnee,_ heiress to the _richest_ and most _powerful_ family in Remnant am _in debt_ to you, because _you,_ with all your _vile power_ and _horrible social conduct,_ are still _thrice_ the hero _I am."_ Weiss pushed Ruby's face away, and looked at the floor. Her expression had softened considerably, revealing a small, sad little girl, looking down at her feet with a frown. Ruby was taken aback, the thundering in her head and her heart replaced by an eerie silence.

Weiss hung a pair of tight fists by her thighs, her voice a more gentle whisper. " _I owe you._ I owe you _so much._ Even when I hated you, you saved my life. Even when I'd grown short with you, you taught me to succeed. I'm _brains_ and _knowledge,_ but you're _strength_ and _action._ I'm scared of the sort of power you wield, but I…" Weiss sucked in a deep breath, and let it out. She looked up at Ruby, nervously keeping her eyes on the girl's forehead. "I admire how strong you are, despite it. If you weren't here for me, I wouldn't have my life. Or my _friend._ So don't you _dare_ say you deserve anything less than life and Beacon; the girl I came to admire would tell _you_ that you're better than this."

Ruby was still. Heart, mind, and body, in perfect sync, hardly making a beat, movement, or noise. Before her, Weiss wiped the gathering tears from her eyes on her wrist, and took a deep breath to calm herself. When those arctic blue eyes looked to Ruby again, it was with the fierce determination Weiss approached any challenge, and she made great effort to ensure she was not cowed by Ruby's fearsome gaze. "W-Weiss…" Ruby turned away. "I admire you too…"

"And do you admire Blake?" Weiss asked firmly, keeping the emotion out of her voice as best she could, but failing with a quiver at their teammate's name.

"I-I do—"

"So doesn't she _deserve_ to know?" Weiss demanded. Ruby did not answer. She stared down at the wet, coffee-soaked sheets covering her legs, and rather than answer Weiss, she tugged the sheets out from under the mattress, balling them up. " _Ruby?"_ Weiss persisted, speaking through grit teeth.

"Weiss…" Ruby spoke with a thick tongue, and Weiss bit back her anger to hear her out. "When… when I was a little girl, I used to watch a group of kids play games in the woods through the window. I wasn't allowed to leave the house, just… watch as they played Hunters and Bandits." Ruby's jaw trembled slightly, the memories piecing themselves together, the old scars reopening in her mind. "I wanted to go play. I wanted to be a hunter, more than anything else, even back then. I wanted to help people, and stop evil, and be something… not _this_. My dad, and Yang, whenever I got too angry, or scared, they _suffered._ Beowolves in the bathroom, and Creeps in the attic, they got bitten, scratched, they _screamed_ and fought and… and… sometimes, I could see that they were scared of me." Ruby pulled her knees to her chest.

Delicately, she continued. "Not anymore, I learned to control myself, but there was a time when I was too young to stop myself. I poured myself into learning how to be a hunter, and I saw a chance. I disobeyed my dad and went outside to talk to them, and-and they were excited!" Ruby forced a smile, and Weiss knew that expression exactly. To meet someone you thought was like you, to have the hopes that you had a kindred soul in a life full of well dressed mannequins, repeating the same thoughts and ideas ad nauseum… but this was different. "They'd never seen me before, they said I could join the hunter's side! B-but…" Ruby's voice dipped. "But I had to take off my goggles. Only the bandits wore masks, the hunters weren't afraid to show their faces. S-so… so I decided…"

"You took off your goggles." Weiss guessed, listening intently. Ruby's fingers dug into the ball of blankets and sheets, and nodded.

"I thought—I _knew_ it was a dumb thing to do, but being a hunter meant being free, and meant protecting people. They were _kids!_ I don't know _w-why_ I thought they'd think the same way, I thought they were playing hunters because they wanted to be them like I did, an-and I thought they might l-look past my eyes... I was so stupid…" Ruby trembled, holding her head. "It was a stupid _stupid_ game and I was a stupid _stupid_ girl who was desperate to make friends and not be scared…! They… they saw my eyes and called me a Grimm." She wiped her eyes, and sighed thickly. Weiss nodded slowly, and set a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "They hit me. A lot. Dad was mad, Yang was mad, I don't know who they were angrier at, but… somehow they got the parents to stop coming around, and got the kids to play somewhere else. I didn't go out much after that, not until I could control myself..."

Weiss, solemnly, took the ball of bedsheets from Ruby, eyeing them as she thought to herself. The scent of coffee coming from it made her wince, and she slowly walked to the laundry basket, dropping it in. She stepped into the closet, and came out with a spare set, dropping them on Ruby's lap. "You're right, you _were_ stupid, but you were also just a kid." Weiss sighed, stroking the hair out of Ruby's face while watching her chin. "We all did stupid things as a kid. I said some _very_ stupid things on live camera because my dad wanted me to. I thought myself extra special, and infallible, and then, without warning, my entire family, my entire basis for my ego and personality, it all fell apart because my dad admitted the most selfish thing he could on my birthday." Weiss lifted herself onto Ruby's bed, and Ruby scrambled to get out of the way as her partner began to stretch the bedsheets from corner to corner. "All to make a _point._ Like he was _proud_ of how selfish he was. From that point on, I knew that _he_ didn't care about the Schnee family beyond what he could take from it, but I did. You and I both grew up, and we both decided we would stop being stupid kids and try to be better adults. And, of all people, I think Blake could be considered a ' _better adult.'_ than an idiot who will try and kill you over a misunderstanding." Weiss shot Ruby a pointed look as Ruby tensed up.

"I-it's… not that." Ruby murmured, causing Weiss to give an annoyed wheeze as she gestured for Ruby to slip off the bed. Weiss continued to tuck the sheets as Ruby kept going. "Weiss, th-this is e-everything I ever wanted, and then s-some! I'm at Beacon, I'm n-nearly a _hunter,_ c-closer than I could have ever been…! I-If… if I got kicked out, if the headmaster d-decided I couldn't be trusted to keep my own secrets—"

"Then your chance of being a hunter is gone." Weiss finished flatly, causing Ruby to nod in agreement. "I understand." The heiress sighed, sitting at the edge of Ruby's bed, giving her a gentle look. "I still think it's utterly idiotic to not tell her, but either way, we don't know how it'll end. Either Blake accepts it or doesn't, or the headmaster accepts it or doesn't. Theoretically damned if we do, theoretically damned if we don't." Ruby nodded again, more slowly. "She'll have to find out eventually."

"No she doesn't…"

"Don't be stubborn, Ruby! She's our _teammate!"_ Weiss admonished, making Ruby's head and shoulders sink. Weiss lightened up, swinging her legs in idle thought. "Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but you'll _have_ to tell her eventually."

Ruby simply settled onto Weiss's mattress, and sighed thickly into her hands.

* * *

Two young women walked down the Beacon passenger dock, leaning against each other with flirtatious smiles and arms around each other's hips. Yang strode confidently, wearing a strapless black dress that stopped just below her knees, a daring outfit whose risque nature was slightly dampened by a white, breezy jacket. She walked with familiar ease in a pair of heels, accentuating her already womanly hips and butt. Yang believed in the simple philosophy that a simple black dress was good for every occasion, including a first date with somebody she'd only just started talking to.

By her side, Roja, the pretty dark-skinned huntress Yang sat by in their Grimm Studies class, wore a beautiful, dark red Vacuan dress, which seemed to be composed of half a dozen strips of similar colored cloth that flowed off her arms and legs like ribbons. Though she was covered from neck to toe by the tight dress, the crossing cloth over her breasts made an open triangle to expose her belly. A single, gold-leaf wrap around her waist kept the outfit from simply opening up around her, while her headscarf had been untangled, and worn around her neck as more of a scarf as the evening heat bore down on her. This exposed her short, almost boyish red hair. She walked barefoot, a pair of tight, uncomfortable heels in her free hand as Yang lead her back into the school.

"My _padra_ told me that Vale was different from home, I thought he meant the landscape, not the _boldness_ of its women." Roja teased, though not without prompt, as Yang's finger had slid underneath her dress to stroke her side. "Surely Vale cannot claim to be more free-minded than Vacuo…"

Yang giggled, giving her date a wink. "Well _my_ _padra_ always told me to never beat around the bush; he said that girls like a little earnesty." A pinch to Roja's side drew a surprised yelp, and the pretty girl looked away to hide a full-faced blush.

"You are definitely earnest, Yang." Roja giggled back, halting her step, Yang quickly doing the same to give the girl a curious look. "Hm, _earnesty."_ She mused, looking at her date, then up at the darkened colossus that was Beacon Academy, the glowing lighthouse of the CCT tower piercing through the night sky like an inscrutable eye. "I imagine both of our dorm rooms will be occupied."

Whatever Yang had been thinking was quietly forgotten as the blonde gave her date a small, suspicious smile. "Probably. Did you have something in mind, _mhia?"_

"If my recollection of Valleywood movies are correct, it is a common pastime for dating teenagers to ' _make out.'"_ Roja looked Yang in the eye with a sly smile on her face, her eyes dipping down to Yang's full, decorated lips.

"Li'l brat!" Yang teased, lightly pinching Roja's side. The noise Roja made left the girl blushing, and Yang cackling. "Don't play the ' _cute foreigner'_ card with me! If you wanna find some dark corner to lock lips for a while, you just gotta say it."

"Hmph!" Roja shrugged her shoulders, giving Yang an aggressive bump of her hip, followed by a small smirk. "Fine. Yang, I would like to reach ' _second base'_ tonight."

" _Righteous."_ Yang purred as she lead the way.

Similar situations at Signal had given Yang a bit of a thing for the smell of old leather, paper, and ink. With low-lighting, plenty of obstacles and surfaces to hide behind, there was a certain kinkiness to abusing a public facility, and Yang loved the thrill of dragging her new catch into the library.

The two, excitable girls went upstairs where they were less likely to be seen, and it took little time for things to get physical. The Vacuan huntress sat at the edge of a table, Yang between her legs when their lips first connected. The experienced ladykiller she was, Yang had little trouble leaving the virgin girl whimpering for more.

The fun part about getting frisky in a library was telling her partner that she needed to be quiet, then riling her up so much that she _couldn't._ With Yang pushing her tongue into Roja's mouth, it was easy to keep their little escapade a secret, but Yang liked to find buttons to push. A quick trip down Roja's chin, her teeth softly grazing the sweet girl's neck, and Roja was hoarsely announcing herself to the whole room.

Trembling fingers slid along Yang's spine, too weakened by Yang's bite to fight back as Yang's hands began to tug and loosen pieces of Roja's dress. The blushing Vacuan found herself bare-breasted as Yang poured over her shadowed torso with a hungry growl.

The moment devolved into mindless indulgence, seconds and minutes passing by without heed as the two girls melted into the other's embrace. Hands and lips travelled with impromptu whim, not a plan nor worry between the two of them. For one, it was night of exploring a new girl, a new dish, enjoying and comparing the feelings and flavors to the others she fondly remembered, and taking pride in being a fantastical first. For the other, it was a night of discovery, a host of feelings once explored alone, now shared with another, one she barely knew, but trusted with exhilaration.

And for the third, it was a surprising moment of embarrassment and annoyance, to be derailed with a hacking cough and a pair of squeaks and shocked exclamations.

" _It's not what it looks like!"_

" _Pervert!_ Leave us—!"

Yang and Roja both looked over the blonde's shoulder in surprise and anger, though Yang's changed her tune when she saw who it was, and she didn't know if she was more ashamed or relieved.

"Guess the date went well?" Blake asked in a dull voice, trying to not get distracted as she addressed the two.

"Whoa-ho, Blake, uh, you aren't stalking us, are you?" Yang whirled about. Blake gave her partner a flat look, then looked the other way so that Yang could tug her dress back up over her breasts in at least some privacy.

"Hardly." Blake lifted a book with a library sticker on it, making Yang give a nervous laugh. "I came to check out a book for the night, though I guess I get to check out a little more." She looked past Yang, and caught Roja's eye, the darker girl turning darker as Blake gave her a quick once-over. "I like the piercings, Roja."

" _Thank you,_ Blake." Roja dressed her torso again, her face burning.

"So, uh… guess we'll find somewhere more private. Sorry to bug ya, Blakey!" Yang shot her a grin and a pair of finger guns, which would have been more than enough reason for Blake to roll her eyes, make some smartass remark, and walk away, but her partner simply gave her a listless nod.

"You two have fun." Blake turned on her heels to walk away; not with the confident stride Yang knew, but more like Ruby in one of her bad moods: head hung low, small steps, something to her chest… Yang could sense something wrong immediately.

As Yang mulled, she felt something press to her arm, and found Roja snuggling to her side with an excited smile. "So, where to?" Her date asked, smiling hopefully as she thrust her modest breasts out to Yang. Yang glanced to her date, then to her chest, and brooded.

* * *

It may have been as cliche as cliche could get, but Blake needed something sappy and moody. Settling into a claustrophobic corner in the dark and quiet, with only a pen light to read by, Blake cracked open the book of to try and settle her nerves. It was filled with prosey passages about loneliness and betrayal; just what she needed, to justify her own pain through the overwrought poetry.

She was a fool. For the first time in years she was having fun, relaxing, communicating with people without having to walk on eggshells in case she said something that ' _undermined their vision.'_ She took their petty little bonding as something deeper. She was just _another_ girl in Ruby's life, number _whatever_ in who knew _how many_ other girls Ruby had crushed on.

She was just an overly emotional little girl, who thought _her_ secrets were _so_ special, who put _her_ dreams and _her_ desires above her friends because, _god forbid_ she stopped being a _hunter…_

… Then what? Blake stared at the page in frustration, the words having lost their meaning as her mind wandered and refused to focus. Why was Ruby so set on being a hunter? What did losing that _mean_ to her…? She wouldn't be able to become the hero she wanted to be, and of the things Ruby revealed about herself, her desire to protect people stood out.

It was something Blake _respected_ about Ruby, hell it was the most endearing part about her! A stuttering, nervous wreck who fought the impulse to flee so she could be a hero; she didn't want revenge, or glory, or fame, she wanted to kill Grimm and save people.

Not to mention she wasn't racist, wasn't elitist, wasn't a thief, a terrorist, or an accessory to murder…

Even still, Blake felt… displaced. She'd had her place on the team, and she'd enjoyed it, but they hid their secrets and now… now Blake wasn't so sure of what to do. She wanted to be petty and hide her ears from them, but she knew, deep down, in the long run, that would get her in trouble. As if _Ruby_ couldn't either…

That one, gross, bloated vein Blake had seen… she wanted to forget it, she wanted to know more. How diseased _was_ Ruby? Blake's hopes of the girl being a secret Faunus was shattered, and she was angrier that she let herself get so hopeful over it than she was about Ruby being sick.

"... Idiot…" Blake muttered to herself, leaning her head against a bookshelf. Now she didn't know _what_ to do, and she felt all the dumber for it.

"I literally _just_ got here." An amused voice made Blake blink, and whisk her pen light up at the figure watching her. In her little black dress and white jacket, Yang closed the gap between herself and Blake, and the moodier girl recoiled, drawing her legs in tight. _Yang_ knew, Yang was keeping secrets too, she wasn't any help! She had to—

Blake bit down on her tongue to stop her thoughts from racing so quickly, and she forced herself to stare with a dull look in her eye, trying to not betray her heated feelings. However, she couldn't hide the paleness to her face, the way the edges of her lips tugged down as she tried to focus, and she knew that Yang wasn't about to fall for it. "Don't you have a date?" Blake asked gruffly.

"I did, but I decided I had more important things to do." Yang plopped down by Blake, and though the darker girl tried to make some space, Yang tossed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Blake blinked in surprise as she found herself pressed to Yang's side, head suddenly on her shoulder, and sucking up the blonde's immense warmth. She cringed, her skin crawling, her body clammy, but Yang's presence made those little, ugly tics stop. "Told her I needed to go see why my partner's acting so down. I figure I'll show her the bedroom ropes later; you're more important."

Blake's mouth opened partially, expecting a quip to come out, but her brain had come to a standstill. "... I am?" Blake shut her mouth, and looked down at her knees, a blush forming as Yang laughed and gently smacked Blake's shoulder. "... You're going to badger me until I tell you, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Yang grinned, making Blake chuckle softly. She didn't know if she should have been honest, Yang was far more protective of Ruby than anyone else, but Blake still burned to know, now more than ever. Ruby didn't trust her to know her secrets at the risk losing her dream… and Blake felt the same way. She sighed thickly, and grunted in annoyance when Yang bumped her with her shoulder repeatedly. "Badger badger badger badger!" Nudge nudge. " _Mushroom mushroom~!"_

"W-what the hell are you _doing?!"_ Blake demanded with a confused laugh, while Yang just smiled cheekily.

"Man, you really _didn't_ have the internet, huh? C'mon Blake, you know I'm gonna be a pain in your ass."

"Tsk, you'd have to take me out before I'd let that happen." Blake put on a smirk at Yang's curious grin.

"Ooooh, I'll keep _that_ in mind! But hey, more importantly. Bother!" Yang bumped Blake again, making the smaller girl wiggle in annoyance. "Bother bother! Blake~y, c'mon! Bother! Badger!" Yang was now poking her obstinate partner, who was grumbling, giggling, and squeaking. "Pokey poke, Blakey! What _happeeeennnned?!"_

" _Stoooooop!"_ Blake whined, pushing Yang's hands away, only for them to come right back to needling her belly and sides. "You are the _worst!_ Oh my god Yang you are— _eek!—so annoying!_ Just let me sulk!"

"No think-y! More tell-y!" Yang ordered, now digging her fingers into Blake's sides, making the girl give a shout of dismay and squirm in place, the book flying from her hands as she slapped at Yang's. " _HEY!"_ Yang suddenly shouted, and it came to a stop. Blake found her back to the wall, her face so close to Yang's that she could smell the cherry chapstick on her lips. Yang was leaning over her, her levity gone, her expression serious. "If you're having a problem, Blake, you can tell me."

Their noses were almost touching, and Blake felt the world around her go quiet and still, like time had stopped for just a moment… she forgot she was angry, she forgot she was sad, she forgot why she was even here; Yang was right there, looking and smelling utterly delicious, and teenage impulses raged through Blake…

… _No..._

Blake pressed her hands to Yang's shoulders, pushing just enough to sit up, getting out from underneath her partner with a glowing red blush, staring at the floor with wide eyes, red cheeks, and a persistent hiccup. "M-my prob-problem is that y-you're getting frisky on me when you're supposed to be dating _another_ girl." Blake found her heart hammering. Her body was pumping with energy, but as she calmed down, and Yang sat up to stare at her, her confrontation with Ruby came swimming back. Her elation slowly dispersed, and she buried her chin into her chest. "... Ruby and I had a bit of a fight."

"You and _Ruby?"_ Yang responded in disbelief, and Blake shot her a quick glare. Yang's nose crinkled, she took a deep breath, and then she nodded. "Okay, you and Ruby had a fight. What about?"

Blake sighed, "nothing."

"Did… either of you try to start something that I wouldn't approve of?" Yang asked sternly, and Blake shook her head again.

"I said it was nothing! It was a disagreement is all, over some… _team_ stuff. We're big girls, we can work it out between us."

"If it's an issue between team members, I think me 'n Weiss should know." Yang said flatly, making Blake wince. "We don't want it affecting team dynamic, there shouldn't be any secrets or spats between the four of us."

"That's what _I_ was trying to say…" Blake muttered under her breath, causing Yang to give her an odd look. "Look, it's… I just–I didn't–I _understand..."_ Blake ran out of steam, and she quietly thought to herself. An impulsive piece of her told her to tear her ribbon out of her hair and show herself, spill _everything,_ just give Yang _all_ the puzzle pieces and put them together for her… but she was scared. It wasn't easy to admit, but she was terrified; Yang seemed to like the Faunus, but to tell her teammate that she was a _terrorist?_ How could she show her ears and then just say ' _oh, I didn't want to be judged'_ when so many other Faunus boldly displayed themselves? Because she was a coward hiding from her problems, hiding from suspicion, that's all it was… "I... asked to see Ruby's eyes."

"You did _what?!"_ Yang's voice rose, making Blake wince. Yang's eyes flashed a dangerous red, and for a moment, Blake felt afraid. She did not want Yang angry; she didn't expect her to get _this_ mad. But to her relief, Yang quickly got control of herself with a dog-like shake of her head as the heat dissipated. "Okay, sorry, sorry, Ruby's condition—we're super protective of it. It can't be taken lightly, asking her to reveal herself—"

" _I know."_ Blake interrupted loudly, and sank back into her sitting position. "I just asked; maybe too much. I wanted to know, since _you_ know, and _Weiss_ knows, and… she was unhappy that I asked. She said no, I pushed, she said no, I pushed _harder,_ we had a bit of a fight…"

"The headmaster said that she couldn't." Yang pointed out, and Blake grit her teeth until they began to grind.

" _I know._ I _know_ the headmaster said so, and I don't know _why!_ Everybody on our team and on the staff gets to know but _me,_ I don't want to hurt her! I just—I just…" Blake scratched her head, and let out a soft breath. "I want to feel trusted. I'm sick of feeling like I don't belong. You girls are the first time I ever felt like I had a place in the world, as the big B of team RWBY—stop smirking, I get it. We've been together a month and… I already don't want it to end." Blake breathed deeply, feeling her eyes blur, and swiftly wiping a hand across her cheeks.

"You know we feel the same way." Yang slid closer, pressing her back to the same wall as Blake, touching shoulders as she addressed Blake. "You're special, y'know that?" Yang smiled, and Blake's nostrils briefly flared. "I've been around a ton of chicks in my life and you? You're pretty unique. There's so much I wanna know about you, so I get that you feel… _left out_ because we're all dancing around it, but we have a reason, y'know? We don't hate you, Blake."

"Will I _ever_ be allowed to know?" Blake asked softly, meeting Yang's eye. "I know it's probably not much, I know I shouldn't be _this_ worried, but I hate feeling out of the loop." And worse, the guilt of keeping them out of the loop was starting to catch up.

"Sure Blake. Can you trust us until then? Like, I don't know when she'll be comfortable showing you, but—"

"Maybe with the headmaster's permission?" Blake asked. Yang paused, considered it, and nodded.

"With his permission. But right now, respect Ruby's privacy. We'll try not to make a big deal out of it, okay?" Yang smiled.

Blake thought it over. It meant more time in the dark, so she _hated_ it. She didn't know if she felt like playing by the rules, not when she was dying to tell them her own problems, but they wanted to play it safe; maybe she should as well. "Okay."

With a small nod, Yang stood, and offered Blake a hand. The beautiful blonde, still dressed to impressed, took Blake's hand and pulled, dragging her partner to her feet. "Let's head home, alright? You and Ruby should kiss and make up."

"Yeah." Blake replied airily. It was all excuses and biding time, but… fine.

* * *

Yang strode into the dorm room with a peachy smile, and Ruby tossed herself out of the chair, ' _Cherry's Tail'_ still open on her desk, and wore as fake a smile as Yang had ever seen. "H-how was your date?!" Ruby threw herself into Yang's arms, getting a rub on the back of her neck for all her forced excitement, and hiding her face from her older sister.

" _Awesome,_ of course. You shoulda seen her, Ruby, it was a _big_ effort to not unwrap her right away." Yang wiggled her eyebrows, and got a smack to her hip.

"Ugh, just tell me how it _went,_ I don't need all the grody details." Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang, and Yang returned the little raspberry with gusto.

Weiss looked up from the room's second desk, watching the sisters curiously, but she looked past Yang at the girl hanging in the back. Blake leaned against the doorframe, looking lethargic and thoughtful. The little heiress considered bringing up the issue, but Yang loudly raised her voice.

"Okay! So…" Yang unwrapped Ruby from her torso, and spun around, dragging Ruby with her. Ruby found herself standing between Yang and Blake, the latter giving her a worried stare. Ruby stared back, then quickly looked down to her feet, her hand grasping Yang's for reassurance. "Look. The two of you can't pretend this'll just go away if you ignore it. Someday, you two are going to have to talk this out. Ruby's eyes are not up for debate, the goggles stay on until the headmaster gives the okay for them to come off. Let's not let this ruin our team, okay?"

Yang tried to smile wide, but both Ruby and Blake stayed quiet. Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her chair, watching the two girls look at everything in the room but each other. However, the first to break the silence was Blake, who gently cleared her throat.

"Ruby, I—..." Blake shifted her weight from one leg to the other, and Ruby looked up at her in apprehension, and Blake closed her eyes and let out a breath. "I'm sorry I was so pushy. I… I'm curious, but I know you aren't trying to hurt, or punish me. You're allowed to have your secrets, but… I hope you trust me. I'll have your back no matter what, but, it'd be silly to say that this is over with…"

"I kn-know…" Ruby bobbed her head, looking up to Blake, her eyes hidden behind those irritating goggles, her expression only half-readable. It made Blake's heart sink, but she tried to keep it from getting under her skin. "I-I don't wanna hurt you, o-or make you feel left out, but-but until I kn-know for s-sure…" Ruby touched the strap of her goggles, and Blake silently nodded.

"Yeah. I trust you…" Blake swallowed the lie thickly, her cat ears burning at the false reassurance. "I—until then, we can—I mean, we'll—"

"Heeeeey…" Yang spoke up, making the two girls glance her way curiously. "I have an idea. Nora'll want to go out tomorrow anyways, so why don't we spend the day in Vale?" Yang offered, trying to smile for each of them. "Tell you what, at some point, we can pair up, split up, and explore. Oh!" Yang grinned, an idea forming! "Weiss and I'll go to that wing place I told her about!"

"We will?" Weiss blinked, surprised at her sudden inclusion. "I mean," Weiss stood up, putting on a tight smile, "we will! We'll go eat! And-and—"

"And you two can visit Ruby's favorite book store!" Yang offered with a confident pump of her arm, looking down at her meek little sister. "You two love to read, so why don't you go enjoy some nerd-stuff together? It'll be a great experience for all of us!"

"Absolutely!" Weiss bobbed her head enthusiastically, giving Ruby and Blake awkward smiles. "It shall be a perfect team bonding trip! Simple enjoyment of the simple pleasures in life with our non-partners! I have yet to have a fun experience with Yang, and you two will get to indulge in one another's favorite reading experiences! Yes, all the—all of the Legogorns and Aralis and whatever stories you like!"

Weiss and Yang both tried to radiate complete confidence in the success of their plan, and Ruby turned her head away from the both of them to look up to Blake. Blake looked back, scuffing the carpet with her shoe in thought, and finally gave a small nod. "Sure. We can go find books." Blake nodded, her voice the slightest bit hopeful.

"Y-yeah. Okay." Ruby nodded with a smile.

" _Yes!_ Operation ' _Friends Again'_ is a go!" Yang announced dramatically.

* * *

Blake lay in bed, unable to sleep. Luck be with her, there was no class tomorrow, so sleeping in was an option, but she still wanted to shut her eyes and let the day be over with. She needed a reboot, but her mind couldn't stop wondering what lay behind Ruby's goggles, and whether or not her team even _deserved_ to know the truth about her past…

She was not a murderer, that was the one thing Blake could claim. She was never the one to draw blood. She could bluff, but she never dared to follow through. That didn't mean she wasn't guilty… trains derailed, buildings wrecked, vehicles destroyed, Dust stolen, food taken, farms looted, families starved… she had helped in all of those, all with the reassurance that she was not a murderer.

She merely helped them; even if she never directly encouraged them, her actions had enabled them. She opened locked doors and let them take hostages, she'd stolen documents detailing the movements of mercantile goods, and she was told to ' _not worry'_ about the humans involved, so she pushed them out of her mind. In much the same way a parent told their child that a dying pet was sent to a farm, Adam tried to preserve her innocence and trust by saying the humans were ' _let go.'_

But Blake knew better. She'd seen the corpses, the hastily dug graves, and eavesdropped on her compatriots talking about the missions. Blake squeezed her eyes shut… they had _bragged_. An innocent man, executed for the crime of not being a Faunus. He was just a simple truck driver, Blake could recall his well-groomed beard, his cheap glasses, his southern Vale accent as he pleaded for his life…

And, like a coward, she shut her mouth, let it happen, and walked away. She stayed with the Fang for a few months after that, and it kept happening. Not all the time, most humans were simply put at the edge of the forest to take a few mile hike to the next village, but some… the ones wearing the Schnee logo, they were fodder for the cause, tinder to fuel the flames.

And, like a coward, Blake kept her mouth shut, let it happen, and ignored it. She ignored it until the guilt weighed greater and greater on her, until she hastily formed a plan for escape. A simple two-man operation, a couple of robot guards, enough Dust to keep the camp lit up for another month or two… and it took one good cut to leave Adam behind, while Blake watched him disappear in the distance, while she ran away as fast as she could.

Blake pulled the blanket tighter around her neck, and let out a small, shuddering breath. She could pretend to be a normal, teenage huntress-to-be all she wanted, but the blood of her allies had long soaked into her palms, and here she was, unable to justify it even with the Schnee heiress just a couple of feet away.

How badly she wanted to tell them, to feel their anger and hatred and betrayal, all so she would have an excuse to leave and never get attached to three perfectly lovely people. It had only been a month; she didn't deserve their affection, in no way had she earned their friendship, much less their forgiveness. She craved to be comforted and told it was okay, it wasn't her fault, to have her mistakes washed away so she could start anew…

… but she was a big girl. She knew how the world worked. She deserved to be imprisoned, her throat cut, and tossed into an unmarked grave. That was how it worked for cowards, especially ones who denied their pasts.

Silently, she turned onto her side to stare across the room at Ruby's curtain. Her goggles hung on the hook, in view between one sheet and the next. The vein crossing Ruby's temple was in Blake's mind now; the girl had secrets, brazen, horrible, disgusting… but not of her own fault, so Blake assumed. Ruby could have been diseased, infectious, and horrific, but she was an innocent girl, her hands clean of innocent blood, whose trust Blake wished she deserved.

Blake closed her eyes, begging the darkness to take her, so she could run to her dreams, where she was safe from the reality of her nature, and the fears she held for her new friends.

Tomorrow would be another day to stay silent and pretend nothing was wrong.


	17. Monkeys and Mayhem

" _That's my little breadwinner! One more lap!"_ Taiyang called across school's track and field. Running between the rungs of a pair of rope ladders laid side-by-side, Ruby steadied her breaths and focused on the crawling pit ahead. " _Perfect form Nikos, but don't let it get to your head!"_ His voice thundered after Pyrrha, who swung from monkey bar to monkey bar, with such efficiency the coach would call it textbook. " _C'mon Yang, pick up your damn feet or your sister'll be ahead of you on the course and in grades!"_

" _I will punch your ass out your mouth, dad!"_ Yang roared before tackling a heavy, weighted dummy, only barely breaking stride as she shoved it fifteen feet across the grass.

" _I would_ love _to see you try, sweetie! Arc, pack it up and come get some water!"_ Taiyang barked. At his words, Jaune collapsed onto his knees, sweat pouring off his body. He pulled himself on shaking limbs over to the coach, who slapped his back and in one hand gave him a water bottle, and in the other Zwei's leash. The blonde screamed as he was dragged away by thirty pounds of fluff and love. " _You're almost done Schnee, ten more meters!"_

Weiss was close to collapsing each step as she used two ropes fashioned around her shoulders to drag a heavy tractor tire behind her. On her final step, she fell onto her front, suppressing the urge to vomit her breakfast all over her PE shirt.

When she opened her eyes again, a slightly damp, cool towel was dabbing her forehead, and she accepted the sip of cool water with great relish. She was laying on her back, her head resting on something that was paradoxically hard as a rock, but cushioned enough that her skull didn't ache. When her vision focused, she found herself looking up at the coach, who fixed her with a quizzical look.

"Ya made it; good job, Weiss." He offered in a refreshing tone. No more _shouting,_ no excessive pride in her accomplishing basic physical training, she was pleased with water and a well done.

" _Thanks… coach…"_ Weiss wheezed through burning lungs and a tight larynx.

Pyrrha jogged up, panting loudly, arms and legs aching, and stared curiously at Weiss using the coach's lap as a cushion. She pouted; why weren't there any cute blondes offering _her_ a lap pillow?

"Finished up, Pyrrha?" Taiyang asked, holding out some water. Pyrrha took it and drank deep, using the chill to calm the heat in her chest and belly. She finally gave Tai a quick nod.

"Very satisfying, sir! I've spent a long time focusing on tournament training, this… _difficult simplicity,_ I shall call it, is quite refreshing." She bowed her head to him, earning a lopsided grin.

"Hey, I'm just glad it works for you, super star. Sit and relax, the hard part of the day is over." Taiyang lifted Weiss's head and folded the towel underneath her so she'd still have a pillow, and Pyrrha took a seat at Weiss's feet. Tai walked out to the course to continue encouraging and challenging his two daughters.

The Saturdays after the monthly tests were meant to be the start of a weekend of fun and zero responsibilities, but the Xiao Long household had apparently missed the memo. Though Tai was forgiving towards the other students, Ruby and Yang had no chance to relax. A sharp knock to their dormroom door let the sisters know that just because they completed the first of many hard tests in their lives didn't mean old habits were going to die easily.

What had been surprising was Weiss joining them, with only a few muttered explanations that she wanted to improve herself, and was only trumped when they crossed paths with Pyrrha and a still-tired Jaune, looking to invite Ruby to some practicing, but joining in on the morning workout. Blake had decided to sleep in, to the surprise of no one.

" _I di-id iiit…"_ Ruby announced tiredly, dragging her feet as she came to a stop before the bench. She collapsed onto her butt in front of it, and plopped her head onto Weiss's stomach. A lazy, weak fist landed on her forehead, and Weiss let out a groan.

"I am _not_ a pillow, idiot."

"Shaddup Weiss, ye're a pillow now…"

"This is harassment." Weiss grunted, but made no further attempts to escape.

Ruby grumbled. "You can take it up with my lawyer."

" _You_ have a lawyer?" Weiss asked in disbelief. Ruby pointed, and Weiss followed her finger to the panting, muscle-bound blonde heading their way. "... That's a good lawyer."

"Damn right I am." Yang grunted, her usual enthusiasm overtaken by exhaustion. She sat to Ruby's right, leaning her head against Weiss's thigh as she took a water bottle. Weiss protested with small kicks, until aggravated growls stopped her.

Zwei sped up to Ruby and Yang's available laps and laid across them both, yapping in excitement as they rubbed his back and belly. Jaune, still hanging onto the leash, finally relaxed and lay a few feet away from his friends.

Taiyang snorted. "You only get three of those outfits, Jaune, if I see any grass stains on your clothes next week, it's gonna be extra laps, you hear me?" He demanded. He got a silent thumbs up, and Jaune tried to flatten himself against the ground. "Ahem. Anywho, good hustle everyone, I know y'all love your Saturdays, but this is gonna be worth the pain. Pity nobody else wanted to join in."

"Gee, dad, I wonder why." Yang shot her father a sarcastic grin, and he rolled his eyes back.

"I-I thought it was a very nice workout! An appropriate way to keep in shape on the weekends!" Pyrrha beamed, looking up to the coach with a big, excited smile. Yang's expression was somewhere between annoyed and amused as the redhead very obviously squirmed in delight under Tai's smile.

"Y'all hit the showers. Unless, Yang, if you got it in you, wanna come box with your pop?"

"Gimme five and we can dust knuckles, dad." Yang smirked, and the both of them ominously cracked their knuckles in anticipation.

The other four teens tiredly got themselves to their feet to go clean up, Ruby letting Jaune and Weiss both lean on her for support, while Pyrrha took the leash and watched Zwei trundle ahead of them.

After a quick shower, the four settled in by the practice ring to watch Yang bob, weave, and fight her father in one of the most grueling hand-to-hand sparring sessions all but Ruby had ever seen. Most bare-fisted combat drew their roots and inspiration from Mistralian martial arts, the difficult accomplishment of turning one's body into a weapon in and of itself.

What the Xiao Longs practiced, however, was much cruder, showing little grace other than in the simplicity of their attacks. There was no flourish or grandeur; the two slugged, grappled, and, at times, even outright cheated. Pyrrha blinked when the elder blonde shoved his open palm into Yang's face, squeezing to blind and distract her as he drew in and hammered his knee into her Aura'd ribs. Yang, in turn, grabbed his arm, rolled back to throw him over her body, and climbed onto his barrel-like chest to try and beat his face in with her knuckles.

It was a crass and curious form of street-brawling, one that Pyrrha noted would have probably thrown a few fighters off their game with how underhanded it could be. She quietly glanced to Ruby, who was absentmindedly grooming Zwei's behind as Weiss clung to the other half of the dog to coo over, and grew amused at the disparity between her and her sister.

"Are you sure we won't be able to practice together?" Ruby asked in a sad pout, and Jaune gave a small, apologetic nod.

"Afraid this was all the time we had for today; we're hitting the books pretty much right after this." He scrubbed his boyish blonde hair with one hand, and let out a sigh. "Ren's like—I mean, you can barely tell because it's _Ren,_ but he's mad. I don't wanna make it worse or encourage Nora to slack off."

Weiss huffed out loud, lifting her chin to avoid the stench of doggy breath as Zwei licked her. "While I am in agreement that a team should work together to encourage each other's best, _one's_ failure shouldn't punish the rest."

"Nora is new to the way Beacon operates. Ren's adaptability has served him well, but Nora needs… encouragement." Pyrrha stated plainly, though by her tone and expression, she wasn't thrilled by the prospect. "We need to offer ourselves as friends and teammates."

"Yeah, and it's not like _she's_ happy; she's pretty worked up about not getting to go out. I kinda wanna head back and see if she's gotten out of bed yet, see if I can do _something_ to help…" Jaune compressed his lips in frustration. Not at Nora, but at his own perceived failings.

"Well…" Ruby silently thought about the situation.

* * *

Ruby stared up into Ren's pink eyes, and was immediately disquieted by the boy's open annoyance. Ren's controlled emotions meant that, even at his happiest, it was only a small quirk of his lips that let his friends know he was in a good mood. Today, he was frowning, and the edges of his eyes had tightened the instant he saw who had knocked. Though he dressed casually in a comfy, women's turtleneck and worn jeans, his body language was anything but relaxed.

However, his bad mood passed with a sigh, and he greeted Ruby with a quick, polite nod. "Good morning Ruby." He said in his typical, direct no-nonsense tone, but Ruby picked up the slightest amount of agitation. "I trust you know that we're busy today?" Ruby was dressed as inoffensively as possible, in an unzipped black zip-up hoodie, a white T-shirt covered in cracked and chipping bubble decals, and baggy blue sports shorts.

"Y-yeah. Are _you_ okay?" Ruby asked gently, squeezing her notebooks to her chest as Ren annoyedly flicked some hair out from his face. His lips tightened, he looked to Ruby's left, and he stepped out from his room, shutting the door behind him.

"I would be lying if I said yes, so I will merely abstain."

"That… _still_ answered my question."

"That's the point." Ren crossed his arms over his chest. Ruby grew a large pout, enough to make Ren's eyelashes flutter, and a low sigh escaping him as Ruby's shoulders sank. "I suppose I should ask you, then, are _you_ okay? Nora and I aren't children, we'll make it past this."

"Oh, y-yeah, I know! I j-just—I thought I might—" Ruby drummed her fingers against her notebooks, then held them up to Ren. He eyed them for a moment, then her in question. "Th-these are my class notes. I wrote down everything I could, a-and all the sticky notes are stuff Weiss explained to me. Anything crossed out in red pen isn't important, s-so…" She trailed off as Ren took the notebooks and opened one up to the first page.

His brow raised; Ruby's handwriting wasn't immaculate, but it was legible, and the lessons were recorded almost word-for-word. The first page alone had three sticky notes, abridging some of the information while extrapolating on the rest, and three red lines striking out some information deemed unnecessary. Leafing through the notebook, it was immediately clear that Ruby was ' _always vigilant'_ in her classes, in a manner that almost seemed obsessively dedicated… but the young huntress _had_ made second in their grade.

He took the stack of notebooks and then opened his room's door. He beckoned Ruby with a small motion of his head, and walked inside, Ruby walking behind him curiously.

In contrast to her room, team JNPR kept the standard four-bed setup, which made space a little tighter, but also a little less ramshackle. Ruby awkwardly waved to the rest of team JNPR as they huddled around one desk. Jaune and Pyrrha waved back, books and notes in their laps, while Nora sat between them. As opposed to the usual bundle of energy she was, Nora was almost completely still, watching the floor with a dull stare, the book on her lap open, but forgotten while she crossed her arms over her chest; she even dressed for her mood, wearing the baggiest, rattiest pull-over Ruby had ever seen, as well as what looked like scavenged maternity pants.

"Nora." Ren spoke calmly as he approached her, and sat in the chair situated right in front of his girlfriend. Nora looked up at him with a sad expression and big, green eyes, making Ren's lips purse. "Ruby brought you some studying material." He held Ruby's notebooks out to Nora. "It's her notes."

The downtrodden redhead looked at the books quietly, regarding them with a mixture of ambivalence and annoyance, then took them. They were wordlessly dropped onto a stack of books and papers by her side, and she let out a sigh, going back to staring at the floor, or Ren's knees in this case.

Ren's lips twitched, and he tilted his head towards Ruby. "Be sure to thank her, Nora." His calm tone could not hide his growing annoyance, and Ruby silently rubbed her arm as Nora gave her a quick glance and a muddled thank you.

Ren and Ruby both watched her to see if she did anything else, and when it became apparent that Nora had resigned herself to an unhealthy bout of feeling sorry for herself, Ren leaned back and grew a flat expression. His fingers began to drum his leg in a way Ruby hadn't seen before, and she looked between the two lovers anxiously.

Since Ruby had met them, Ren and Nora seemed permanently attached at the hip. They snuck affectionate gestures to each other all the time, and Ruby had, on several occasions, seen them sit through lectures, hand in hand, writing with their opposite hands. Lunches and dinner with JNPR always involved the two feeding each other to varying degrees of sappy grossness, and Ruby had nearly crashed in on the two of them holding a very heart-to-heart ' _I love you more!'_ argument on the balcony.

It had gone on for at least _two minutes_ before they went for the kiss! The two were a textbook fairytale romance, but also teenagers, so it was a complex mixture of adorable and gag-worthy that gave Ruby the hope she would one day find somebody to be that stupid with.

This was not one of those made-for-TV romance moments, however; Nora was tired, ornery, and more than either of those, sad. She had every reason to be disappointed in herself: two of their classes were basically gimmes and she had managed to bomb her other three tests to an irreparable degree. Ruby had been terrified she'd be in this exact same position, but having Weiss as a partner held some particularly strong benefits.

Ruby touched her fingertips together in idle thought, and felt a hand on her upper arm. Jaune leaned towards her and whispered, "just go, don't worry, we got this. Have a good weekend!" He gave her a small smile and a little wave, and Ruby let out a breath.

There it was, the pass to relieve her of any duty in the matter. She now had a guilt-free out to just get back to her room and enjoy the rest of the Saturday without worry.

Ruby hunched her shoulders, and shook her head. She walked over to Ren and gently touched his shoulder, drawing a look. "I'ma try something, okay?" She offered. He stared up into her goggles thoughtfully, trying to read something that wasn't there, then nodded his head. With his blessing, Ruby turned and bowed to Nora, getting face to face with her. The fiery redhead looked up to her with an expression silently demanding her space, and Ruby pointed to the door. "Nora, you wanna come get ice cream with me?"

Nora blinked twice, her expression turning confused, perhaps a bit hopeful, but then she deflated and grunted angrily. "Yeah, no, I gotta _study;_ besides, it's early so sweets are bad for my blah blah _blah._ Sorry." Nora looked to a corner of the room nobody was standing in to brood.

"She is correct, we should be taking our time to—"

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea." Jaune cut Ren off, causing Ren to whirl on his team leader sharply.

"Jaune…" Ren spoke in calm warning, glaring a bubblegum pink threat at his team leader under the threat of Nora's academics being harmed further, but Jaune was watching Ruby.

Nora looked between her boyfriend and her team leader, as was Pyrrha, and Jaune's expression asked Ruby to take her chance very seriously as he smiled. "Nora, go with Ruby, but you'll both be back here in one hour, okay? We'll try and work up a lesson plan in that time."

" _Jaune."_ Ren said more sternly, his eyes narrowing as Nora hesitantly stood up, not sure who to obey. Ren and Jaune met eyes, and something unspoken passed between the two boys. After a few tense seconds, Ren looked to Ruby, then to Nora, back to Jaune, nodded, and to Nora once more. "Very well. Go ahead." He finally relented, sounding less than pleased. He was not a gambling man, but even he knew risks sometimes had to be taken.

"Are you sure?" Nora asked hesitantly.

"Yes, very." Ren lied, gesturing to Ruby. "Go ahead, enjoy. But as Jaune said, be back within an hour."

"O-okay." Nora stood up straight, setting her books aside carefully to not anger her lover, and she went over to Ruby's side. With a confident smile, Ruby took the lead out of the room, and Pyrrha glanced over at Jaune suspiciously.

"I suspect there is more to this than simple ice cream and lesson plans?" Pyrrha asked curiously. Jaune stood, grabbing Ruby's notebooks and leafing through them quickly.

He didn't look Pyrrha's way as he handed them to Ren and put a foot on his chair, leaning over it in a classical thinking man's pose. "Let Ruby do her thing." Was all he said on the matter. "Pyrrha, Ren, let's get something together!"

* * *

Ruby squeaked as her vision was suddenly obscured by two pieces of flying clothing, and held onto two packaged ice cream sandwiches as tightly as possible. She stumbled, wavered, and finally got her foot down, tossing the clothing onto the ground in time to see Nora rolling down the grassy gnoll, all the while yelling in excitement. She splayed out on her back at the very bottom, wearing nothing but a well-worn black sports bra and matching boys briefs.

Ruby bit her bottom lip; Nora was about as close to near-nudity as she could be near the school, and it was a stark reminder of how wild she was at heart. Ruby imagined Nora would have few issues rolling about in nature in the buff, but since they were still within a good mile of the school, she was being semi-conscious of her body.

" _This_ is what I wanted this weekend!" Nora pointed up at the clear blue sky, soaking in the sun as her healthy breasts heaved with each breath. "Not stupid- _stupid tests rrrrrrraaaggghhhhh!"_ Nora growled in frustration, rolling onto her side and curling into a ball of stress and shame.

Ruby slide-stepped down the hill, falling onto her rump on the last step and coasting down to Nora's level. She regarded the girl with a moment of pity, but then, with a teasing grin, she pressed the cool ice cream wrapper to Nora's tailbone, making the redhead squirm and kick and make more angry noises until she grabbed the package of out Ruby's hands. She sat up, sitting side-by-side with Ruby, and tore open the package with her teeth like a ravenous wolf.

"Oh my god the sugar gimme gimme _gimme."_ Nora bit into her ice cream sandwich as Ruby watched with a small grin, and tore open her own ice cream. "Hey!" Nora spoke through a mouthful of sweets, pointing at Ruby's bar. "You betta get started on that, 'cause if I'm done and you ain't, it's _mine."_

"I-I bought it!" Ruby huffed, taking her first bite. The cold was nice on this warm Spring day, and she stared off at the forest as she bit into her treat again. By her side, Nora chowed down on her ice cream, and as she warned, the moment she was done, she was grappling with Ruby over the remainders of the second. "Augh! N-Nora, noooo, it's _mine!_ I p-paid for 'em b-both!"

" _Survival of the fittest, baby!"_ Nora exclaimed, blindly grabbing for Ruby's furthest arm, Ruby's other hand pushing her away by the cheek and making her domineering grasps for food look more like desperate flailing. "Your hand cream is _awesome_ by the way!"

"Why—eek!—thank you!" Ruby hastily stuffed the rest of her ice cream in her mouth, chewing with huge, circular motions of her jaw as Nora spilled across her lap suddenly, sat up, and stared Ruby in the lens of her goggles. Ruby's cheeks puffed up, and she nervously swallowed as Nora watched.

The redhead sniffed. " _Rude."_ She stated, oblivious to the irony, then slid back to Ruby's side on her back to stare at the sky again, silent and still. Even with her typical energy and aggression, Nora's mind seemed far away. Not in the same way Weiss could be, when she was in study mode, nor in the way Blake could, when she was wrapped up in a book, but like Yang could, not really thinking, but not really present either. They were both women of the here and the now, and going too far ahead in their thoughts was an annoyance.

In many ways, Nora was happy to ignore the more complicated dealings of life. Her childhood up to this point had been her roughing it, living off scraps and what she hunted; things like philosophy, history, and chemistry hadn't been useful to her. As long as she had a cute boy telling her what to do and what needed to die, she was happy.

As long as she could avoid starvation, fear, and getting hurt, her life was pretty solid. Meals could be scarce, but she knew how to go to bed hungry. The wilds could be dangerous, but she knew how to weather a storm. The Grimm could be overwhelming, but she knew she was never alone.

That was life to her: simple. Ren's bright idea of going to Beacon seemed odd to her after they'd spent so much time getting by without civilization or school, but Ren talked about having friends, having a room, having meals, getting an education, it had made his face light up in a way that made Nora start thinking the same way.

And, for all intents and purposes, he had been right. The cafeteria was _way_ better than spending all day hunting, Jaune and Pyrrha were a joy to tease and chat with, the beds were soft and warm, and she never had to worry about how hot, cold, dry, or wet it would be when she woke up. The education stuff… it just didn't click.

"Hey, girlfriend?" Nora looked Ruby's way. Ruby had been watching the forest, but quickly retrained her attention, looking to Nora curiously. It was weird that Nora was getting used to reading _Ruby's_ face, Ren at least had eyes to work with. "Why'dja bring me out here?"

"Oh, uh…" Ruby looked back at the forest, and rolled her shoulders in that little ' _I dunno'_ way she did. "I thought i-it'd be nice to clear our heads. I have a bit of a w-weird day ahead of me, s-so… I thought, m-maybe you'd wanna come out here too." Ruby tried a smile, but it was obviously fake; one did not court with Ren without knowing how to read expressions well.

"Blegh. Aren't you and your team going to _Vale?_ You can pick us up a movie at least." Nora grumbled, closing her eyes. She lifted a foot, raising her leg high in the air above her. Ruby watched, embarrassed as that fully exposed, thick leg waved idly by her side. It was totally aimless, and Nora laid it down to do the same with her other leg, probably enjoying the way it made her flex. "Okay, so, what's the real reason then? No way Ren would have said yes unless you had some super-special way to teach me."

"W-well… I kinda don't." Ruby admitted as Nora raised both her legs above her head, balancing on her upper back and shoulders in a manner like a child, just beginning to explore the limits of their bodies. "I just… studied. Weiss and I would sit down and g-go over notes, she'd always wanna do quizzes and stuff, a-all of the extra bookwork–"

" _Boring!"_ Nora spat, then rolled on her side away from Ruby, showing off her well-toned back while curling up in a bratty way. Ruby sighed. "Ren wanted to do all that, but you know how hard it is to focus on this crap? I don't care."

"I th-think that's it." Ruby looked away from Nora, reprieving the older girl of her stare as she thought out loud. "I think you have to care. I-I'm not saying you have to care as m-much as me, or Weiss, or Ren, but to at least p- _pass–"_

"So I can become a hunter?" Nora grunted, then unwound herself, stretching on her side in a way that would be provocative if Ruby allowed herself to stare. "I can swing Magnhild just as well without Beacon giving me the go-ahead, and without knowing all this… _stuff."_

"B-but, with a license, you can get jobs and get money! A-and fame, and all sorts of discounts and travelling rights and sponsorships—"

"Ruby, I literally walked across Mistral with Ren with a tin can full of lien to get a boat to Vale." Nora's tone was dripping with exasperation. "We could have lived our whole lives in the wilds, built a shack or something, but… Ren wanted more." Her tone shifted as she focused on a distant memory, becoming softer. "I thought we were enough, but he disagreed."

"So, _Ren_ wants to be a hunter." Ruby clarified, and Nora rolled onto her other side, looking at Ruby with her jaw jutting out.

"Yeah." Nora answered, then her eyes drifted away as she thought. "See, Ren and I came from different worlds when we were kids. We're both orphans, we got nothin' to go back to, so if we're kicked out, it's back into the woods with us, but while I was just a streetrat grabbing scraps out of dumpsters, Ren grew up with his family in a place called Kuroyuri."

"... He lived in a town called Black Lesbians?"

Nora blinked. "What?! No! It's like, a flower or something! _What?!"_

"Nothing!" Ruby blushed.

Nora rolled her eyes, and continued. "Anywho, he had a mom who loved him, a dad who protected him and gave him weird life lessons. When we first met, we were a world away from each other." Nora's tone fell in a way that Ruby didn't like. "I spent every day getting brushed aside and spat on 'cuz I survived by stealing and dumpster diving. I was used to having nothing, while Ren had everything. Then…" Nora swallowed thickly. "I mean, you can probably guess, it's the same thing that happens to every town that gets a little too peaceful…"

"Grimm." Ruby spoke the word at a low simmer, and her fist tightened at her side.

"Yeah. A big one, and all the little ones it brought. Ren…" Nora sighed thickly. "Ren lost everything, but he still saved my life. He got me out of town, protected me, and suddenly, I had something that mattered, while he lost everything he cared about. We joined a scavenger caravan that came by a few days later, and Ren stuck by my side that whole time. Y'know… y'know, I can't remember a single day that man wasn't holding my hand, even when we'd just met. Like, I spent ten years alone, and spent every day of the last seven feeling him by my side, in my hand, or up my—"

" _N-Nora!"_

"Sorry. Ren… he was never happy. Like, not super _super_ happy, he got pretty peachy keen whenever we got together, but he was always wanting. I think, like, losing his family and his home left a hole in his heart." Nora rolled onto her back, breathing deeply as she, for once, looked thoughtful. "I do everything I can to try and fill him up, but that man…" She smiled. "He wants to kick some ass. Only reason we spent so long in the wilds is because he figured he wouldn't become strong enough to fight unless he toughened up, so we spent years by ourselves, and he became that sexy beast he is today."

Ruby stared down at her feet. At some point, she'd curled her knees to her chin while simply listening. If she had, at any point in her life, lost her father, her uncle, or her sister, she knew she'd be left wanting too. Revenge, redemption… her mind drifted to Summer Rose, the woman whose smile dominated her earliest memories, whose muffled voice sang to her in the back of her mind, yet only left behind stories and songs that Ruby heard from her family. What sort of girl would she be if her mother was still here?... Ruby didn't know, and trying to imagine it scared her, and left her with a—... an emptiness, a hole.

"Ren wants to be a hunter, and I'm his girlfriend, so I'm here with him. I just…" Nora stretched out. "I just don't care about this class stuff."

"Well…" Ruby shook herself out of her thoughts. "Well, Nora, what _do_ you want?" She looked to the redhead by her side, and Nora shrugged.

"I dunno, I don't care." Nora hummed, then shrieked, shooting up as a pair of fingers dug into her side and pinched. " _Bitch!_ Ow! Why?! I let my aura down and _this_ is what I get?! Mean!" Nora huffed, while Ruby simply frowned. Nora stopped griping and squirming, looking to Ruby with a surprised look. "You, uh, you's lookin' kinda _intense..."_

"... Because you're _dumb."_ Ruby smacked Nora's upper arm, making her jump and regret not activating her aura immediately.

"I _know,_ that's why I'm _failing,_ Ruby." Nora snarked, and got _another_ smack for her trouble. "Stop!"

"No!" Ruby snapped, making Nora flinch. "N-Nora Valkyrie, how do you _not know_ what you _want?!"_

"I never really thought of it before, jeez, stop hitting me!" Nora stroked her arm. For such a little push-over, Ruby could slap a Beowolf into submission…

"Then _think!"_ Ruby ordered, grabbing Nora by her bruised upper arm to pull her closer. "What do you _want?!"_

"I-I dunno! Where's this—"

" _WHAT. Do you. Want?!"_ Ruby demanded again, slower, angrier. Nora began to wilt, her jaw trembling.

"U-uh, um, I w-want Ren. A-and to be happy. And I w-want Ren to l-love me?!"

"What else?!" Ruby demanded, and Nora silently squirmed in distress.

"A-a house. A _big_ house, big kitchen, and a chef!" Nora babbled, drawing from her innermost fantasies of her perfect future from the pictures she found in magazines. "A-and I want Ren to propose to me wearing just a ribbon on his head! _Just_ the ribbon! I want to be his wife! And I still wanna hit stuff! I _really_ like the way Grimm heads just _mush_ when you smash 'em, so I wanna keep doing that! B-but I want-I want—... I want a _home."_ Nora finally stated, no longer trembling. Ruby's grip loosened, and Nora sagged, letting out a long, loud sigh. "I'm so _sick_ of living in tents! I finally have a bed, and a warm room, and a bunch of friends _who are also assholes who keep hitting me."_ Ruby offered no apologies. "I want Ren to fill me with babies, and I want a place to put those babies and raise them into little shitwreckers. I want a family that doesn't go through what Ren and I did, and-and when everything sucks and hurts and I'm sick of it all, I want a place to go back to where everything'll be better… My own place, with people _I_ like."

Nora crossed her arms over her chest, and pulled up her knees, and Ruby silently, consolingly put an arm around her shoulders. "Okay. S-so you want to have a big place when you're older with Ren, right?"

"Yeah…" Nora nodded slowly. "Yeah, I mean, it's dumb and it's simple, but I don't care about leaving a lasting mark. As long as I can keep Ren and hit stuff, I got nothing to worry about. Just… I wish I was smart enough to do all this crap. I… I don't wanna leave you guys" Nora admitted with a whimper. "Ren taught me to read, Ren taught me math, Ren taught me a _buncha_ basic stuff, but it's _always_ been tough as hell for me. I can't—"

"Stop." Ruby raised a finger, and Nora looked her way. "Don't say ' _I can't.'"_

"But I _can't,_ Ruby, jeez! Sorry I ever thought you were a freakin' doormat; you're a little bitch today!" Nora snorted, and sank back into her knees, her expression lowering as Ruby sidled up closer.

"You can." Ruby whispered under her breath.

" _Bullshit."_ Nora grunted. "I'm good at hitting stuff and making Ren happy, and that's fine."

"No it's not."

"What, like I'm asking for your approval?! Lay off me, Ruby." Nora growled in frustration, and clenched up as Ruby's gentle fingers drew her hair back, adjusting it and tugging out blades of grass. "We can stop pretending I have a chance here, so don't—so _quit it._ I'll wait for Ren to graduate and we'll go hunting together, license or no license." She hung her head. "I'm _fine_ with that."

"He's not." Ruby pointed out, and Nora sniffed.

"No, he's not, but he's so _bull-headed_ sometimes, he thinks anything is possible. Growing stronger, getting to Beacon, passing initiation against a bunch of other students—"

"And was he wrong?"

"No." Nora conceded grumpily. "But this is different. I'm _dumb,_ I hit things with a hammer, that's all! The tests weren't this hard before, initiation was as smash-and-grab as it could get, and growing strong, well…"

"Let me guess," Ruby began, "y-you'd wake up every morning thinking training was hard, and p-pointless. Everything hurt all the time, and n-no matter what you did, you never felt like you were getting any better." She watched as Nora's jaw twitched, but offered no rebuttal. "But somebody kept dragging you out of bed, saying you'll get better, saying it's not too much longer, and one day, you swung your hammer and saw something happen that made you t-think, ' _I have a chance.'"_ Again, no argument, so Ruby continued.

"So you kept at it. You kept at it until you realized you were f-fighting the monsters that destroyed homes, and towns, and ended lives, and you were just… _killing_ them. One, then two, th-then three, and they'd hit you, and it'd hurt, but then you killed them, and killed the next one, and when they were all dead, you realized you didn't hurt anymore, and that you'd w- _won._ Not because you were lucky, but because you were _strong."_ Ruby's voice was growing thick with emotion, and Nora was still silent. "Do you think being smart is any different?"

Nora said nothing for a long while. She drew patterns in the grass with one finger, and closed her eyes. She sniffled loudly, and let it out. "It's… I mean, it's just such a long climb, isn't it? I don't know when I felt like I was getting strong, I just… _got_ there."

"And that's what it was like for me." Ruby spoke softly, rubbing Nora's back. "I d-didn't think I was even going to score t-top ten, but I did, and it's because I tried. I cared, and I worked _super_ hard, e-even though I was scared. S-sometimes, you just don't know if you did it right until you get to the very end. That's how fighting always feels for me. It's how getting into B-Beacon felt for me. Everything seems scary, and weird, and you kinda wanna throw up, but… then you're there, where you never thought you'd be." Ruby smiled, and Nora shot her a curious glance. "Don't you think you'd be happier if you w-were smart _and_ hit things with a hammer? Being smart's good for you."

Nora lowered her eyes to the ground. Being smart was Ren's thing; Nora admired Ren for his brain, and was okay with following him and Jaune because they were both smart. But… even Jaune had only barely passed. He was confident, and made the right call most of the time, but he was a little dumb. Ren and Pyrrha had both gotten into the top ten. Not her though, and not Jaune either, and everybody was okay with him.

She thought back to opening her scroll to check her grade, trying to keep it from Ren until he grew agitated enough to take it himself, and the shame that hit her when he looked her way with in disappointment… she never wanted to feel that way again. The heartache left her feeling non-functional, escaping from him with Ruby was the best she'd felt all day.

She never thought she could be smart, but… she once never thought she could be strong once. Not until she looked up to Ren and saw his youthful, child's body growing muscle, pushing rocks, climbing trees, and racing across the forest floor. She'd wanted to catch up to him, and prove that she could stand by his side back then, and like Ruby said, one day she hit a Grimm and watched it splatter like a rotten fruit.

She idly wondered if she really _was_ that cliche, being content with being in his good graces, but… he was her everything; he was what she wanted, he was what she would protect to the very end. _Yes,_ she was that cliche, but… she couldn't stop here. He would grow stronger and smarter if she gave up, and would go far past her.

She couldn't deal with that. If he was the ruler she measured herself by, she couldn't let him get so far she couldn't catch him. If it meant staying with Ren…

"... Oh _god…"_ Nora wheezed, lifting her head with a groan. "Fine. Freaking _fine,_ y'know what? I care all of a sudden. I don't get it, but I _care._ Damnit Ruby, you—" Nora glared at her friend, but only half-heartedly. Ruby's smile calmed her, and Nora felt the pain in her heart lift as she began to feel hopeful again.

No more feeling sorry for herself. If she wanted a big-ass house to fill with kids, she needed money. If she wanted to stick by Ren's side, she needed to be smarter. The path to being a hunter would give her both of those things if she _tried._

"... Thanks." Nora mumbled, and Ruby's smile grew. "So… where do I start?"

* * *

Team JNPR's dormroom door flew open and Nora strode in. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren glanced up to see her walk in with a serious expression on her face, arms swinging boldly as she stood before them, back in her baggy clothing.

"Okay!" She started loudly, making Ren flinch and look her way with apprehension. "This weekend study hall stuff sucks! Make me smarter so I _never_ have to do it again!" She ordered.

Jaune let out a sigh of relief, and threw a thumbs up. "Can do! We got a plan, so, just sit and we'll get started." Jaune looked past Nora's shoulder to see Ruby at the doorway, and mouthed ' _thank you',_ getting a quick nod in return.

Ren watched his beloved drop into a chair, and, for once, seriously open up the book in front of her. Pyrrha leaned over the desk by her side, speaking calmly, explaining things to Nora as she read. Then… then his beloved picked up a pencil, and began to quickly scribble out some notes on a piece of paper, then ask a question, then write down the answer…

He blinked slowly, then looked Ruby's way. The goggled girl smiled at him, and though he did not smile back, he felt relief flood him. He owed that girl some pancakes… Silently, he slid his way out of the room, looking down at Ruby with a mixture of partially-open-eyed awe and curiosity. "What did you do?" He asked very gently, a little warmth in his voice.

"I—..." Ruby blushed in embarrassment, glancing into the room as Nora hunched over the desk, stretched, buried her face in the book, sat up, and read again. "I g-got her talking, and made her think a-about what she wanted, and used that to convince her studying w-would get her that."

"That must have taken some effort." Ren gave one of his little smiles-that-weren't-smiles, and watched his lover focus on the words in front of her, before shaking his head in disbelief. "She's not always easy to pry open."

Ruby's shoulders sank, and she gave a guilty smile. "I kinda made her…"

"Well, that's how you do it with her, whether she likes it or not." Ren nodded. He leaned back against the wall, revealing a monumental weakness in seeking support as he relaxed, his eyes closed. "I knew simply getting angry with her would solve nothing, but teaching her so many years ago was a struggle as well. Her motivations are… sporadic, in frustratingly predictable ways."

Ruby bobbed her head in understanding, and fell into silence as a question mulled in her head. She knew it would be intrusive, but at the same time, she wanted to hear the honest answer from him. "Ren, what do you want?" She asked. The question seemed to catch him off guard, as he quickly looked to her in question. "Like, out of life."

He lifted his chin in thought. Nora had said he wanted to be a hunter to get revenge and protect other children from the tragedy he had suffered, but Ruby was genuinely curious. He looked down at her when he had an answer that satisfied him. "A family. As big a family as I can have." He closed his eyes. "And somewhere safe. That would make me happy." He paused, then made a curious hum. "But before any of that, _Nora._ She's been my partner, my lover, and my muse, and I want her there to enjoy it all by my side."

"She's a good girl." Ruby smiled. "Just… _out there."_

"Mm. Yes, she's a strange one." He confirmed, his eyes roaming Nora's expression as Jaune read to her. "But when she has her heart set on something, she will upturn mountains until she gets it. Whether it be getting to Vale, the strength to succeed, or me." The way he looked at her, Ruby could tell Ren treasured that about her.

* * *

Ruby had her hand outstretched towards the door handle when the door opened, and to her fright, she was greeted by Yang wearing her weekend best, as well as a hurried glare. "Ruby! Are we going out or what?! Get in the shower and let's _goooo!"_ Yang was shaking her little sister under her armpits, making the smaller girl squawk in distress.

" _I-sorry-I-had-to-Noorrrraaaahhh-stooooop!"_ Ruby spun her arms like a windmill to try and break free, but Yang wasn't having any of it.

Yang tossed her into the closet, sending the girl stumbling. "Pick something out and wash up, Ruby! Blake's gonna be out any minute now and you two have a _date!"_

"It's not a _date!"_ Ruby cried, then turned and froze in place, a figure she hadn't noticed before stared at her. " _Yang! There's a boy in our closet!"_ Ruby's voice rose in a mortified shriek, arms covering her already dressed breasts. It should have been all Yang needed to tear through any wall or door in the way and lay a beatdown on the intruding male, but the figure's arctic blue eyes sharpened dangerously, and bellowed in a familiar feminine tone.

"I am _not_ a boy!" Weiss corrected furiously. Ruby was roughly shoved out of the way, the heiress storming out with a grumpy expression. She was wearing one of Yang's thick, wool-lined leather bomber jackets, a white T, loose capris, and a big newsboy's cap to hide all of her glorious white hair, leaving her looking very plain and near-indistinguishable from a ruffian a few years her junior.

Ruby poked her head out to stare as Weiss gave Yang a dirty look, the blonde examining the boyish clothing with her thumb and forefinger stroking her jaw. "Hmm, y'know, you don't look half bad in this, Weiss. Bit of a ' _Prince and the Pauper'_ feel..."

"I look like a hooligan." Weiss grouched. If it weren't for the distinctly feminine slope of her face and neck, Weiss could have easily passed further scrutiny, but when one's eyes lingered a little too long… "Why not just hand me a baseball bat to complete the ensemble?" Weiss snorted.

Yang's eyes glazed over at the image of Weiss bashing a garbage can into useless scrap. "You'd look ready to bust the city up!" Yang cooed, drawing a disgusted roll of Weiss's eyes. "Okay, now, just like we practiced…" Yang nodded encouragingly.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh, and almost forced her hands to pull off her hips and sink into her jacket pockets. She hunched, her legs spread in a seeming mockery of how she'd seen men stand, then sighed more deeply as Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Yo…" She all but groaned the word in annoyance. "B-basket o' _seven,_ Atlesian _S-spice,_ make 'em _hawt,_ _bawss."_

Weiss planted her face into her hands, hiding her shame as Ruby and Yang both collapsed against the closest wall, laughing so loudly that Blake poked her head out the bathroom door in to stare at her teammates. "Dare I ask?" Blake glanced at Weiss.

" _Please_ don't…" Weiss pleaded. Ruby pulled herself back up to her feet, took one look at Weiss' smoldering, and nearly doubled over laughing again. Yang buried her face into her arms on one of the desks, managing to silence herself, but she couldn't stop shivering in mirth.

The bathroom door opened, and Blake walked out with a small, tired smile, a pair of bags underneath her eyes. Weiss's embarrassment was forgotten as Blake strutted her stuff in pair of black dress trousers, a deep purple bra lifted and shaped her ample, creamy bust, with a white, unbuttoned dress top fluttering off her shoulders. "I dunno, you got me all curious."

Weiss's blush grew, and she pinched the bridge of her nose to stop looking at Blake's trim belly as she buttoned up her shirt. "Yang and I will be going to a small, but supposedly authentic Faunus wing restaurant while you and Ruby are out."

"Uh huh…" Blake's eyebrow twitched at the thought.

"It is my duty to ensure that I am not visible in locations that may damage the Schnee name." Weiss planted her hands on her hips, glancing to the floor anxiously. "This… _dive_ is not exactly a five-star restaurant, and is apparently a popular locale for Faunus who may or may not have extreme views that may or may not clash with Schnee family ideals."

"So you dressed like a boy because you don't wanna be seen scoffing at the trough with a bunch of animals?" Blake asked pointedly, and Yang's giggling turned into a hacking cough of surprise. Weiss almost jumped at the barbed accusation.

"W-wha—no! I mean yes! No! I-it's not that _I-_ I-I'm sure they're p-perfectly fine pr-proprietors of their business, b-but if some tabloid—"

" _Kidding,_ Weiss." Blake waved a hand, dismissing the accusation with a sudden, dry smirk and a pinch to the flushed girl's cheek. "You're _so_ easy to rile up; lighten up."

Weiss puffed up her cheeks in frustration, forcibly loosening Blake's grip. "Pain in the—..." Weiss devolved into grumbling as Blake simply smirked and began to gently tousle Weiss's clothing, ensuring it wasn't _too_ uniform. "Speaking of _pains…_ Ruby." She shot a look towards the girl in the closet, where Ruby shot up straight. "Shower." Weiss pointed to the now empty bathroom. " _Now."_ Weiss ordered.

Blake followed her eyes, and found herself blinking wearily at her young team leader. Ruby had simply been watching the scene, but now that she was the center of attention her form shriveled, her shoulders shrank, and she quietly looked for Blake's reaction. Blake contemplated Ruby quietly, her smile replaced with an unreadable stare.

Ruby knew Blake was probably looking at her goggles, thinking, imagining, wondering… and Ruby silently pushed down the bubble of guilt expanding in her tummy. She had a goal here. She couldn't stray, as much as she wanted to. She slunk into the closet to tug at her shirts and pants, digging through the meddlesome murk in her head to try and find something resembling a reasonable outfit before she hit the showers.

Blake watched Ruby meekly slink into the showers holding fresh clothing. Her yellow eyes stared intently at the black strap surrounding the girl's head, a simmering aggravation filling her. The girl's words stuck with her; her loud, shocking demand, and Blake's eyes lowered. The secretive little thing still had a fantastic tushy, and Blake somewhat regret not taking advantage of their reading session to explore it…

Blake's jaw tightened, she squeezed her eyes shut, and she reminded herself that things couldn't stay this way. She would figure something out, but the sting of Ruby's rejection still hurt. She was not trusted; she was not in the need-to-know basis, even if she technically ranked the same as Weiss and Yang.

Sure she wasn't Ruby's partner, sure she wasn't Ruby's _sister,_ but surely she deserved all the same? Blake angrily remembered first meeting the girl, the curiosity the little human had sparked in her, so sweet, so innocent, so socially awkward and adorably curious about a stranger's reading habits. She'd seemed… she'd seemed a kindred soul, lonely and nervous with where she was, out of place with nobody to relate to, but rather than ball up in a corner as far away from people as she could be, Ruby had made a bold step in getting to know a stranger.

Blake thought she might have been bluffing, having lost interest after the school's first-year sleepover, but she thought that, surely, anyone who was on Weiss Schnee's bad side was somebody to get to know. How foolish to think that, now that Weiss was a friend, and Ruby was… Blake's jaw jut out, and she sighed. She didn't know what Ruby was. Blake wanted to like her, and adore her, but she'd lost faith.

Maybe her reasoning was solid and Blake was being selfish, but Blake still ached.

Blake felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to Yang with a dull stare. Yang wore a frown, her expression implying that Blake needed to listen and listen closely. "You two are gonna be cool, right?" Yang asked, Weiss tilting her head as she listened in.

"If you're asking if I'm going to try and get her goggles off, the answer's no." Blake sighed despondently, which got a grunt from Yang. "I won't ask either. You all made it _very_ clear that's off-limits." Blake couldn't hide _all_ of the bitterness in her voice, but if Yang caught it, she didn't call it out.

"Look, whatever you may think is going on, it's not like Ruby's any different with them off. She's got them for her own protection, she's still a good girl." Yang assured her, and Blake simply nodded, the statement making her lips tighten.

"I know." She finally responded. "I'll keep that in mind."

When Ruby reemerged, it was in a striped, flattering, frilled blouse and dark jeans, but she had on an Orion the hunter hoodie. She ran her fingers through her hair, let out a soft sigh, and glanced up at her team. Weiss had been strumming at her guitar in silent thought, but was now beginning to stand and walk over to her guitar case, while Yang jumped to her feet and stretched. "Finally! Alright girls, let's have ourselves some food and fun!" She forced herself to smile, hoping they would follow suit.

Blake slid off her bunk onto her feet, looking Ruby's way. Their eyes met–not that Blake could tell, much to her annoyance–and no matter how much she assured herself that it was fine, she couldn't totally ignore her disappointment. However, when Ruby looked down with palpable regret and fear, Blake felt guilty. As much as she simmered, and blamed, Ruby wasn't unlikable.

Whereas Adam had slowly transformed from a warm, brave revolutionary into a spiteful, cold-hearted misanthrope, Ruby's cowardice and secretiveness did not replace the personality Blake had warmed up to. Silently, she moved to stand before Ruby, the whole room going quiet as she sized her young leader up.

She closed her eyes. Perhaps this would one day be something she could look back at and laugh once she knew the truth. Until then, Blake could only cling to her hopes that she would be let in, and soon.

Ruby tugged the front of her shirt in idle distress as Blake stepped to the side and turned to face the door. Taking a deep breath, Blake offered her elbow. Ruby blinked, looking at Blake's arm, then to her face. Nervously, she slid a hand underneath Blake's arm, hooking onto the crook as Blake relaxed.

"Shall we?" The black-haired beauty asked, putting on a smile.

"Y-yeah. _Yeah."_ Ruby bobbed her head, following Blake's lead to the door. Weiss and Yang glanced to each other, crossed their fingers at each other, and followed.

* * *

"C'mon dude, it's a _shortcut!"_ Yang spoke with complete confidence.

"It's a dark and disgusting alleyway, and _don't_ call me ' _dude.'"_ Weiss growled, staring down the shadowed path between two buildings.

"Hey, _you_ don't want me calling you by your name." Yang reminded her, arms crossed under her breasts. In her pretty white, sleeveless blouse and shorts, Yang seemed to be _demanding_ attention, and Weiss turned away with a blushing ' _humph!'_ "And It's just a short walk in some back alleys, what's to be afraid of? You have _me_ to protect you!"

"From _filth_ and _grime_ and discarded _trash_ and probably used druggie needles?!" Weiss ranted, looking pale at the thought. Yang walked over with a roll in her hips and took Weiss by shoulder, the smaller girl trying to shrink in discomfort.

"You know you're wearing mostly _mine_ and _Ruby's_ clothes?" Yang tugged Blake's jacket. "Those are probably better protection than the tissue-thin dresses you usually wear." Yang pointed out, while Weiss' pout deepened.

"They are _not_ tissue thin." She grunted. "That aside, how often do you find yourself in alleyways to know them as ' _shortcuts?'"_

Yang shrugged her shoulders, casually leaning against the wall as she waited for Weiss to stop waffling. "Hey, I had my ' _bad kid'_ phase, and if at least one good thing came outta it, it was learning how to get from point A to point B in record time."

Weiss's eyebrows knit together in frustration, and she tugged her hat lower in a weak attempt to hide. "Fine. But... no lingering; I don't want to associate with the lowlife _riffraff_ these places seem to attract."

"It's _just_ a shortcut, Weiss. Besides, I came prepared." Yang lifted her wrists, showing off the hot yellow braces that, with a quick surge of aura, could grow into her beloved Ember Celica. Weiss walked as close to Yang as possible, hanging to the left of her rear to keep an eye on things while affirming her comfort by the blonde's side by resting a hand on her back.

"Are you _expecting_ a fight?" Weiss asked cautiously, her voice too low for a passerby to catch her distinctive timbre.

"Nah, not really." Yang replied as they hung a right down the next alley. "Vale's got this huge interwoven alleyway schtick due to some building space ordinance. During the day, it's usually pretty safe–you might run into a pair of bums sixty-nineing or something, but—I'm _kidding,_ Weiss, stop turning so green. Anywho, it's usually safe, but that crimewave's got people on their toes. I made sure Ruby packed Crescent Rose into her bag just in case."

Weiss's hand slid under Yang's arm, and Yang slowed her step. She could feel the girl's nervousness by her side, so she let her hang on as they walked through the back alleys.

The sun may have been bright up above, but the tall, vacant walls were covered in shadow and tagged with street art whose quality varied from illegible gang symbology and barely readable curse-words to genuine talent that would have looked passable in a museum if not for the inclusion of disparagements towards the local authorities and their comparisons to the common farm sow.

The two passed by a mound of garbage bags, a stray foot brushed one, and the shift sent an old, dirty tin can clattering across Weiss's booted feet, a family of roaches swarming out around her foot. Weiss jumped against Yang, nearly bowling the blonde over before whimpering, "Yang, this is scaring me, can we please go streetside?"

Yang stood up straight, but without throwing Weiss aside. As if she'd done it a thousand times before, she looped an arm around Weiss' shoulder and brought her forward with a smile. "Sure Weiss, we're most of the way through anyways, it'll just be a few more minutes on the sidewalk."

With a breath of relief, Weiss nodded, hanging her head shamefully, but happy that Yang didn't make a big deal of it. The two hung another left and came to a halt.

Four men crowded around a fifth, forcing him against one of the walls of the narrow path. The fifth man had a thin layer of fur up and down his forearms and legs, and his face was swollen and cracked. The other four had a mixture of arrogant smirks and offended scowls, the largest of them holding the Faunus man's shirt by the collar, his other fist raised back threateningly.

"No, wait! _Please...!"_ The Faunus begged through some missing teeth, blood dribbling from his mouth towards his chin. He raised his hands to cover his face, but two of the men grabbed his arms, pulling them out straight.

"You got the nerve to come selling this _animal shit_ on a corner where my kids can see it?" The one hanging back asked in a growl. The Faunus shivered as the brute held up a White Fang ' _Who Are We?'_ pamphlet. "I got a little girl back home wanting to know why people want to hurt you throw rugs; she ain't old enough to understand this shit!"

"I-it's just a job!" The Faunus insisted, "Please! Please, I-I just pass out pamphlets where they tell me to, it's not even that bad! It-It's just about the oppression—" His head, and words, were blown back by a sharp jab that left him reeling, and he leaned forward, blood dripping from his nose, a pained groan escaping him.

" _Yang?"_ Weiss whispered, clamping down on the blonde's arm as she felt it tighten until her fingers were digging into what felt like a steel cable. "Yang, le-let's just— w-we should c-call someon—?" Weiss gasped as her grip was broken by a quick, furious tug. Yang silently strode forward, and Weiss felt her stomach quiver as she caught a glimpse of her friend's dour expression.

The Faunus pitched forward, hacking in pain as one of the men slugged his stomach once, then twice. The man drew back, shaking his hand out, then tightened his fist again, only to pause at a voice: "Hey." Four heads turned towards Yang, who sounded surprisingly calm. Weiss assumed that was a good thing, until she remembered the way her arm had bulged. "I'm giving you your one chance." Yang continued, stopping within easy talking distance. "The four of you—the humans—y'all can drop everything and walk out right now, and save yourself a couple of broken bones until the next time we cross paths. Just put the man down, put your hands in your pockets, and walk away."

The offer hung in the air, the four men staring at her in silence, the Faunus man giving her a pleading look. Weiss's hands nervously wrestled together in front of her stomach. They looked like big men, and Yang was easily outnumbered…

"This doesn't concern you, goldie!" The man in the back shouted at her, holding up the Fang pamphlet. "This piece of shit is hawking his terrorist crap onto my kids! You wanna _defend_ that?!"

"No." Yang answered. The stillness in her tone was steadily disappearing, and Weiss began to silently countdown to when this confrontation would turned violent. "I wanna defend _him._ Offer's still out there." Yang offered with a simple raise of her hand.

The four men looked to each other, and then turned to the short, bulky one among them. "Just go hold her down 'til we're done here; if she makes a stink, give her a good whack." The pamphlet-waving man ordered. With a roll of his shoulders, the short one started towards Yang, his expression and body language reeking of masculine self-confidence.

Weiss was nearing one. She would _have_ to intervene, if Yang got hurt…

… Wait, this was _Yang_ she was talking about. Unless these four men were trained combatants…

"C'mere missy, lemme escort you a few alleys down." The man grabbed Yang's arm. Yang did not react, simply giving him a furious look as he pulled, but she didn't move, and the man grit his teeth. "Listen gorgeous, this is an _adult_ matter, so let's—" He pulled, and with it, her arm swung out. The blow caught him by surprise, his left clavicle made an unhealthy ' _crunch,'_ and a gasp of pain escaped him. "G-goddamnit!" He grabbed the spot she struck, wincing as every move of his arm sent needles of pain through his shoulder. "Shit, that _hurt!"_

The other three men looked to each other, and then to Yang. They began to move towards her as the first thug raised his still good arm and swung. Weiss recoiled as his knuckles buried into her cheek, her Aura not up… and Yang did not move, simply staring the man in the eye. "Time's up." She stated, almost serenely as a smile grew across her face.

"Wha—?" The question never fully left his lips, as the wind was suddenly hammered out of his lungs when a fist lodged itself into his upper gut. A loud wheeze escaped him, his feet lifted from the ground, his companions faltering as they watched him go limp like a cut puppet, and Yang tossed him to the ground with barely a grunt of exertion. The beaten man made a sound like he was about to vomit, his body spasming from pain.

Yang stepped around him, her arms swinging steadily as she locked eyes with the other three men. She briefly glanced to the Faunus, now crumpled on his knees, then back to his attackers with a quickened pace. They should have run, Weiss almost wanted to _beg_ them to, but no, men and their petty _egos…_ she grit her teeth in fear as one whipped out a telescopic baton, another pulling out a plain pistol. "Alright, missy…" One snarled. "You got three seconds to fuck off, or we'll leave you worse than your _pet_ over—"

His jaw was hitched back into his skull by a quick punch, tossing him back as the crinkle of splintering bone left Weiss with caterpillars in her stomach. Yang whipped her head to face the man with the gun, and merely looked _offended_ as the barrel pressed against her temple. The wielder's elbow suddenly cracked and bent inwards, a shrill scream escaping the man as the gun clattered on the floor. His eyes went white as a lunging knee suddenly tried to force his balls up into his pelvis, and he fell to the floor gracelessly, his head bouncing against the concrete.

The ringleader, the man with the baton, hesitated for a second too long. When he pulled his arm back across his neck for a backhanded swing, a single hand pushed on his elbow, keeping his arm in place despite his howling attempts to defend himself. Yang marched forward, her furious lilac eyes boring into his as she pushed him back, step by step, until they were standing by the Faunus man. The thuggish man stared at her, his eyes quivering in fright, and Yang gently leaned into his face so they could meet eye to eye.

"Your little girl, how old is she?" She asked very softly. Weiss suddenly feared for the man's life, and she took a few uneasy steps forward, her eyes quivering as she watched her teammate threaten leak uninhibited aggression.

" _F-four!_ She's four! Oh god, she's only four! I-I just—" The man babbled, but Yang's hiss shut him up.

"When you get home and she races to the door to meet you, isn't it the greatest feeling in the world?" Yang asked, the question making both the thug and Weiss stare wide-eyed in puzzlement. "Doesn't it feel good to have her look up to you, and imitate you, because she thinks you're the most amazing person alive?"

"... Y-... You have a—...?" The man could barely speak as he simply stared in frightful shock.

"All _you_ need to know is that your little girl is the only reason I'm not sending you back to her in a _stretcher."_ Yang grit her teeth, her nose wrinkled with anger as the man dropped the baton in submissive fright. "Are you proud of yourself right now?! Is this how you _want her to see you?!"_ As Yang's voice rose, so did the heat in the alleyway, and the man was looking less and less powerful in the hands of the angry blonde. "You're a _fucking thug!_ You and your stupid, racist buddies are no better than the guys busting up Dust shops for protection money! It would be a _damn shame_ if the pedestal your _baby girl_ put you on _shattered,_ right?!"

" _Y-yes!_ I'm s-sorry, I— p-please, I'll—"

Yang raised a fist, and the man went limp, only barely holding himself on his toes as Yang pressed him to the wall. Her voice fell back to a low growl as her fist hovered threateningly behind her."Do me two favors: piss off and _never let me see you again._ If I catch you doing anything worse than minding your own goddamned business, I'll be happy to remind you how Beacon-trained bitches fix society."

The man's eyes suddenly focused, his jaw fell, and a single, quivering word escaped his mouth, "H- _huntress…?"_

Without warning, he was dropped. He fell to his hands and knees, and a single glance up to the still-seething Yang was all the motivation he needed to scramble over to his buddies and try to rouse them. Weiss glanced to the men lying on the floor, broken and in pain, and then to Yang.

The heiress felt her heart hammering in her breast. She took her first breath in what felt like a long time as her teammate knelt by their fuzzy victim, calmly speaking to him and checking his injuries. It was one of the most terrifying things Weiss had ever seen, and she had very nearly been ripped apart by the Grimm. The Yang she knew was quick to anger, quick to calm, and had no problem deploying violence against meatheads, but this wasn't a school spat they were dealing with. This had been a _real_ criminal issue, and Yang, a girl Weiss had come to see as an obnoxious, but tender and overbearing matriarchal sort, had cast that aside in a violent display of dominance.

Weiss unsteadily walked between the four human men, and then quickly made her way to Yang's side. She knelt down by her, her fingers shaking as she looked up to Yang. Yang gave her a very calm look. Calm did not fit Yang, and somehow… somehow Weiss felt comforted. It was frightening, but it was clear Yang still had her wits about her; Weiss doubted the man would have been spared her wrath otherwise.

"Help me lay him out, okay? We need to call an ambulance." Yang spoke evenly as she lifted the Faunus by the arms. Weiss scrambled to grab his feet before she realized what she was doing, and they carefully laid him on his back as cold shivers ran through her shoulders.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" The man kept muttering, eyes blurry and cheek unnaturally puffed up. Weiss didn't want to speak, her throat felt swollen with adrenaline.

" _Hey!"_ A new voice rang out. Yang stood immediately, turning to face whoever stepped into the alleyway. A refrigerator of a man, tall and heavily muscled, stood at the end of the alleyway, his forearms covered in thick, coarse black hairs, with a short chinstrap beard. However, when his massive fingers uncurled, he revealed rows of sharp, black claws. "Who the hell are you?! Get away from him!" He ordered, quickly striding towards Yang.

In an instant, Yang's Aura fired up, and the man slowed his walk, but his scowl darkened. "Sir," Yang began calmly, "this man here is suffering from a couple of facial contusions and maybe a concussion; we need to call an ambulance."

"An _ambulance?_ And trust him to some _human_ doctors? Hell no, I'll call the White Fang's medical division." He looked over Yang as he popped his scroll out of his pocket, then at Weiss. Weiss looked up from the beaten Faunus's feet, her eyes meeting the big bear Faunus'. Whoever he was, he paused in place, eyeing Weiss suspiciously, then shook his head and typed in his phone. "Who're those guys?!" The man demanded, gesturing to the four men retreating slowly into the alley.

"Nobodies." Yang answered, and the man snarled after the humans.

"Did _they_ do this?!" He demanded in a loud voice, making Weiss and the four men flinch.

"They've been dealt with. Call your medics." Yang ordered, and the man lowered his scroll.

"Girl, if they did this—"

" _They_ have been _dealt with."_ Yang's voice lowered further, and she stared the man in the eye. Weiss could only imagine the sort of look she gave him to make him falter, but she bet it was one Ruby wouldn't like. "Call your medics."

The Faunus hesitated for a second, then tapped at his scroll and held it to his ear. "We got a victim in an alleyway on Minster, lotsa bruises and possible concussion, think we're between the burger place and Shifty's. Uh huh. Bring a truck. Nobody I know, but I dunno if anybody'll recognize him like this. He's not _that_ bad, but I wouldn't pass around pictures. Nah, whoever did this was dealt with… Nah, not me; humans, actually, two girls. Yeah, yeah, world's changing, hurry down here." He ended the call and looked up to Yang with a hard stare, but it softened as he moved around her to kneel by the wounded man. "White Fang ain't exactly been popular around these parts lately, we got a lot of booth clerks and brochure guys getting attacked."

"The White Fang _has_ been pretty rowdy, one of your groups tipped a food truck heading to Dayson town last night." Yang remarked, kneeling down next to him. The big man groaned.

"Yeah, that's what happens when the main group decides to dice itself up into a buncha splinter factions because _somebody_ isn't happy selling bracelets." The man muttered and spat in annoyance. "Hard enough trying to run a branch in Vale and convince people we're peaceful without 'em."

"No kidding." Yang playfully punched the guy's shoulder, and offered a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't glare like that, your buddy's going to be okay."

"Yeah. Yeah…" The Faunus man shook his head, quietly thinking as Weiss carefully edged herself to the opposite wall. "Name's Kramer, by the way." He turned to Yang, and offered a massive hand, physically struggling to calm himself down and act amicable. "Humans ain't my favorite thing, but I'll respect anybody who sticks their neck out for us."

Yang slapped her palm into his, underhanded style, and the two had a brief squeezing contest that left them both grinning. "Hey, as long as you aren't being an asshole, you're good in my book. I'm Yang, by the way, this is... _White."_ Yang jerked a thumb back towards Weiss, who buried her face into her hands.

"Hell, if _everyone_ had that attitude, we could go back to just parades and rallies." Kramer smirked, plopping onto his ass. Yang joined him with an idle grin, and Weiss quietly frowned. Well, her appetite could wait, she supposed, this man needed help…

… And Weiss had done nothing to help him. A wince crossed her face as she stared over the Faunus laying on the floor, currently drifting in and out of consciousness from the pain. Her first instinct had been to turn around and ignore what she'd seen, the complete opposite of Yang. Her survival instincts told her this didn't concern her, the _Schnee_ in her was infuriated she didn't react in time, and her stomach was heavy with guilt from for her hesitation.

But, he _was_ a White Fang member, _both_ of these hairy men were. Weiss suspiciously glanced from Kramer to the victim. Two members of an organization that had made her family's life more difficult, more perilous, and more stressful than it should have been. Between their violent dedication to interrupting their business and their vicious smear campaign, Weiss's father had his nerves frayed and his patience cut short, and it wasn't the White Fang to suffer as a result of his anger.

She'd lost friends and family to these people, and she felt regret that Yang had defended this man, but she had to swallow the bile forming in the back of her throat. They weren't _all_ bad, or so Blake claimed. Some were just pamphlet dealers… Kramer, she didn't know about.

Weiss sighed. Maybe she'd be less twisted up into knots if she had actually stuck her neck out like Yang had. Next time… next time she couldn't back down just because she was uncomfortable. She fought _monsters_ for a living, her goal in life was to protect humanity and bring it to the next step in its technological evolution, and with the humans, the Faunus would come too.

Even if some of them were her claimed enemies, she couldn't merely exclude them. Yang didn't, and _Ruby_ certainly wouldn't, so Weiss closed her eyes. White Fang or not, she would have to grant them the benefit of the doubt and protect them. That was what a hunter did, even at their own expense. It's what her grandfather would have done.

Weiss breathed deep and tried to settle her feelings as a large, unmarked, windowless van pulled up at the end of the alleyway, and from the back, two women bearing animal ears stepped out with a stretcher. Kramer, Weiss, and Yang backed away as they checked over the man carefully, pulled him onto the stretcher, and took him back to the van. A third Faunus, a rather handsome man with a thick wolf's tail, took a statement from Kramer and Yang, then was gone.

Like that, the three of them were alone in the alleyway, the problem solved, the weak defended, the violent suppressed… it was a moment of victory, even if it left Weiss feeling conflicted.

"So what're you two doing in the back alleys this time a' day?" Kramer planted his back against a wall, digging his thumbs into his pockets while giving Yang a curious look. Weiss lowered her head to hide her eyes behind her cap while Yang took a casual stance by Weiss with a smile.

"Just taking a shortcut, dude. I was going to show my friend to Pops', the little wi–"

"–wing place on the corner?!" Kramer straightened up, leaning forward as the rough edges of his face brightened up. Yang gave a small laugh, then a nod. "I love that place! We hold meetings there all the time! Aww man, we should totally—I mean I really wanna pay you two back but—ugh, I have a package to del—a-but-but—screw it." Kramer grunted as Yang raised an amused eyebrow at him. "The White Fang ain't a charity, but we look out for our own, and we look out for the humans who help us out. Why don't I treat you two?" He offered, putting on a friendly, lopsided smile.

Yang glanced to Weiss, who glanced back to her. Weiss's stomach stirred uncomfortably. This place was apparently popular among the White Fang, and Weiss had a deep, sinking feeling about the prospect of walking into one of _their_ joints. Before Yang could respond, Weiss tugged the blonde's arm to go a little further down the alleyway to talk.

Weiss spoke to Yang in a low whisper, "I am _not_ going anywhere with a member of the _White Fang."_

"Eh?" Yang blinked down at her. She glanced over her shoulder at Kramer, who was watching them curiously, then back down to Weiss. "C'mon Weiss, he seems nice. A little rough maybe, and spending way too much time checking out my butt, but nice. Besides, the food's delicious, and it's not like it's one of their secret hideouts or anything. It's just a restaurant! He's probably just a courier or something; don't tell me you're afraid of a _mailman."_

Weiss let out a small, uncomfortable growl, then squinted in thought. "Yang, you know _exactly_ who I am, if this man figured out who I was—"

"Then he'd know you pitched in to help one of his buddies." Yang interrupted, clutching Weiss's hip defensively. "He owes us, no way he'd try anything after we helped out another member." Yang waited until Weiss was looking up at her with a small, apprehensive frown, then smiled, squeezing her hip. "Hey, trust me, I've chatted with some White Fang people before. They can be a bit self-righteous, but they're honorable if you get on their good side."

"... Yang, I–" Weiss cleared her throat, "I hardly lifted a finger in helping that man."

"But he doesn't know that, and it's not like you hurt the guy." Yang smiled comfortingly, and Weiss dipped her eyes down to the floor. "C'mon Weiss, Pops' is a great place. Nobody'll bother you, and if anyone gets rowdy, I'll give 'em the old Yang one-two." Yang raised a courageous fist, and Weiss let out a small, uncomfortable breath.

"I—" Weiss's belly rumbled, and she blushed. Their early morning exercise had taken its toll on her, and she was ravenous. Ever since Yang had suggested it last night, the promise of one of her naughtiest guilty pleasures hung about her belly, slowly tightening and tightening as she just imagined the taste… "Fine. _Fine._ But-but don't you _dare_ leave me alone, okay?" Weiss grabbed Yang's arm, squeezing in worry. Yang chuckled softly. "If you go to the bathroom, I'm going with you, I'm not being left alone in there."

"You're _such_ a worry wart." Yang bumped Weiss with her hip, the smaller girl clutching tighter in embarrassment. "I'm not gonna leave you, I promise."

"... Okay." Weiss said after a few moments of thought. They were _just_ going to eat. Her disguise was on-point, they had no illicit intentions, and neither did the Fang member before them. Eat, enjoy, leave. Weiss sucked in a deep breath. "Lead the way."

At that, the two turned, but Weiss didn't let go of Yang's arm. Yang was safe, and warm, and Weiss needed that comfort if she was going to walk into the proverbial lion's den. Maybe she truly _was_ just being paranoid.

"Yo Kramer, we've decided to accept your generous offer!" Yang strode forward with Weiss by her side, and Kramer's smile widened.

"Awesome! And I thought today was gonna be a pain in the ass. C'mon, I'll take point." The massive man turned on his heels and walked to the alleyway entrance, the two girls following behind him. "Y'all know anything about Pops?" He asked as they turned down the sidewalk. Back by the street, in the open air with regular citizens passing by and cars buzzing by, Weiss felt her gut unclench, and the rumble became more ominous. Maybe she'd be a little gluttonous today, she _had_ run one of Coach Tai's courses…

"Yep!" Yang called up as Kramer glanced over his shoulder. "He was a miner in the SDC, and got his cooking chops started by opening a food stall after work. Said it was some of the best times of his life."

Weiss watched the storefronts as they passed by, making note of the little printing shop they passed by, as well as the antiques store. Most of Atlas's stores were focused in large shopping malls and inside buildings of business, but Nicholas' Street was a major tourist attraction thanks to its streetside stores, which often had to shut down early during heavy blizzards.

Kramer continued the conversation, "If you want a bit of a fun story, you should ask him about the time the White Fang held a rally at the mines he was working at. Mates 'n I had a good laugh over that one, though we were hitting the bottle that night, so…"

Yang just laughed, "I'll be sure to ask him. What do you do for the Fang, Kramer?" She tilted her head, and Weiss looked up, straining her ears to listen.

"Odd jobs, mostly." Kramer answered with a casual shrug. "Running deliveries, placing and picking up orders, sometimes I'm protection for one of the higher-ups, though they've had me down at the docks a lot lately managing cargo for the other continent's factions."

"Sounds rough, what sorta goods do you trade between each other?"

"The usual: documents, food, clothing, handmade goods to be traded, _lots_ of Dust." At that, Weiss felt her hand ball into a small fist. "The Atlas group has been making a splash in Mantle lately, so they're trying to set up a division there. Fire and lightning are needed for the engines and heaters."

"And for their attacks, I imagine…" Weiss muttered under her breath, getting a sharp look from Yang, and a quick elbow to her side to remind her of her manners.

"Sounds like a good deal!" Yang responded, while Weiss silently glared.

The three of them stopped at the corner of a three-way intersection and turned right to round an aged, wooden building that stood isolated from nearby shops, and Kramer came to a stop in front of it. He beckoned the two girls with one hand, and Yang hungrily smacked her lips as the smells hit them: frying chicken fat, spices galore, and savory herbs. Weiss's grumpiness was temporarily forgotten as they stood before an open door, underneath a sign: ' _Pops' Wings & Things.'_

Weiss glanced around, noting they weren't in a particularly busy section of the city. There were people and cars, but little parking other than on the side of the road, and people mostly seemed in a hurry, but a young Faunus couple ducked into the building before them, and a steady chatter came through the open door.

Out of the way, not in a popular place, but the smell was tantalizing. Weiss kept her eyes opened wide as they stepped inside, exiting concrete walkways onto a creaky wooden floor. The wide interior was cramped with numerous wooden park tables and benches to serve as seats, while the metal counter and till took up the left side of the building. Rows of friers could be seen behind the husky shop owner, and drink machines were placed all along the back.

Kramer called out to some apparent friends at one of the long, wooden tables and went over to shake hands, slap backs, and laugh along with the fanged, clawed, tailed, and eared individuals. The smell was stronger inside, and the sound of friers hissing and popping reached Weiss's ears. The lighting was low–not romantic, but comfortable–and the walls were full of pictures of various foodstuffs, inbetween posters of Faunus unity and White Fang memorabilia from the first chieftain's era.

Yang dragged Weiss past the rows of tables to the simple counter, where an enormous man stood. "Hey Pops!" Yang called, waving her free arm as Weiss clung to the other, staring around at the two dozen Faunus packing the tables. Nobody was looking at her for longer than a curious second. The big, wide man behind the counter planted his hands on his hips and grinned, his lips peeling back to reveal a row of sharpened teeth that made Weiss flinch.

"Well if it ain't the li'l blonde buttkicker!" Pops proclaimed, leaning towards them both with an analytical stare. He wasn't just big, or husky, he was enormously _fat,_ with drooping cheeks and a big, round body, though his arms were hairless, and his graying hair was trapped in a hairnet. He peered over his thick glasses and pursed his lips. "And a new friend I see; a boy at that. Why's it seem like you come in with a new lover every time I see you, blondie?"

Weiss's cheeks burned red and she looked down at the counter, reading the menu as Yang guffawed. "Not this one, Pops, sh—he's just a friend. On the shy side though, so don't put h-him on the spot, alright?"

The big lard of a man just chuckled merrily, and nodded. "Fine, fine. Oh!" One of his big hands slapped down on the countertop, making Weiss tense for a second, before he pushed the menu towards Yang with an excited grin. "I think I got somethin' you'll like. You were tellin' me that Vacuan Mango Hot flavor was total crap 'bout a year back, yeah?"

"I'd have gotten more of a kick licking a pepper's skin, Pops." Yang grinned cheekily, and the big man leaned forward conspiratorially, his glasses sliding down his thick nose.

"Well I took that to heart, ya little critic! Took a week-long trip to Vacuo at the end o' last year and let wifey handle the shop as I explored some of the old Fang stomping grounds in the deserts." He pointed to a framed banner on the wall, a defaced SDCV flag where numerous pro-Faunus messages had been painted on the empty space, or over the original text. Weiss gulped. "Got my hands on an original call-to-arms, but better'n that, bumped into an old wingmaster still plying his trade in town and sat down to have a _talk_ with 'im."

"Ooooh, _oh,_ okay, I've already heard enough!" Yang bounced in place, quickly glancing down at the menu. "I want sixteen wings, but I want at least one of each of the new flavors, however you can divvy it out. Kramer's buying." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and their hairy escort glanced up from the table he was chatting at and tossed a thumbs up.

" _All_ the new flavors? Oh, blondie, workin' this old man to the bone! How about you, sir?" Pops looked Weiss's way. Weiss tore her eyes away from the graffiti'd banner on the wall to look up at Pops, and she twitched as his eyes immediately took in her face. He tilted his head to the side, but simply waited for her response.

"A-ahem… err, y-yo." Weiss began, trying to lower her voice as the big man quickly glanced Yang's way, then back to her. "S-seven—um, actually, m-make it eleven! I-I want eleven…" She looked over the menu, blinking rapidly as she took in the assortment of sauces. "... Twelve…" Her brow knit, her nose crinkled, Yang nudged her. " _I'm thinking…_ A-ah! T-twelve total… yo. Six Atlesian Spice, extra hot, and six Sweet Mistral. M-make 'em _hawt,_ Pops." Weiss managed to utter out. Yang went tight as a spring by her side, trying to not laugh at the poor, put-upon heiress's expense.

"Six Atlesian Spice, six Sweet Mistral?" Pops repeated, writing on a small paper pad.

"Yes please." Weiss nodded, looking down at the menu one more time. Her eyes caught something in particular, and she looked to Yang with a girlish gasp, making the Blonde nearly jump in alarm. "They have _onion rings!"_ She whispered in excitement, her disguised voice temporarily forgotten.

"Y-yeah man, they do." Yang tried to nudge Weiss's voice back to normal.

"Onion rings, please!" Weiss looked up to Pops excitedly. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then a little smile crossed his face.

"Of course, missy." Pops simply nodded, and Yang slowly rubbed her face. "We'll have your order out real soon. Y'all grab yourself some mugs, refills are free. Kramer!" Pops suddenly barked. "If you're payin', get up here!" He waved, and the big bear Faunus strode up to the two girls.

"You know I'm good for it, Pops, don't get testy!" He joked, pulling out a small stack of lien cards. Kramer nodded to the two girls, pointing down the counter. "Go get your drinks, I got this handled."

Yang guided Weiss by the arm to the end of the counter, where clean, plastic bar mugs were placed upside down on a white towel. Yang grabbed the closest one, while Weiss took a minute to carefully inspect the inside of each one, before settling on one that seemed the most spotless.

After swinging by the soda machine and juice dispensers, Yang took a seat at a table furthest from the door with a sugar cane soda, while Weiss settled down uncomfortably with a sparkling grapefruit juice. "Ugh, this jacket is so _hot."_ Weiss adjusted her clothing with a small grumble, sipping at her drink as she repeatedly glanced around at the other patrons.

"You can probably take it off, unless people can tell who you are by your shoulders." A quirky smile crossed Yang's face as Weiss considered for a moment.

"I'll handle it." She finally sighed. "Lack of class aside, this place isn't as grimy as I thought it would be." Weiss hummed as she ran a finger along the smooth tabletop, then rubbed her fingertips together, noting the lack of dust.

Yang snorted. "Just because it's not upscale doesn't mean it's dirty. It's cheap, it's fast, it's delicious, they don't try to put on a high-class front; they know their customers."

"I _suppose."_ Weiss rolled her eyes, staring into her drink thoughtfully. "It's just very different from what I'm used to."

"So what _are_ you used to?" Yang asked, knowing a good conversation starter when she heard one. Weiss sipped her drink as she thought, and when she put the cup down, a scowl crossed her face.

"You ever see a movie with a bunch of upjumped rich sorts sitting around chewing on caviar with every meal?" Weiss asked in an annoyed tone. "Caviar's been vogue in Atlas for as long as I could remember. Caviar caviar _caviar,_ every event I went to had _caviar._ Caviar on _chips,_ caviar on _toast,_ caviar on _pâté,_ caviar on _sushi,_ and do you know what _every host asked me_ after the greeting?"

"' _Have you tried the caviar?'"_ Yang imitated dryly, and Weiss threw her hands up.

"' _Have I_ tried _the caviar?!'_ Yes! _Yes,_ I tried the caviar! I've tried every kind of caviar there has ever been! Did you know it's impolite to turn down caviar in Atlas?!" Weiss asked in a quiet, if hysterical tone, making Yang purse her lips in confusion.

" _... Really?"_

"Because it's _expensive!"_ Weiss buried her head in her hands. "It's _fish eggs,_ Yang! It should be easier to catch than a fish, yet, _somehow,_ it's more expensive than Atlesian pike! It's _all_ awful!"

"You think so?" Yang perked up, watching Weiss gripe in amusement. "They had caviar at Signal's graduation banquet, and it was actually pretty good on pita chips. I mean, I was more into the pizza, but I went back for thirds."

"Then I would have gladly traded my taste buds with yours at birth." Weiss pursed her lips and blew a rude noise, drawing a giggle from Yang. "I actually ordered my chefs to _not_ prepare caviar for my seventeenth birthday. I had to convince my father that I wasn't ' _insulting our guests' expectations'_ by telling him I was throwing a themed party."

"I tried to do the same with my dad until he figured out that a ' _Mistral-themed birthday party'_ would give me an excuse to get liquored up on sake at sixteen." Yang snickered, and Weiss thought about it for a second and smirked. "So what was your theme then?"

"Valean Bayou." Weiss spoke with a hint of pride in her voice, drawing a curious widening of Yang's eyes. "While on tour in Vale, I got to try some supposedly-authentic etouffee and gumbo." Weiss covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I ate there before I had any handle on spiciness, so it felt like I was eating _fire_ at one point."

"You have _got_ to be careful with Bayou food." Yang groaned, rubbing her stomach just thinking about it. "When they ask ' _how spicy do you want it?',_ my dad told me to tell them ' _I want to be able to taste my food.'"_

"I didn't expect it to be so _good._ It was so rich and _bold_ on the tongue... between the burning, that is. I asked my chefs to prepare it for my birthday, just... party-friendly. I wouldn't call it a _hit,_ but the attendees we had from Vale loved it, as did my peers and I; _we_ at least cleaned all the plates. Oh! But guess what?" Weiss's face fell, and Yang took a moment to study the annoyance, and smirked.

"Somebody brought caviar?" Yang asked. Weiss groaned deeply, and Yang laughed loudly at her friend's annoyance, then asked in an almost airy voice, "did you _try_ it?"

"I _buried_ it in enough _roux_ that I didn't _have_ to taste it!" Weiss snapped, making Yang laugh _louder._

"Okay! Okay okay, so no caviar for Weiss, gotcha." Yang leaned her cheek on one hand, calming Weiss with one of her sunny smiles. "We should definitely plan for a Bayou place next time. My dad brought me to probably the best one in northern Vale for one of _my_ birthdays, and I keep wanting an excuse to go back." Her eyes rolled up at the ceiling with a sigh. "Man, it was so good that Ruby ate the leftovers through _tears_ from the heat."

"The one I went to during my tour was this big place called–tell me if I get this wrong–' _Murmuring Bosk'_ , somewhere in the market district by the Hotel Grand." Weiss perked up, and deflated as Yang let out a loud snort.

"Sorry Weiss." Yang waved her hand, dismissing the rude noise. "Anything around the Hotel Grand is a tourist trap; big and fancy for guests, but all watered-down, Murmuring Bosk included. Nah, there's this little shack on Vale's Northwestern tip called ' _Bayou Bros.',_ it's run by the real deal. The two daughters of the original owners run the place, and they have the _thickest_ accents in the world, always arguing with each other while serving up crawdads by the bucketload and gumbo that'll burn your sinuses out with one sniff." Yang's stomach audibly gurgled, but she looked nonplussed by it. "Crap, I kinda wanna give up wings and drag you up there, but we already ordered."

"Yes, that would be obscenely rude." Weiss pursed her lips in frustration.

At this point, Kramer walked by the table carrying a bubbling mug and put a hand in front of the girls to draw attention. "Food's paid for, as thanks for helping out the White Fang." He winked, drawing a smile from Yang, and a small, dismissive nod from Weiss.

"Thanks Kramer. Wanna take a seat?" Yang offered, making Weiss tense up. She was not interested in sharing space with the man, though considering he was paying for their meal, she didn't have the rudeness within her to say so.

"Sure thing!" Kramer slid into the spot by Weiss's side, making her tighten up further. "Y'all talking about that place that sent some political suit to the hospital?" He asked curiously, making Weiss's eyebrows raise way up.

"Hah! I forgot about that story!" Yang slapped the table, turning to Weiss with a toothy grin. "Like, five years back, a mayor from some southern Vale town was visiting and stopped by Bayou Bros. He wasn't prepared for the spice, and the first bite gave him some sort of seizure."

"Um, _w-wow._ Cool." Weiss nodded her head, her voice lowered once again. "S-sounds like a rad time, yo."

"This is why you can't trust suits to connect with the common man. What milk-drinking idiot goes to a restaurant known for its spiciness and orders the hottest thing on the menu? Guys like that run our _countries_ and we trust them." Kramer growled in an amused fashion, but it made Weiss's shoulders hunch in nervousness. A slap to her back made her shoot up, and stare at Kramer with wide eyes. "Chill out, man, just some jaw-jackin'." He guffawed.

Weiss remained tense, looking to Yang for help, but the blonde just chuckled. "Yeah, calm down White. Loosen up."

Weiss sighed, sinking down to the table. She wanted her onion rings…

* * *

Sun managed to keep what little dignity he still had by swallowing a yelp of surprise as he was thrown out the shop's door directly onto his ass.

He stared up in mute stupor as a thick, sausage-like finger nearly pressed to his nose, its middle-aged, balding owner glaring down at him with red-faced rage. "If I catch _you_ or _any one_ of your _animal buddies_ stealing food here, or trying to lay your bare-chested mitts on my daughter again, I don't care _what_ the mayor says, I'm booting all you petshop pests out!"

"Dude!" Sun held his hands up, rising to his feet carefully as his long, limber tail stuck straight up to indicate harmlessness. "I said I was good to pay for it! Can you blame a guy for being hungry?! Or for looking, 'cuz your girl's a total—"

Two hands seized his collar, lifting him a foot off the ground as the man tried to shake him to pieces. "A total _what?!_ A total _what you shirtless ape?!_ You got something to say about my daughter?!"

" _WAS-JUST-SAYIN'-SHE'S-A-BABE!"_ Sun flailed in the shopkeeper's iron grip.

"You come in here baring your chest like you got something to prove!" The man continued unheeded. "You swipe some banana bread and leave crumbs all over the floor! She spends _all day_ baking that stuff and you walk in _assuming_ it's for you!"

" _It said take one and pay at the counter!"_ Sun waved his arms in annoyance, and then squeaked as he was shaken harder.

" _That's for our hardworking customers, not you tick-infested layabouts!"_ Sun was unceremoniously dropped again, but he landed on his feet with just a bounce and a boyish pout, while the man shook his fist at him. "Get outta here before I call the cops you little thief! I'd better not see you–"

"You won't, you won't, chill out, man!"

"–'cuz if I do…" The man made a slapping motion with one hand, and stormed inside, slamming the door behind him. Sun planted his hands in his pockets, letting out a deeply annoyed sigh… where was Neptune when he needed him? Nobody schmoozed their way out of trouble like that asshole.

Sun glanced to his left down the street, where a couple of humans were hurrying away from the scene, then to his right. Leaning against the building's wall, staring in mild surprise, was some guy in jeans and a gray hoodie with no drawstrings. Their eyes met, and the guy popped a curious eyebrow. "Dude," he spoke up first, "that was fucked up."

"Yeah, well," Sun idly moved the guy's way, reaching into his unbuttoned white shirt to pull out a balled-up napkin, "you get used to it." Sun's long, hairy tail whipped idly behind him as he unfurled the ball, revealing a bite of banana bread left over. "Dude screwed himself though," Sun popped it into his mouth, and let out a groan of delight, "I woulda paid mint for more of this stuff."

"Well hey, if you still got the lien and are looking for a good time…" The alleyway kid smirked knowing, and Sun's chewing slowed down.

"... Uh, no offense, but even if I was into guys, I ain't gonna _pay_ for that sorta—"

"Aww, c'mon, I don't mean it like that!" The kid huffed. "What I mean is that I might know a couple of particular individuals who can hook you up for a night you'll never forget." He whipped out a business card, with some addresses hastily scrawled across them, and tossed it to Sun with a wink. "Drugs, girls—you said you like girls right?"

"I said I wasn't into guys." Sun clarified, flipping the business card over; ' _Whisker Trims?'_ Probably a Faunus store...

"Same diff! We got whatever you want, just tell them that Kevin sent ya!" The kid looked damn proud of himself, and Sun thought it would have been rude to ruin whatever pride he had in his business.

"Sure man, tell you what, next time I'm around–" Sun looked at the sign posts at each corner of the road as he set a comforting hand on Kevin's shoulder, "–this very important and memorable street, I'll be sure to do just _that."_ Sun stepped past the kid, and fired a wink and a finger gun. "I'll catch ya around, Kevin!"

"Sure thing, dude." Kevin waved as Sun walked away with a casual swing in his step.

Vale was definitely the melting pot it claimed to be, for better or for worse–though _everyone_ seemed convinced Sun was up to no good. It wasn't _his_ fault they just left bananas hanging out in the open like that! How was he supposed to know those weren't free game?! Not that it would have stopped him, but still…

The weather was certainly nicer across the sea too. He was already a fan of going as shirtless as possible, but the heat was just a better excuse to show off what years of hard work had given him!

The question was now: what to do now? Scarlet, ever the nautical sort, was probably checking out the docks and bothering the sailors there. Sage wanted to check out the market district, probably marking down every hairdressing salon he saw. Neptune was _probably_ preening in front of a mirror rather than doing something constructive, like actual flirting, so Sun was left to wander the streets alone boredly until something piqued his nose's interest.

Or his eyes'...

 _Babes alert._

Walking down the sidewalk straight towards him was a tall, dark drink of water with a girly black blow on top of womanly black hair. She had that semi-lazy, disinterested expression that always made a girl, like, six-thousand times hotter, and a figure that made him want to pucker his lips and whistle.

By her side was an cute little thing with hair that would have made Scarlet jealous: dark fading to light, so tenderly styled to give an air of youthful energy without screaming for attention. She was adorably tiny too, and the big brown messenger bag hanging over one shoulder made her look all the tinier. While miss tall, dark, and delicious had the curves, little miss short, sweet, and… goggles seemed far more approachable.

It was time to initiate plan: ' _Girl Magnet!'_

"You'll rot your teeth if you keep eating like that." Blake pointed out with a small, tired smile as Ruby greedily nibbled on an oversized, novelty chocolate chip cookie.

"Nuh uh!" Ruby countered brattily, tugging her cookie closer to her chin, as if Blake might try to swipe it. She took a bite, and between gnashing it into swallowable paste, spoke up in self-defense, "I- mmph- I-I bruff my teef!"

"Well…" Blake's eyes traced Ruby's form, lingering on her goggles for a long time, before moving to her intended target: Ruby's backside. "Still might give you a big butt. Is that what you want Ruby? A big butt?"

"No!" Ruby gasped, staring down at her cookie in sudden worry, making Blake's smile grow. "I-I'll run extra laps when we get back! I promise!" Ruby began to more hastily chow down on her dessert in nervousness, and Blake hid a giggle.

"You'll get the butt no matter how fast you eat it. Also, most girls your age would _kill_ for a big butt, there are plenty of men out there who'll ignore your flaws if you've got a booty." She hardly looked up as she and Ruby passed by a shirtless boy leaning against a wall.

"No!" Ruby answered huffily, glaring ahead now that her hands were empty. "Big butts _aren't cute._ If I'm going to be a great leader, I need a _cute_ butt, like _Jaune's."_ Ruby slowed her walk to peek over her back as best she could.

"You…" Blake pulled her eyes off of Ruby's rump so they could keep walking. "You think _Jaune's butt_ makes him a great leader?"

"I-I don't know!" Ruby huffed, watching the sidewalk as they stepped by a bench where a blonde guy with a tail lounged like a girl in a portrait. "H-he's a good leader, right? Everyone on his team likes him, and follows him, and they talk about how cute his butt is…"

"... We follow you, and like you." Blake pointed out, and Ruby looked up to Blake, then wiggled her hips.

"And Jaune said I have a c-cute butt, s-so my cute butt theory is two-for-two now!"

"It doesn't work like that." Blake sighed in amusement, wiggling her nose as she smelled baking banana bread.

"You can't _prove_ it d-doesn't work like that!"

"I can, but not on a sidewalk." Blake snorted, smacking Ruby's butt to get her off her soapbox. "Little pain…"

"... Sorry…" Ruby murmured despondently, and Blake frowned. It was _almost_ as if nothing had happened between the two of them the night before, but every now and then the mood fell into a strange melancholy as one or both of them remembered the argument, and why they were out.

Weiss and Yang were both right, Ruby didn't act much different, all things considered. There was an apprehension between them, but… Ruby wasn't holding that over her head, or acting standoffish. If anything… Ruby wanted things to be exactly the same, but without that constant worry or fear.

Blake could sympathize, but how could she _pretend_ she no longer wanted to know? She shook her head and set a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, the smaller girl leaning into the touch. "... Is it just me, or have we passed by that blonde boy before?" Blake murmured to Ruby as they stepped past a bus stop sign, where a familiar looking blonde boy quirked an eyebrow, smiled at them, and gave them both an interested wink.

"Y-yeah, three times now." Ruby turned to look at him curiously, then leaned into Blake to whisper. " _I recognize his yummy abs."_

The two girls stopped in front of the boy and he clicked his teeth, pointing at them confidently, and his long, furry tail waved in coy interest. Blake popped her tongue inside her mouth, glanced down to Ruby, then up to the boy. "Hm. Seven-out-of-ten." She bobbed her head confidently. The boy's smile drooped a bit as Blake dragged Ruby away, while the shorter girl continued to stare.

"I like your tummy!" Ruby called to the blonde as they continued on their way.

Blake pet Ruby's shoulder and chuckled. "Don't give men a reason to think you're interested until you are. Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile." Blake cocked her hips, while Ruby pouted.

"But his tummy _is_ cute. Kinda reminds me of m-my dad but, like… skinnier? I mean, dad's not _fat_ , but…"

"But he _is_ the tastiest thing I've seen at the school outside the girl's locker rooms." Blake felt her cheeks redden just imagining that Adonis of a _man_ again.

"Ugh…" Ruby stuck her tongue out. "That's my _dad_ you're talking about, Blake."

"Mm~hmm…" Blake shimmied her hips.

"He's a _huge_ weirdo, like even weirder than Yang! He eats his mac and cheese with _ketchup_!"

"Not exactly what I'd call a deal-breaker, Ruby."

"Besides that, he's… not the dating sort." Ruby's words slowed, and Blake stopped imagining the coach's rump in his shorts to glance down at her little leader.

"Oh? It took him two daughters to realize he's ' _that way?'"_

"... What way?"

"Gay."

"Wha– _No!_ Ugh, y-you and Yang are the _perfect partners,_ I swear…" Ruby rubbed her cheeks, making Blake titter at the younger girl's annoyance. "Dad's lost two wives." Ruby suddenly stated, making Blake's giggling stop.

"Lost as in…?"

"Um…" Ruby squirmed uncomfortably, but looking up to Blake, she was hesitant to keep secrets. Only the big one… "Yang's mom l-left a little while after she was born, b-before Yang got to know her. I don't know much about m-my aunt, but she's a very sore subject for dad, Yang, my uncle…" Ruby huffed, as if she herself was annoyed with the lack of information. "B-but, my mom stepped in. I-I think it was only supposed to be for a little while, but dad always said my mom found her calling in raising Yang. She loved playing parent, like doing the cooking, and reading to Yang when she w-wasn't fighting the good fight. Not too much longer after my mom moved in, she and d-dad hit it off in, like… the mommy-daddy way, and now here I am. But, w-well… m-mom disappeared one day on a m-mission. I b-barely remember her, but she was e-everything to dad and Yang."

Their walk had slowed to a crawl, and Ruby's shoulders drooped recalling her family's incomplete state. Blake quietly looked down at Ruby. She was no stranger to difficult family situations, but it wasn't her parents who had walked out, or who had left everyone behind on a mission… she drew Ruby closer, using one arm to hug her leader tenderly. "So he's still hurting." Blake surmised, causing Ruby to nod. Blake gently stroked her arm, squeezing comfortingly. "I'm just teasing, you know that, right? I doubt he'd have much interest in me even if I was serious, I'm sorry if I made things uncomfortable."

"It's not your fault." Ruby looked up at her with earnesty, or so Blake assumed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore her growing annoyance at Ruby's obscured expression. "That's just-… j-just our _situation,_ I guess. We have each other, and w-we love each other, and-and now we have you!" Ruby brightened up, making Blake pause. "You and Weiss are sorta like honorary-Beacon-hunter-family now! I mean, w-we live together, eat together, work together, so it's like I now have _three_ sisters!"

"But two of them you kinda wanna bang, right?" Blake beamed as Ruby made a loud gasp, and a series of inarticulate noises that left Blake doubled over, holding her mouth so she wouldn't draw attention, though Ruby's wailing reached a new pitch, and she rapidly slapped Blake's arm in an increasingly flustered rage.

As their levity died down, the two of them took note of yet another odd boy leaning against a shop wall, wearing a peculiar smile. He had one arm over his stomach, the other idly tapping his breast. Blake shot him a dirty look. "Mind your own business." She ordered tersely.

"Blake, you don't have to be mean…" Ruby pouted, gently tugging at her sleeve to calm her. Blake spared no mercy in giving the guy a pointed look, and he sat up off the wall with both hands raised, offering a defensive posture.

"Hey, hey, I'm not trying to be weird, I'm just keeping my ears open for any interesting stories." He insisted, walking a step closer. Blake stepped in front of Ruby, one hand subtly touching Ruby's wrist to make sure she stayed. "Here, lemme try doing this right. My name's Kevin." He held a hand out with a smile filled with too much forced friendliness. Blake eyed it warily, and Ruby made a move to take it, but was gently pushed back.

"Blake…" Ruby whispered in gentle worry, and Blake turned her head just an inch to give her a quick look, silently ordering Ruby to trust her, and then the taller girl went back to glaring at Kevin.

"No handshake then." Kevin put his arm across his belly, the other arm's elbow hanging down casually while his fingers rested on his chest again. Blake's nostrils flared, but he made no moves to pull a weapon of any sort. "I'll try again, alright? I'm not trying to make things worse, I promise! I just have a bit of a business offer, y'know?"

"Not interested." Blake tugged Ruby's hand to try and lead him around Kevin, but he stepped in their way, making Blake sneer, and Ruby frown in confusion.

"Maybe it's a hunting job?" Ruby asked, and Blake shook her head.

"Hunting, eh? You wouldn't happen to be _Beacon_ students, would you?" Kevin asked, and Blake huffed.

"Doesn't matter. Let us pass, or we'll make you." She narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Kevin raised the hand on his chest defensively.

"No no no, don't misunderstand me! I just wanted to know if you girls wanted to party!" He reached into his hoodie's front pocket, and tugged out a little baggie full of vials, each packed with some white powder. Blake's glare grew stronger. "Real cheap! Seventy lien gets you three, ninety lien gets you five. 'Course, I could be persuaded to give a discount…" His eyes went straight past Blake and settled on little Ruby with a hungry look.

"Party?" Ruby glanced up to Blake, even more confused and distressed than before as Blake grew tense, her expression having gone from stubborn annoyance to wide-eyed anger. Ruby settled a hand on her large bag, feeling the weight of Crescent Rose inside, wondering if they'd need to get physical.

" _Heeeeey_ Keviiin, my _man!"_ A new voice sprang up. Kevin looked past Ruby and Blake in surprise, and Blake quickly turned Ruby away from the blonde, shirtless boy from before. Sun rubbed his hands together in a thoughtful way, as he walked past Ruby and Blake with a big grin. "How ya doin', my dude? Still got that deal going on? I was thinking you and I could maybe duck aside and talk about the sugar you got."

"I—uh." Kevin blinked, looking slightly flustered as he found an arm thrown over his shoulder. He leaned away from Sun, eyes still on the two girls, but Sun proved to be a surprisingly coercive with one strong arm pulling the dealer away. "S-sure man, uh, seventy for three, ninety for five—" He finally looked away from Ruby and Blake, and Sun tossed a wink over his shoulder at the two girls, giving them the encouragement to leave. They didn't need much more than that to hurry down the sidewalk.

Kevin did not look happy as he pulled the baggie of vials out in the darkened alleyway, and Sun put a hand up, making the boy's expression tighten further. "Sorry man. I know you're trying to run a business, but you _really_ gotta learn how to talk to the ladies. They don't like when you get to in their face, y'know?"

"Uh, yeah, sure…" Kevin grunted, giving Sun a very dark look. "If you're just gonna ruin my business, you might as well fuck off." He jabbed a thumb towards the street.

"Just some advice, Kev! Later!" Sun sprinted back towards the street with the perfect opening to talk to the two babes in his pocket!

Kevin watched coldly as the monkey boy sprinted away until he was out of sight. Kevin turned heel and trudged down the alleyway, unzipping his hoodie to slip his fingers into a custom pocket. With the drawstring gone, he had the perfect hole for the picture-taking lens of his hidden scroll.

He shot off a text to a scroll number he'd been ordered to memorize in case of a special emergency.

 _[Hey boss, I think you owe me a raise.]_

 _[Bit busy, kid, and one bag of snow isn't getting you shit.]_

 _[Not the bag, boss. There's a particular little girl you're after.]_

 _[Quit beating around the damn bush then! What do you got?]_

A dozen and a half pictures were transferred from scroll to scroll, perfectly crisp, clear-as-day pictures of an odd little brunette girl, pale as can be, in a hoodie, with goggles. Kevin smiled to himself as he waited for the next response, checking the picture of the boss's little shapeshifter; a few details were off, but the gradient in the hair was perfect, the model of goggles was perfect, the body type was perfect…

 _[Where?]_

 _[Very Important and Memorable Street, heading east.]_

 _[That all you got?]_

 _[I think she might be a Beacon student. Black-haired girl's probably her partner.]_

 _[Good work, kid. Finish your rounds and come back to base.]_

 _[Got it boss.]_


	18. Cats and Catastrophes

With the stench of apprehension and sleaze drifting away with every step, Blake finally slowed down once they'd rounded the corner and made it across two city blocks. Blake looked over her shoulder every two steps, and it was only when they finally found themselves amidst a thick crowd of shoppers waiting at a crosswalk did Blake finally let Ruby go.

The little team leader had a firm grip on her messenger bag, and worried eyes on her teammate. Blake's shoulders finally relaxed once they had crossed the street, and the crowd around them began to disperse in different directions, Blake lagging a step to push Ruby into the lead. Even still, she tossed one final look over her shoulder to ensure they weren't being followed, and she finally bid her heart to calm.

"B-Blake?" Ruby tenderly asked, getting an acknowledging grunt from the older girl. "Wh-what was that? D-did you kn-know that guy?" Ruby quivered. Blake could be prickly sometimes, sparingly enough that she was scarier than Weiss when she was, but she had never showed such outward animosity before.

Blake remained silent for a second, reflexively checking their tail at Ruby's mention of the odd boy, then answered, "No." She set a hand on Ruby's shoulder, her grip a little too tight, but otherwise comfortable. "He was a nobody, but he was also trouble."

"H-how c-c-could you t-tell?" Ruby asked in honest confusion, tinged with a fear that something could have happened.

Blake's lips pursed. Ruby was gentle and naive; she didn't have any experience with the unsavory sorts, and likely didn't see the signs of somebody with predatory intentions. "It's just a feeling you develop after dealing with enough people on both sides of the train tracks. It's kind of a sixth sense, you can just tell when somebody's up to no good."

"Like…" Ruby chewed her knuckle nervously, and Blake pet her shoulder, encouraging her to talk. "Like h-he was trying to hurt us?" She hefted her bag, the weight of Crescent Rose calming her. She wasn't far from her weapon, which brought her more comfort than Blake's hand.

"Probably not." Blake gently pulled Ruby's shoulder, trying to increase their speed. The further they were from him, the better… "I'm ninety-nine percent sure he was just trying to sell us drugs."

The word made Ruby tense up, her jaw dropped, and she made the most offended sound Blake had ever heard, causing the older girl to stare in stunned disbelief, then nearly double over in hysterics as Ruby grabbed the zipper of her bag. "We have to go back and _arrest him!"_ Ruby spoke with a righteous authority that made Blake grasp her mouth to stop from laughing out loud.

"Y-you only _just_ f-figured it out?!" Blake asked between her fingers, causing Ruby to shuffle in embarrassment, her cheeks a burning red.

"I…" Ruby cleared her throat. "I-I thought he was trying to s-sell us ice Dust…" Ruby's shy innocence drew a loud snort from Blake, whose eyes squeezed shut. "Sh-shut up, I-I haven't g-gotten that s-sixth sense yet!" Ruby pouted.

"S-sorry Ruby." Blake tensed her belly to try and stop herself from laughing, and after a few seconds of squeaking giggles, she finally calmed down enough to take a breath. "Honestly, I hope you never have to grow that sixth sense. Just stick with me or Yang; we'll make sure you steer clear of dangerous people." Blake smiled gently.

"... Like Mr. Yummy Tummy?" Ruby tilted her head, leaning to look past Blake.

Blake twisted on her heels at the sudden impulse of danger, and found herself face-to-upside-down-face with the blonde chimp boy from before, shirtless as ever, and seemingly comfortable hanging by his legs from the lightpost.

"Hi!" He greeted them with a big smile. A shrill, angry chirp left Blake as she shoved his shoulders in surprise. "Wh-whoa h-he-hey _catch-me!"_ He cried out, a second before he hit the pavement. Blake stared down at the guy in surprise, her yellow eyes wide. She wanted to strangle whatever irony masked his presence from her finely tuned senses. "Ow…" The handsome boy uttered, lifting himself on his elbows to look up at Blake. After a second of dazed blinking, his face relaxed into a warm, curious grin, and gave her a wink. "Well call me converted, 'cuz I think I found a new idol of beauty to worship!"

One of Blake's eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead, the other twitching. Her scandalized expression was not matched by the odd skip in her heartbeat as the admittedly good-looking boy admired her from below.

Thankfully, however, the moment was ruined by the sound of clicking bolt handle as a Grimm-slayer bullet was loaded into Crescent Rose's chamber. The boy's suave expression turned into wide-eyed fear as he stared down the barrel of Ruby's sniper rifle. " _On your_ feet, _criminal!"_ Ruby enunciated like a flamboyant pastor, and Sun found himself standing, hands in the air before he knew what he was doing.

" _I-swear-I-was-going-to-pay-for-that-bread-please-don't-shoot-I'm-too-young-to-die!"_ He squealed in a single breath, while Blake recovered from the odd dizzy spell, as well as her overall surprise.

"You and your drug-p-pushing buddy are going straight to jail, buster!" Ruby jabbed the rifle forward, making Sun's abs flex instinctively. Ruby's head briefly dipped to watch, then looked right back up at the taller boy's face. "I don't care how tasty your belly looks, it's iron bars and prison stripes for the rest of your _life!"_

"I didn't actually _know_ the guy! He tried pushing on me too!" Sun insisted, folding his hands together in front of his chest beggingly. "Please, I have nothing to do with him! I-I'm a good dude! And a student at Beacon Academy starting Monday!"

"Classes started a month ago, liar." Blake's eyes narrowed, and Sun waved his hands in front of himself.

"I-I'm part of a transfer program with Mistral! I just—okay, I'll admit it, I'm kind of an idiot, I may have forgotten to do the paperwork until the last minute! My team and I did Haven classes in the meantime! L-lemme grab my student ID, will that help?!" Sun stared into the goggles of the rifle-wielding girl, who glanced up to the utter babe by her side. Said babe gave a nod, and Ruby nodded back at him.

As Sun's hands reached for his back pockets, Ruby tutted. "Turn around so we know you aren't up to anything suspicious!" She ordered. As the boy complied, digging into his back pockets for his wallet, both girls took the opportunity to check out his glutes with either a scowl or open approval, before he turned back around to open his wallet, showing off his ID. "Hmmmmmmmmm _mmmmmmMMMMMMM…."_ Ruby growled as she read.

"Can you please put the gun down now?!" Sun whimpered.

"It seems legitimate…" The rifle lowered an inch, and Blake read aloud.

"' _Sun Wukong, Vacuan citizenship, Mistral education, Beacon transfer student, leader of team SSSN.'"_ She quirked an eyebrow, taking in the boy's _shape_ once more...

"Leader?" Ruby lowered Crescent Rose, and Sun dropped his hands with a loud ' _whew!'_

"Yeah… yeah, team leader of a group of cool dudes." Sun tried to smile, though the two girls turned to look at each other and failed to notice.

Ruby's smile grew, and Blake's eyebrow raised. " _Three-for-three."_ Ruby whispered. Blake took a second, then looked away with a roll of her eyes. "Apologies for the hold-up, f-fellow hunter! No hard feelings?" Ruby put her rifle back in her bag, blushing in embarrassment as Sun just waved a hand.

"Eeeeh, I didn't make the best first impression. I was just trying to get that jerk off your backs. Some guys can't take a hint." He put on a relieved grin, and Blake hummed thoughtfully.

"Present company excluded?" She asked dryly, earning a non-ironic nod from the well-built boy. Yet another blonde with a worrying lack of self-awareness, too much interest in her body, and a meaty, eye-catching chest. Blake would have complained louder, but…

"Anyways, lemme try this again." Sun suddenly turned around, whipping a comb out of his pocket to touch up his bushy hair. Ruby and Blake shared a similar look of confusion, and Ruby pointed to his backside excitedly. Blake lightly whapped the back of Ruby's head, earning a tiny squeak and a smack to the arm, which was returned mischievously. "So my name's Sun Wukong!" Sun whirled back around with a dazzling smile, which froze as he found Blake stuck in Ruby's headlock, the younger girl growling like an angered puppy as Blake lifted Ruby's leg, ready to drop them both to the floor before they realized they were being watched.

The two shot apart, pretending as if nothing happened. Ruby cleared her throat, and bounced on her tiptoes, her smile sweet and girly. "H-hi Sun, I'm Ruby R-Rose, leader of t-team RWBY!" She turned to Blake, who was patting down her curtain of black hair.

"Blake." Blake responded, crossing her arms once more. "Blake Belladonna, the ' _B'_ of team RWBY."

"So you two are partners?" Sun asked curiously, and Blake shook her head.

"No, just teammates. Our partners are currently on a date." Blake smirked as Ruby's bottom lip jut out.

"No they _aren't!_ Th-they're just eating together s-so we can try and make up." Ruby corrected, and Blake sighed, gently nudging her leader with her elbow.

"Not that it makes much of a difference, but that's also not something he needs to know. And aside from that, they're sharing a meal, they're _practically_ on a date." Blake shrugged, making Ruby pout louder.

"I _explicitly_ forbid Yang f-from dating Weiss! Ooooh, if she's b-breaking my rules and— _hey,_ she just went on a date! Sh-she can't date two girls at once!"

" _Nice."_

"Shut up, Sun." Blake pinched the bridge of her nose. "Somehow, I get the feeling Yang isn't above it... _Either way,_ we were on our way to a bookstore." Blake reminded Ruby, casting a quick, unwelcome glance at Sun.

Neither of them caught on. "Oh right!" Ruby nodded, then turned to face the handsome young man in front of her. "Since you're going to be new to Beacon too, you wanna come? We c-can fill you in, and stuff." Blake's eyes widened, and she flailed her hands in denial as Sun chuckled down at Ruby.

"Sure, why not?" Ruby looked up to Blake with an excited smile, earning a groan in return, and Blake silently walked behind her team leader, Sun walking alongside Ruby. "So, like, you said Weiss earlier… Weiss as in Weiss _Schnee?"_ He asked, making Ruby bob her head.

"Uh huh. She's m-my partner, and my bestie! She helps me study and stuff."

" _Cool,_ my whole team's a fan of her stuff. I think we have three of her albums between all of us." Sun snorted, his tail waving idly behind him, while he, every now and then, glanced back at Blake with obvious interest.

"Y-yeah, Yang h-had a couple of her singles b-before we met her. Weiss is _super_ cool though, and s-so is Yang! I have the _best team ever."_ Ruby sounded like she meant it, and Sun couldn't help but smirk. She was definitely on the young side, but had a lot of spirit... And one helluva rifle.

"Know what? I'll believe you until we can all meet up. Oh! Nice gun by the way, any alternate forms?"

"Just a scythe."

"Neat!"

* * *

" _The train has reached a complete stop, please gather your luggage and mind the step as you exit. This has been Vale Passenger Train #112, we hoped you enjoyed your ride, and have a good day!"_

The loading platform for the train was abuzz with travellers hurrying onto and away from the train, the low din of gossip and chatter serving as a comforting blanket of civilization for those waiting.

As one travelled further from the city of Vale the woods became thicker, the ground became rougher, the people became folksier, and the vehicles were less shiny and sleek. The defenses of small towns, especially ones that had frequent visitors and travellers, were the groups of hunters seeking quick cash in Grimm slaying, and the border patrols that slaughtered the beasts that became a little too bold.

The buildings were primarily wood, but heartily constructed and supplemented with stone foundation, and were separated by bare, sunny alleyways and wide, cobblestone roads. The folk were dressed a little simpler, and high-fashion was enjoyed by a select few that could afford to be thrifty through mail-order catalogues, though just about every house had a refrigerator and radio. Many houses also had storefront businesses, allowing a family to live and trade under the same roof, cutting down on the space that would force them to sprawl out into the woods if restraint was not maintained.

Travel towns were also often the intermediate rest stops between the city and the villages. Villages–whether they were born from political differences with Vale's government, or from the resource rich surroundings–numbered in the few thanks to the omnipresent danger of the Grimm, but hunters were always on patrol, looking for jobs, places to live, money to make, and monsters to kill. The villages that survived could sell their goods in the travel towns and ship them to Vale, and turn the money they made back around wherever they pleased.

It was a bit of a chaotic, rudimentary, and difficult-to-manage system with the Grimm making expansion near-impossible in certain areas where they were too entrenched, but Vale would not have been as well off without maintaining a strong trade with its smaller cousins. It was why the towns themselves were so heavily defended and precautions were taken to keep moods mellow and calm.

One panicked individual wouldn't drive a town to ruin, but a fully panicked mob would invite death and destruction without question. Worse than panicked civilians, however, were the unsavory individuals looking to profit off of humanity's misery.

A loud yawn caused Emerald to fidget, and give the silvered man by her side a narrow look. "Smoother ride than an airbus, and twice as fast too. We should take the train more often; I haven't gotten a nap like that since becoming a city boy!" Mercury lifted the gray fedora he wore above his eyes to examine his surroundings, looking remarkably sharp in a matching gray two-piece suit.

"Just so you know, you _snore,_ city boy." Emerald rolled her red eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Like Mercury, she was dressed with a sense of business in mind, though her black jacket and red ascot were complimented by a pencil skirt, causing her long legs to form a loose audience..

"Don't sound so angry, Emmy, you know you love the sound of my voice." Mercury bounced his eyebrows playfully, drawing a disgusted groan from her.

However, rather than pursue the topic of conversation, Emerald ran her hands along her sides and pouted. "I get we want to blend in, but couldn't I have come in anything but a skirt? You _men_ don't need more of an excuse." She glared at Mercury, whose eyes had not travelled above Emerald's neck since they'd gotten started for the day. Her eyes narrowed, her mind grew heavy as she focused on him, and Mercury's interested staring was quickly replaced by a gag of disgust as Emerald, through his eyes, grew a thick layer of stiff, wiry hairs along her calves.

"Gross." He grunted, turning away with a pout. Emerald smirked in silent victory, but it immediately turned to delight when a new figure stole the crowd's attention.

Cinder masked her displeasure for her surroundings with a red, wide-brimmed sun hat, matched by an impeccable wine red dress that left one shoulder exposed, and cut along one side that left plenty of her pale leg in view. "Do quit your squabbling and find our chauffeur." She ordered with more ease than she'd had in the past few weeks. Though she still dripped irritation with every annoyed glance and terse word, actually having something to do was helping override her bad mood with the state back in Vale.

"Got it, ma'am." Emerald's eyes strayed a second too long on the pale beauty she was escorting, and both she and Mercury pushed through the crowd to find their ride.

Cinder walked several steps behind them, her mind feeling sharper than normal, even though she couldn't help but reflect on what was happening in Vale. That little girl was still at large, leaving Cinder at the edge of her seat every night. Just _one_ little girl, and she _had_ to be in Vale while she was busy enacting her master plan to bring Ozpin to his _knees._

It merely confirmed what Cinder already knew to be true: life was cruel, and when you believed it had given you a break and let up on its cruelty, it snuck up from behind and stuck a corkscrew in your kidney... and _twisted..._

Of course, this same cruelty and unfairness would come crashing down on the content and shiftless in due time. Cinder's eyes narrowed, knowing she was being stared at, being watched, but not because anybody suspected anything, no… all they saw was a sweet young debutante, probably on business for her father, going to check up on one of his investments and spread his good will through the beauty and graces of youthful, spritely womanhood…

In a way, they weren't wrong. Cinder's nostrils flared, and she eased herself; there was no need to get worked up in a crowd.

Once the girl had been found, subdued, and presented to Salem, there was nothing to fear. It was just a matter of trusting a group of small-minded, idly lawless gangsters and terrorists to find one. Measly. _Girl._

One measly girl that Salem had whispered about in an almost grandiose fashion… Cinder's jaw tightened, just remembering her words…

" _She would have been what you are now, Cinder: the pupil with the most promise. Eyes that could send the masses fleeing in terror, a limitless battery of Grimm at her beck and call; even the maidens, with all their power and righteous splendor, would wilt and_ die. _Should you find her, you will report back it to me immediately, and you will aid your fellow pupil in securing her for me. You will have many missions before we achieve our final goal, but this girl takes absolute priority once found. Do not disappoint me, Cinder…"_

Disappoint? No. _Never._ Plans within plans, deals within deals, Cinder needed a contingency for every contingency, failure was _not an option._ One misstep was death, and exposing every thread she held, not that _Salem_ ultimately mattered… as long as true power was within Cinder's grasp, everything else was simply a distraction.

"We have found your ride, my lady." Mercury got Cinder's attention with a tip of his hat, and with a smug smile, offered an elbow to guide her. The pride turned to disappointment as Cinder brushed passed him without so much as a sneer, walking straight towards Emerald and an old, black buggy.

The young, well-dressed driver with a lizard's earholes took Cinder's purse and set it the trunk. Mercury sat in the passenger seat, resting boredly as Emerald and Cinder occupied the back. The hoodless car started up, and pulled off onto the cobblestone street, driving south towards the looming, white mountain in the distance.

Cinder's eyes focused on Mt. Glenn, and hid a smile of pleasure at what lay dormant inside.

The buggy hit a dirty road, passing by other cars and wagons along the way. However, the further they got, the less vehicles that passed by, and the more difficult the road became. The rumbling ride was wearing on Cinder's already thin patience, wondering why the Fang couldn't have bothered to steal a more stable vehicle, but, eventually, the buggy slowed. When the last car in sight disappeared over a hill behind them, the driver took the buggy off the road, into the grass, and took the three deep into an uninhabited forest.

Cinder brooded, mentally going over the list of things that needed to be prepared for the second phase of their plan, and stepped out of the car once it came to a stop in a darkened clearing. The driver spoke to a pair of masked White Fang members standing around a large, black, outdated military APC, briefly trading unmarked envelopes as Mercury and Emerald unlocked the back of the heavily armored transport.

Cinder stepped up the ramp, and settled uncomfortably into one of the small, barely-cushioned seats lining the inside of it. Emerald sat by her side, Mercury sat across from them both, while five White Fang soldiers muttered and tossed dirty looks at the three humans from the other chairs, but ultimately kept to themselves, if only because Emerald and Mercury both gave them silent promises of a _very_ bad day.

As Cinder thought and planned, a ringing from her purse nabbed her attention. She picked up her scroll as Emerald and Mercury watched, and answered. "Roman, calling so soon? Did you think we'd run into trouble?" She asked in an almost polite tone, but her free hand was working a small, misshapen mass of black glass between her fingers.

 _["Please, Cin, if I thought you were in actual trouble, I'd be celebrating."]_

Cinder rolled her eyes."Then you must be calling because you have information on the girl, otherwise, you'd be calling to tell me there's trouble, in which case I'm away on a business trip to survey the ruins of Mt. Glenn." Cinder's tongue clucked, expecting Roman to try and ease his way out of whatever mess he'd created while she was gone.

 _["Actually, it's funny you mention that, because, heh, I remember you saying there'd be a whole_ lot _of trouble if somebody found our little Grimm girl before we did."]_

The glass star in Cinder's hand was crushed into dust, and her perfect, red lips parted, as if she could spit venom through the phone into Roman's ear. "What. _Happened?"_ She finally demanded in a low, threatening hiss, causing the other seven occupants to look her way in silent worry.

 _["I'll tell you what happened, so chill home girl. So, it turns out that miss Boogeywoman is still in Vale, hooray, right?"]_

"Get us turned around _right now."_ Cinder ordered through her teeth, the air suddenly filled with the sound of crackling glass as tiny, black shards rained around Cinder. Emerald stood immediately, grabbing handholds as she made her way to the driver's cockpit.

 _["Not only that, but my hunch_ seems _to be right. We think she might be a brand-spanking new student at Beacon Academy! Imagine that, the daughter of the demons themselves, a huntress!"]_

"Shut _up._ We're turning around and returning to Vale, we're capturing her immediately." Cinder could stop herself from standing up, grabbing a handhold in one hand, warping the steel with her grip. She was being tamed by _Ozpin?_ How fitting. How fucking _fitting._ No, this _couldn't_ have been easy, the girl would have him breathing down her _neck._ Getting close to her would be nearly impossible. They might actually need _her…_

 _["Now slow down Cinder, slow waaaay down, take a few deep breaths for me, alright? You do know how to do that, don't you? I've heard lizard people don't breath."]_

" _Why aren't we turning around?!"_ Cinder roared, and the APC began to slow, though still not slow enough to satisfy Cinder's anger.

 _["Cinder."]_ Roman's voice came through as a sharp rebuke, and Cinder felt her cheek twitch furiously. _["Listen closely. We need to get the preparations_ you need _checked, so I need you to trust me."]_

"Trust _you?_ What in the damn world do you think you have done to make me believe you can handle her _by yourself?!_ We're turning around _now."_ Cinder snapped, and Roman let out a demure chuckle through the phone's speaker.

 _["Do you want this plan to go through on time or not?"]_ Roman asked calmly, and Cinder's teeth ground together. _[Look, finish your business at Mt. Glenn, kick your feet up even, enjoy some scotch and a cigar! You earned it! In the meantime, all I'm going to do is keep an eye on her every move, learn what I can about her, who she knows, get it_ all _worked out so we can pin her down right when we have to."]_

Cinder could feel her temple throbbing, but that was the stress. Grab the girl, or trust these animals to get her plan right? "She _needs_ to be captured immediately, we're returning as soon as possible to coordinate a capture. We'll need every last one of your cronies—"

 _["Cool your jets, babe, and trust your main man to get this done_ right."] Cinder began to snarl… _["Chill, and listen. We only just found her, we have no other information to go off of other than she's still in Vale and_ probably _at Beacon. Actually, we have a pretty good idea of who her partner is too, but details! If you wanna come down here and raise up a storm, all we're going to do is end up like last time, but worse. We go after this girl and what's she gonna do? Summon Grimm. She summons Grimm in the middle of the city again, but rather than a couple of idiots in suits fighting her, she has the four of us_ and _the White Fang, so she's gonna summon bigger. Now, you put a buttload of Grimm in the middle of Vale, you know who comes storming in? Every hunter and every police officer looking to get in the newspapers. It'll go from the four of us beating up a little girl to the four of us trying to drag her away while being chased by just about everything in Vale with a hero complex!"]_

Cinder took a deep breath. Her grip loosened on the handhold, but her eyes remained narrow as she pointed to Emerald, then nodded. "Keep us moving forward." She ordered in a lowered voice. "I'll continue my surveying in Mt. Glenn, but I want as much information as possible by _Monday_ , and you will _not_ fail me, understood?"

 _["Give me some time, Cinder, if she's okay walking the streets on a Saturday morning this week, I will bet you ten-to-one she's fine doing it the next weekend, and the weekend after, and the weekend after_ that. _You don't want info about her_ or _us getting out, do you? Leave it to the big boss of Vale, we got time!"]_

Cinder slowly lowered herself into her seat. Infuriating beyond belief but… correct. Returning to capture the girl without any sort of information could lead to unplanned, upsetting hitches to their plan. If she was as dangerous as Salem made her out to be, then it would be impossible to confront her without an incident that would alert the city.

Or worse, alerting Ozpin and his lackeys. Cinder squeezed her eyes shut. This would only work if Ozpin's faction had no clue what was going on. Even the slightest suspicion would leave the plan in ruins. She huffed. "Fine. Do _not_ play this risky, I _need_ her, Roman, and the more people that get involved, the more complicated this will get."

 _["I know that already, Cindy, so don't you worry your pretty little head! Enjoy your vacation~!"]_

"We'll be discussing that tone of yours when we get _back."_ Cinder snarled, glaring at the floor. "... but good work. Keep it up, and maybe I'll change my mind on you being a putrid waste of humanity."

 _["'Tis truly a great, personal honor to be working with you, Cinder."]_

With that, he hung up. Cinder put her scroll back into her purse, and Emerald slid back into the seat by her side, looking a touch worried. They knew where the girl was. She was in Ozpin's thrall, which was complicated enough, but Ozpin wouldn't dare advertise her existence to the world, not unless he planned to court death at the hands of Salem once more.

Provided that no loose lips were permitted, that Salem remained ignorant of the girl's whereabouts, and Ozpin remained ignorant of Cinder, they could plan. They could do this subtly, send the girl to Salem, wrapped up nice and tight. Could Cinder really be in trouble if she did the job herself? It would save both her master plan and bring her greater trust from her benefactor. Cinder let out a quiet breath. She had _nothing_ to fear, provided everyone did as they were told.

They had time. They would use it wisely, and nobody would be _any_ the wiser.

* * *

" _Order up for Kramer!"_ Pops's voice thundered over the numerous conversations around his restaurant. "That's an order for Kramer, and that means yours too, Yang!" Pops waved to the feisty blonde, who stood with a lick of her lips.

Kramer, however, slapped the table, and pointed a finger at Yang. "You sit! I'll go grab the food." The hairy man stood, smiling in a hungry way. He stomped up to the front counter as Weiss and Yang both watched, then Weiss turned to Yang, making a face the latter had never seen.

The open-eyed, toothy smile of girlish excitement that was more familiar on Ruby's face than Weiss', so Yang couldn't hide her amusement. "Damn, girl, you are really craving those wings."

"It's been _forever,_ and I've had nothing but toast for breakfast in preparation. Do _not_ mock me." Weiss ordered, though her smile barely shrank. Kramer took the tray full of wings to the utensils station and loaded up on napkins. He loaded up on condiments as Yang snickered.

"I'm not mocking! Just saying, you wear excitement well; it's cute." Yang grinned, and Weiss puffed up in poorly-faked annoyance.

"Here we go, lads!" Kramer set the tray between Weiss and Yang, which was full of paper food trays, which, in turn, were loaded up with different portions of differently sauced wings, the sheer variety making Weiss's mouth form a little 'o' of intrigue, though she was instantly enamored with the crisp, brown rings crowded by the chicken. The smell of the intermingling flavors were enough to leave Yang drooling, and when Kramer sat down, he held up his mug with a big grin. "Two cheers for good food!"

He and Yang both gave an excited cheer, and Weiss at least raised a fist in kinship of the moment. With that, the different wings were sorted between the three of them until each had their respective flavors.

Conversation stilled, worries and energy dampened, and all of it was replaced with simple satisfaction. Yang was thrilled to experiment with each new flavor, trying them in the provided dipping sauces while sipping her soda sparingly. Kramer, having ordered a massive portion of an extra-spicy sauce, wolfed down his wings, bones and all, with his tough teeth.

Weiss, meanwhile relaxed. She alternated from her onion rings, to her hot wings,and to her drink in a slow, meticulous fashion, savoring each taste. It was filthy, and greasy, and absolutely _perfect._ Her perfect little piano fingers were rapidly stained by grease and sticky, sweet sauce, her thin, pale lips began to redden, inflamed by the heat and the tingle of the spice, and a comfort filled her.

Meals back home followed a similar theme night after night: something completely delicious, highly nutritious, and in small portions that would not affect her idol figure. Her father was a man obsessed with image; his own, his company's, and his family's. Neither he, his wife, nor his children were fat, they were all lithe, beautiful, handsome, and desirable for their looks alone. Weiss considered her good looks to be an important part of her image as somebody with restraint and in the market for somebody equally talented as her.

However, it meant she could be left wanting. Lean cuts of beef, the white meat of a chicken, it was delectable, but lacked a certain punch that a frier could add. It wasn't as if she wanted to dine on hot wings every night, but when she had the opportunity, there was a naughty sense of pushing the boundaries, in addition to the delectable rarity of it.

It didn't have the complexity of flavors behind a fine foie gras in a red wine sauce, it certainly wasn't as nutritious as a kale salad, but it hit a spot in Weiss's palate that wanted overwhelming savory; a guilty pleasure in lowborne _Faunus_ food. She had, with annoyance, found that some upper class Atlesian chefs attempted to make wings in a ' _classy'_ way, but it lacked the punch she enjoyed in how Faunus chefs cooked it.

This would definitely be a once-a-month meal. She would just need to keep a disguise on hand and keep to herself, though she was enjoying Yang's presence, so bringing her along for safety and company wasn't a bad idea.

Yang wiped her fingers down and popped her scroll up, stealing an onion ring to munch on as she checked her messages. "Ruby and Blake made it to the bookstore." Yang nodded, drawing a grunt of acknowledgement from Weiss, who glanced up at Yang's concerned grunt. "They ran into a drug dealer, but were saved by a guy with a ' _tasty tummy.'"_ Yang's eyes narrowed, and Weiss gave her a questioning stare. "And he's with them at the bookstore."

"Seems we're all having an adventure." Weiss muttered gruffly, mindful of the man eating by her side.

"' _Glad you made it. No funny business. Don't do drugs. If he touches you, I will hit him.'"_ Yang muttered as she typed, drawing a laugh from Kramer.

"Refills?" He offered, pointing to their mugs. Yang bobbed her head, and Weiss silently nodded, granting him permission to gather their drinks. Weiss got down to the last half of her wings, and was slowing down as her stomach began to fill. Her small diet meant she couldn't pack it away like Yang did, but she did not regret having leftovers. It meant more for later~!

She sipped her refilled grapefruit juice and picked up a wing, but paused. Her stomach gurgled, and her eyes lowered as she felt an abnormality in her gut. Indigestion…? Likely. She put the wing down and diligently cleaned her fingers on a napkin as Yang pushed her bone-filled plates away with a happy groan, and a loud, unladylike burp. "Gonna finish those?" Yang asked, pointing at Weiss's onion rings. Weiss shook her head, and Yang eagerly took them as Weiss leaned against her palm. "You okay, White? You look a little out of it."

Weiss waved her hand, hiccuping a bit. Her head began to feel a little heavy, and on second thought, so did the rest of her body. "Ate too much." Weiss explained with a bit of a tight throat.

"Pops' food'll do that to ya, just relax and enjoy the atmosphere." Kramer advised, working on the last couple of bites he had left. "He uses some of the best spices you can find in the city, so it's all rich. First time I ate here, I had _way_ too much without knowing."

"Oh man, me too." Yang chuckled. Weiss did not join in, distracted by an itch in her throat. "I thought I was gonna puke after everything I'd eaten."

"Ooo _ooh…_ don't say puke, please." Weiss pleaded. The itch was growing worse, and her stomach wouldn't stop growling. She was feeling ill, even though it was _just_ some indigestion. That was what she kept telling herself, at least; being dramatic about some stomach rumbling would be childish. It was the sort of thing _Ruby_ would do.

"There's a little corner store not too far away that sells canned ginger ale, that usually perks me up." Kramer pushed his wings away, watching Weiss with a curious look.

"Not a bad idea…" Weiss held her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let out an ugly cough. Yang looked up, alarmed by the sudden sound, and put on a sympathetic frown as Weiss held her stomach. The heiress hunched over the table, teeth grit in open pain, releasing another cough. Then Weiss wheezed, and her eyes filled with surprise.

"White?" Yang asked, a soft tremor in her voice as Weiss's face began to turn red, and she grasped at her throat as she gave a softer wheeze. " _Weiss!"_ Yang stood in alarm as Weiss leaned back, moisture gathering at her eyes as she tried to breath, but each desperate attempt to open her mouth was met with nothing as her throat closed.

"Is she choking?!" Kramer stood, staring at the girl clutching her stomach and throat. The clawed man slid behind Weiss, and Yang watched, panic filling her stomach as Kramer pressed a balled fist to Weiss's stomach and lifted her to her feet. His fist pressed in, causing Weiss to make an ugly noise, while his other hand grabbed at something at his rear.

"Okay, on three, I'm going to do compressions, Weiss." The name slipped through Kramer's lips casually, though it took the next three seconds for Yang to realize. "One," He held Weiss against his chest, "two," he drew his hand from behind his back, the rest of the patrons now staring at the scene, " _three."_ He levelled a pistol at Yang's head.

"Wh—..." Yang stared at the weapon, her body frozen in place as she glanced to Weiss, silently sucking at air for a breath, her pale face turning red, then to Kramer, who was baring his teeth angrily. "Kramer…? Sh-she needs help!"

"Shut up." Kramer ordered, his fingers tightening around the pistol grip. The entire restaurant had gone completely silent, several people beginning to stand as Kramer backed up a step, dragging Weiss with him. "I owe _you,_ because you helped the Fang. _Her?"_ His arm wrapped around Weiss's midsection, tightening as the young woman threatened to collapse. "She needs to _die."_

In a burst of motion, Ember Celica covered Yang's fists, her foot on the table, ready to leap as she bared her teeth. The world around her grew hot, all she saw was fire as she stared the man down, but then the pistol was against Weiss's hat. Kramer snarled as Yang froze, shaking, _thinking…_

"Don't you move a muscle, Yang, don't you move a _goddamned muscle!_ Let the _Schnee_ suffer." He growled, the name drawing a small murmur from the watching diners, each looking between each other for an explanation. "That's right! Do you take us for idiots?! Anyone with two eyes knows who this is!" Kramer announced loudly, turning Weiss to show the crowd as he knocked the hat off her head with the barrel of his pistol, revealing her silvery hair, tied in a bun at the back of her scalp. "My brothers, my sisters, today _Weiss Schnee_ dared to step into one of _our_ businesses, dine on _our_ food, using the White Fang's generosity as a _wallet!"_ Kramer shouted, the heiress in his arms tensing.

" _She was there trying to save that Faunus in the alleyway too!"_ Yang screamed, but the pistol hastily pressed to Weiss's unprotected head once more, leaving her shaking in horror and rage, her eyes red, but her teammate's suffering keeping her from launching into a full berserker state.

"Saving one life doesn't justify taking a _thousand_ _others_!" Kramer snapped, his arms bulging as he stared down at the girl in his grip. "This is a message! This is gonna send a message to the entire Schnee family! They don't own the world! They don't _own us!_ They aren't safe with the White Fang around!"

"Y-yeah!" A voice in the crowd cried out. A woman with curled horns stood, her face tight and red as she stared at Weiss. "My husband was killed in one of _their_ mines, but did I see any pity? Any remorse?! Any _compensation?!"_ She asked, lips peeled back to show her teeth. "My children almost _starved_ because I didn't see a lick of compassion from you!"

Another stood, a young man, staring around at the crowd with a righteous anger in his expression. "My big sister was just a messenger for the White Fang, but when those-those _hypocrites_ caught her, they stuck her in a cell with a ten year sentence! _Ten years_ for running _letters!_ My family can't even arrange to see her!"

An angry murmur grew from the crowd, several of them standing as Kramer turned to Yang with a damning smile, Weiss having gone still in his arms. "See, Yang? This is _justice._ She may be your friend because you're a _human,_ but she's _every_ Faunus's enemy." He lowered his mouth to the wilting girl's ear, and growled in a low satisfaction. "Feel that, _Schnee?_ That's the White Fang's strangling poison." Weiss suddenly tensed in his arms, her eyes going wide for a second, then narrowing. "We're gonna make this _slow."_

"I-It's not—!" Yang kicked the table, and Kramer walked backwards quickly, dragging Weiss's limp form with him, the pistol, jabbing her skull. Heat poured off of Yang, her cheeks soaked as emotion poured out from her eyes. "Sh-she _didn't—!"_

Weiss was rigid as a wooden beam, but all she managed with a thin flicker of her Aura...

"Just shoot her!" Somebody in the crowd of Faunus shouted, and a roar of demand erupted as Kramer looked between them and Yang. "Kill the Schnee!" Kramer's arm tightened around her, and she seized as her Aura disappeared.

Weiss buckled forward and a stream of vomit poured out from her mouth, splashing Kramer's arm and feet in brightly colored stomach acid and hot chunks of chicken. He flinched in surprise and disgust, the crowd recoiling, and her Aura weakly pulsated around her. A roar erupted from Kramer's throat as Weiss's heel drove into his toes like a jackhammer, an audible crunch leaving the crowd reeling. She whipped his arm off her and stumbled towards the table, reaching towards Yang.

She was dragged over the table and into Yang's near-burning grip, burying her nose into Yang's cleavage as she panted heavily, sucking air into her agonized lungs. Yang held her tightly as Kramer lifted his pistol at Yang, his expression furious, barely able to keep steady on his broken foot. The Faunus jeered in anger, many of them standing to stalk towards the two human girls, when a voice made them freeze.

"Now now, everyone, let'sall take a seat." Pops bellowed. A dozen and a half eyes turned towards the big fat restaurant owner as he lifted the countertop divider and squeezed through. Slung over his shoulders was a heavy-looking warhammer, no decorations or bits and bobs, other than a long-dried rusty stain on one flat end of the head. "I put decades a' work into this business a' mine, and I'll not have any'a ruin it o'er one li'l girl's head."

"She's a killer, Pops!" Somebody shouted, but the aged chef turned to put an evil eye on the crowd. In an instant, his body was shelled in a jungle-green Aura.

Kramer stared at him, favoring one foot as the bigger Faunus squeezed his shoulder. "Kramer, go have yerself a seat 'n call your friends so's they can look atcher foot." Pops ordered, his voice near-jovial, but it only took one look in his eye to ruin any sense of courtesy he was trying to convey.

"Pops—the Schnee!" Kramer insisted, looking to Weiss and Yang with a tight jaw. "She's right here!" He jabbed his pistol towards them, his finger shaking on the trigger. "Our entire race deserves her blood! Everything she's done—"

" _Sit. Down."_ Pops ordered, his voice dropping to a low, animalistic snarl that made Kramer freeze, his eyes widen, and sweat dot his forehead.

He glanced between the two figures, then to the crowd, but they had backed away the moment Pops' Aura flared to life. He gave Weiss one last, longing look of murderous intent… and his scream filled the building, the whole crowd moving away as Kramer gripped his arm, which had turned bloody and purple from Pop's swift, bone-pulping punch. The pistol hit the floor, lying still.

The bulbous man grabbed Kramer by the collar and flung him to the ground, where he moaned and spasmed in pain. Pops shot the crowd a dire glare, and their collective heartbeats silenced in terror. "Now y'all gotcherselves a choice: ya can help this ol' man set things right so I can be open again tomorra, or y'all can turn yer tails around 'n walk out. If I see any'a ya try 'n lay a finger on any'a my other customers again, Wurfram here's gonna be tastin' some blood. Ol' Wurf ain't had a drink in a good long while now," the hammer over his shoulders rocked threateningly, "so I'd recommend against testin' ol' Pops. So, git, or get on yer scrolls, one'a the two."

The order was heeded in a frantic stampede out the door, only a select few staying behind to shakily pull out their scrolls.

A half hour later, Kramer was loaded into the back of another unmarked van, and driven away as police and emergency workers inspected the building, taking statements from the few Faunus that remained, Pops, Weiss, and Yang.

Yang stormed up and down the open space between tables, expelling enough heat to cause the authorities to give her a wide berth after Pops assured them she was no trouble. Weiss sat at a table, her expression tired and blank, an aged quilt adorned with fading stitchings of the old White Fang logo over her shoulders. Pops settled down next to her as an EMS worker check her over.

Weiss peered down as a milk-filled mug was presented to her, and then looked up at Pops, who gave her a very gentle, concerned expression. "Might not be much, miss Schnee, but warm milk's good for ya, especially after a good toss up. Good t'see the Schnees still teach that ol' anti-poison Aura trick."

"... Thank you." Weiss whispered, accepting the hot drink. It went down her irritated throat smoothly, bringing some much needed heat to her still-weak limbs. She rubbed her face, wiping away a few tears as Pops adjusted the blanket over her shoulders. "... 'm sorry."

"S'not your fault, miss Schnee. If every li'l girl was made to wear her family's sins, the world'd be a helluva lot worse." Pops undid her hair bun, his thick fingers proving to be surprisingly dextrous as he let her hair down, easing the tension on her scalp. "Couple'a dumb idiots thinkin' they can make a name for themselves in the worst ways s'why I left the White Fang before leadership passed over. I gotta beef with the SDC, but I know where the line is, 'n I know you ain't got nothin' to do with what me, ma family, or ma people have gone through."

Weiss nodded, not meeting his eye as she drank again. Pops sighed as the police came to take his statement, and when the EMS worker asked if Weiss needed to go to the hospital, Weiss shook her head, turning him away. He nodded, reminded her of how to contact them, and joined his crew by the door. His spot was immediately taken by Yang, and before Weiss could say anything, her drink was put on a table, and her whole body almost swallowed by Yang's embrace.

"Y-Yang?" Weiss murmured, looking up to the agitated blonde. She was hot as hell, and not just because of her looks, and she looked ready to break every table in the restaurant and cry while doing it, but the heat and her grip made it easy for Weiss to relax.

"I want to kill _so many things."_ Yang hissed, squeezing Weiss tighter, making the young heiress squeak. "But I _can't_ so I'm _hugging you_ until you're _okay_ so _don't complain."_ Yang spat each word with a hard glare, and Weiss shook her head.

"I'm not." Weiss sighed, leaning against Yang, her body exhausted from fighting the toxins, as well as expending so much Aura to force the poison out. She silently watched her enormous savior try to give his account of what had happened, though Weiss could tell by the expression on the policeman's face that he was giving Pops no benefit of the doubt. Pops would suffer, somehow, for even daring to be in the presence of a hurt human, and a shaky anger filled Weiss's still-frail body.

Up in front of the store, several vans parked on the side of the street, their news logos prominently displayed on the sides. Vale's Channel 8, Remnant Global, The Curiosity, The Sanus Daily, and, perhaps, most tellingly, the Faunus Eyes and Ears. Of the five of them, Weiss recognized the last one based on their infamy alone; a number of their reports were exceedingly anti-human, and _especially_ anti-Schnee.

The woman that stepped out, a fox-eared beauty by the name of Valua Shun, looked all business in her burgundy suit and skirt, prominently displaying a White Fang pin on her lapel, while she, and the other newscasters, immediately launched into their opening stories.

Weiss took a deep breath and looked over herself. She was pale, wearing very boyish clothes covered in her own sick, her hair a mess, her eyes red and puffy, but she grit her teeth and tapped Yang's arm. "Yang, I need your help."

"You need me to go scare them away?" Yang asked darkly, watching the newscasters cautiously, forming a small, angry fist as they tried getting statements from the various emergency service workers.

"No." Weiss took Yang's hand, and rest it on her long sheet of hair. "Do my hair, please. Quickly?" Weiss ordered, looking into her teammate's lavender eyes with utter seriousness.

"You were just _poisoned!"_ Yang almost shouted the word. "You can't go talk to those people!" Yang boggled, but then Weiss frowned and pleaded with her already watery eyes, and Yang sucked an annoyed breath through her teeth.

Weiss stumbled out a few minutes later, minus her jacket and hat, her hair pulled back in a neat, straight ponytail by a spare scrunchie. She looked nothing like she did when she went on stage or before a photoshoot, she looked about as interview ready as Zwei's butt, but she sucked it up, knowing she had a debt to pay.

Yang held her shoulder to keep her steady, and shot warning looks as the reporters swarmed towards Weiss.

"Miss Schnee, there are multiple reports of you being _poisoned_ by the White Fang! Can you tell us what _really_ happened?"

"Miss Schnee, several anonymous tips suggested you initiated the attack with racially charged comments, and some even reported that you drew a weapon; what were you trying to accomplish here?"

"Miss Schnee, you were mistaken for a boy by several patrons when you first walked in, is there any fact behind these claims?"

Weiss raised her hands, her expression neutral, if groggy, and waited for the questions to die down. She took a deep breath, cleared her head, cleared her throat, and opened her eyes again to speak. "I entered this establishment with my friend and teammate for a simple dining experience. No weapons were drawn until after I was incapacitated, and I had no intention of trying to start any form of fight through insensitive commentary. As for my dress, I did not wish to advertise my presence here and be harassed, so I came in a disguise."

Valua suddenly pressed forward, her mic at Weiss's mouth. "Miss Schnee, this establishment is _very_ well known as a Faunus hot spot, as well as carrying a positive White Fang sentiment, for what reason would _you_ choose to come here?" The vulpine woman spoke the word ' _you'_ with clear venom in her voice, and Weiss turned to look back at Pops' diner, and her shoulders sank as she answered.

"My friend and teammate assured me that this restaurant was the place to go for an authentic Faunus dining experience. In an attempt to bond over similar tastes in food, we came here strictly with the intent to eat."

Another reporter leaned in, "Miss Schnee, if you only came here to eat, why the disguise?"

Weiss's eyes narrowed as she answered, "I am well aware of my reputation with the Faunus, I did not wish to start and incident between myself and the White Fang on my day off from school."

"And you assumed a disguise would be necessary, and would not cause any sort of issues?"

Yang answered in the most controlled, flat voice she could manage, "She walked in with the disguise and was _still_ poisoned."

The reporter sheepishly stepped back as Valua took center again, looking like she was having none of their excuses. "Miss Schnee, what do you believe is the reason for your assault here today?"

Weiss huffed in annoyance, but answered straightly, "My family has a sordid history with the Faunus people, the White Fang especially. If I were to guess, I was to be made an example of in an attempt to scare my relations."

"And do you believe it would have been successful?"

"Of course not!" Weiss briefly lost her composure, frowning deeply, but she restored her flat expression quickly. "The Schnee Dust Company and its associates are not easily cowed by threats. We do not actively seek to provoke violence against ourselves, but that does not mean we are defenseless, or spineless. If I had d-died—" Weiss's lips trembled, but she bit down on them and continued, "if I had died, business would have continued as usual."

"And you yourself are _okay_ with that?"

Weiss considered the question for a while, suddenly finding the back of her hand interesting, but finally, a resigned sigh escaped her. "Yes." She glanced back up at the surrounding cameras, and she felt Yang shift uncomfortably behind her. "Through my lessons as a huntress, I have learned that fear is often the reason for failure. Our civilizations, both human and Faunus, have suffered out of the fear we have instilled in each other. I only wish to leave a positive change in the world; if I left behind excessive pain, fear, or sadness, then I would have failed as a huntress."

"But what about as a _business_ _woman?"_

"All the same." Weiss answered instantaneously, drawing a raised brow from Valua. "My grandfather started the Schnee Dust Company with the intent of making the world a better, safer place. Though we have gone through much discourse since his passing, I fully believe the Schnee Dust Company's intention and goal is to provide comfort and protection at a low cost. I have every intention of maintaining this goal when I finally take my place in the Company."

The reporters touched their earpieces, murmuring softly to their cameramen, and one brave soul came forward with a very stupid question: "Miss Schnee, after today's incident, do you ever plan on returning to this establishment?"

Weiss glanced back at the building once more, watching Pops through the window. The large man settled down on a seat, looking so old, and so tired, despite his energy when she'd first walked in. Weiss turned back to the reporter, and nodded slowly. "Pops Wings and Things showed no bias in its customer base, and delivered an _extremely_ satisfactory dining experience before we had realized the food was tampered with. Pops himself stepped up to my defense once it was safe to do so and took control of the situation. I have every intention of returning here, though I will be more careful about who else handles my food." She gave a small, pleased smile, and the reporters murmured some more. Weiss touched Yang's hand, and leaned back towards her. "Help me back in, please, I'm done."

"Miss Schnee, one more—"

"Back up, buster." Yang held a hand out to the mic, taking Weiss by the shoulder with her other hand. "Miss Schnee's done answering questions. Shoo! Go bug someone else." Yang abruptly turned around, making Weiss yelp in surprise as she was quickly escorted back inside.

The reporters stopped their clamoring once the door was shut, and Yang helped Weiss sit down. The tall blonde crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at Weiss with a frown as the girl shrivelled back into a tired heap. " _Why_ did you do that? You know they're going to make this into an even _bigger_ mess."

Weiss breathed deeply, enjoying being off her feet, and she looked up to Yang with a frown. "They would think I'm hiding something if I didn't. Putting _that_ aside, I am well within the public eye anyways, I would like them to know my side of the story. And to…" Weiss squirmed in place, "and to make sure Pops gets his credit. He _did_ save my life. I'd feel bad if he lost business because of me."

What good was there in arguing with that? Yang felt even more frustrated than before; she'd lost her villain and couldn't find a replacement, she needed somebody to be angry at, somebody to be seen delivered to justice! She needed exactly what the Faunus before had been looking for: a scapegoat, something to vent on, and it was driving her crazy drawing the comparison. Her agitation didn't lessen when an officer approached the two of them, looking apologetic..

"Hello ladies, I'm Officer Midre, would you care for an escort back to Beacon? I'm sure you'll be much safer with us than taking an airbus." He offered. Weiss lifted herself up to her feet, nodding gratefully at the offer.

"That sounds perfectly fine, officer. Yang?" Weiss looked Yang's way. The blonde huntress stared down at her fists, only able to feel a simmering anger at how useless she was in protecting her friend, and she hung her head in dejected agreement.

The two slid into the back of a police car and were carted off to Beacon on a winding road that went the long way to the school. It wasn't Yang's first time in a police car, but it was the first time she felt so defeated riding one. No bullshit excuses and lame jokes to share with the driver or her fellow passenger, just the simple stink of failure.

* * *

Pops lifted his head sullenly as the door to his business opened again. The reporters milled about outside, except for Valua, who came in alone, no microphone in hand. The stern looking fox woman cast a glance at the aged restaurateur before walking down the counter to pick up one of the remaining mugs. Pops blinked slowly as she filled it with ice and a diet soda, and quietly settled down next to Pops with a serious expression.

"The White Fang isn't likely to turn the other cheek on this, Pops." Her voice was low, an attempt at a consoling tone, but she refused to look his way.

"I know that." Pops shrugged. At his hip, he pulled a flask and twisted the top open, the smell of a sweet, Vacuan honey liquor escaping the thin neck. "Ya think I'm due t'be ' _visited?'"_ He asked with a sour expression, briefly glancing up to the hammer leaning against the wall.

Valua considered the question, peering into her glass, and worked her jaw in discomfort. "The Fang has a _deathly_ serious ' _nobody leaves'_ policy, but you left well before the current leader came to power. They never told you about any of their operations, did they?" Valua's ear flickered, but Pops shook his head.

"I'm jus' an ol' man still stuck in the past runnin' a wing shop. Some'a the youngins wanted advice, but if I heard anything, it was none'a my business. I left what feels like a hun'erd years ago, found better uses of m'time than tryin'a excuse every Faunus kid's assault charges."

The woman nodded and simply drank from her mug. The future was full of uncertainty, and while it was easy to condemn traitors, old friends were a different story. The White Fang loved Pops, what with being an old man with a ton of Fang memorabilia, and serving up long-beloved meals to boot.

"You might lose business." Valua muttered, eyes narrowed angrily.

"I knew the risks I was takin', Val. I half expect to come in tomorra and find this place trashed." Pops frown deepened, and he shook his head. "Me 'n the wife were talkin' about a move anyways. Vale's gotten too risky, what with the crimewave and now this. Might go see my ol' pals in Menagerie, see if they have room for another ol' chef there."

"That's basically retirement." Valua pointed out with a frown, and Pops chuckled.

"Yeah, but it's been a good run. 'Sides, nothin' happens in Menagerie. Maybe there'll be no new stories to hear, but us ol' folk like to sit around and reminisce anywho, it'll be good talkin' about the ' _good ol' days'_ again. Wonder what that li'l spitfire Ghira's up to…"

"Hmm." Was Valua's only response. Calmly she lowered her mug, and shot Pops a curious look, her jaw working quietly. "Pops, what made you do it? You _knew_ who she was, you _knew_ what it would have meant to our people, this whole problem could have been avoided if you'd just—"

"—If I'd just sat back and watched my people murder two young women outta petty _revenge?_ All 'cuz them idiots ain't smart enough ta understand where ta put blame?!" Pops interrupted furiously, making Valua's ears flatten in worry as the man bared his sharpened teeth. "Weiss Schnee walked into _my_ business and all I could ask m'self was: ' _Is she starting trouble? What does she want?'_ And y'know what I found out?! She wanted onion rings."

The bridge of his big, bulbous nose wrinkled, and he let out a deep sigh. "She let her voice slip 'cuz she got herself worked up over _onion rings._ She was a customer, s'all she was. She ate and I heard no complaints, she even thanked me for saving her life. I seen the evils the Schnees are capable of, I know when they's playin' at cordial ta break yer heart and drive you out; all Weiss Schnee wanted was onion rings and for nobody ta bother her. It coulda been special, the first Schnee-Fang trade where nobody was talkin' bout our relations, just one person buyin' the service another's providin', but no, that idjit _Kramer_ had to get involved." Pops took the first sip from his flask, and he lowered his head into his hand with a deep, tired sigh. He then shot a dirty look at Valua. "And now _you."_

Valua tensed up, looking the other way, her face turning red as she slowly worked her jaw. "The Faunus don't want to hear about how one of their own went out of control! They need to have hope in the White Fang; without it, how can we possibly demand more? Equality won't come with stirring the waters, we have to make waves!"

"Yeah, well, if it's false hope ye're peddlin', count me out." Pops stood up with a beleaguered grunt, and Valua watched him with a tight frown as he trudged back to the counter, flicking light switches to turn the ' _on'_ sign ' _off'_ out front. "Lyin's why the Fang's got started, y'know." Pops thumped a thumb against the defaced SDCV flag. "We were promised everythin' under the sun, and when that was a lie, we were dug too deep to climb out. Fang started because we needed real hope, we needed progress. Now we're gonna lie about the bad shit the Fang's done, the humans're gonna lie about the bad shit the Fang's done, and it's gonna be two different lies so everyone's gonna think the wrong thing and go at each other's' throats. Fat-lotta hope that's goin' around."

"Do you think they'd _want_ to hear the truth?!" Valua demanded as she stood, and Pops turned to give her a silencing look.

"Nobody _wants_ the truth, Val, but if we're gonna make any progress, somebody's gotta start being honest. I'm headin' inta the back and takin' a nap." He slid behind the counter and trudged into the back room. Valua stared down at her mug, then set it aside.

She fluffed her hair, wiped some lint off her blouse, and head for the door with a stern frown. She paused as she pushed it open, glancing down at her feet, then shook her head and stepped out.

* * *

Blake felt perfectly at ease.

Well, that was not quite true, there were a lot of things that would put Blake further at peace. Quietly peering over her new book at Ruby, she could list a handful of things that would make the day better, but this… this was bliss.

Madame Lovecraft's Emporium of the Beyond was an almost comically thin building that stood between two office buildings almost entirely at random. The old structure stood as a testament to a time when standardized building techniques hadn't yet been finalized, and people built what suited them, not fit the city. The end result was a long, narrow path to walk between a tall, wall-dominating bookshelf and a checkout desk, where a heavily-veiled woman in moon-eyed glasses greeted them in a manner that suggested she had done business with Kevin earlier that day.

The low lighting and scent of incense gave the interior of the building an extraordinarily dreamy quality, and the sheer selection of off-the-wall, unusual books struck Blake as she found herself staring at the spines of old occult tomes that claimed its curses ' _really worked!',_ alongside storybooks that prominently featured mythical beasts, Grimm, great heroes, brooding anti-heroes, villain-protagonists, and a single cookbook titled: ' _Cooking With Urine!'_ Blake left that one alone, and judging by the amount of dust it had accumulated, she was not the first to pass it up based on its title.

The upstairs–which was separated from the downstairs by a staircase so steep, Ruby almost had to hop up each step–was a set of lighter reading books meant to be enjoyed in the small lounge. Only a pair of tables, oversized bean bag chairs that one sank into almost immediately, and a few folding chairs decorated the far end of the second floor.

Blake had dragged one of the bean bag chairs underneath a window, and was curled up in it, warm and content as she curiously perused a book about a hunter who cured women possessed by evil spirits by shagging them. It… wasn't a thought-provoking book by any means, and the author's vocabulary was a few grades short of a highschool diploma, but Blake held onto the hopes that Jaymond the Exorcist's repeated penile struggles with the unsavory forces of the afterlife somehow gave her a deeper understanding of the world around her.

Cooly, she looked up at Ruby, sunk into a different bean bag chair, looking so tiny, so complacent, so far away from the rest of the world. All of Ruby's jittering nervousness was gone, replaced by a picture of perfect calmness. She had chosen a small book titled ' _Mockery',_ and Blake could only wonder what it was about. She didn't dare break Ruby's concentration, however ; there had to be _some_ honor amongst readers.

It was nice. They were both exactly where they wanted to be, an interesting admission considering there was still a heavy burden between the two of them. Blake looked at Ruby's goggles, and imagined that ugly black vein again, and a small shudder ran through her body. How much she wanted to pluck those goggles off and _see…_

Blake silently reached for the top of her head, but put her hand down before anyone could notice. How easy it would have been to loosen her ribbon and show Ruby the truth. Casting that burden aside would ease things… but then she remembered Ruby's demand, an _order_ to stop asking about those eyes, and a bitter bile built up in her belly. She had swallowed her pride and her curiosity to entertain her team leader's innocence and secrecy, and her ears felt heavier on her head. Ruby didn't trust her, not more than Ozpin, and until they'd asked _him…_

Blake screwed her eyes shut. Surely, she was overthinking this...

"I brought snacks!" Came a self-satisfied voice. Blake only barely opened her eyes to see Sun stride towards them with a bag in one hand. Ruby sat up from her seat as the blonde boy opened a paper bag and passed out food. "Bagel, bagel, donut…" He recited, handing Blake a wheat bagel and Ruby a sugary donut, then he himself began spreading cream cheese on a poppy seed bagel.

"Thank you Sun!" Ruby spoke through a mouthful of pastry.

Blake hummed her thanks as she bit into her bagel and decided to put her book aside. It hadn't been terribly engaging, and she was in no mood for adolescent smut anyways. Sun wasn't a bad person, but he stole her voice. She needed to be talking to be Ruby, to be asking Ruby questions, to try and cultivate her relationship, and he had, without knowing, intruded.

"So," Sun started after swallowed the first bite of his food, "how tough a place is Beacon? I heard only the best of the best get in, so do you gotta stay the best, or…?"

"It's _hard…"_ Ruby whimpered, making Sun swallow loudly… though that may have been because he was still eating. "All the classes are go go _go,_ a-and th-there's a big test in every c-class every month…" Ruby sighed, laying back in her chair. "Don't get me wrong, w-we made it through th-them, but I feel like I'm f-failing if I'm not studying."

"Harsh." Sun nodded simply, but didn't look awfully concerned. "Well Sage and Neptune'll be happy, those nerds thought Haven was too easy. Anything fun to do there?"

"It has a _huge_ library!" Ruby perked up happily, and Sun snorted. "There's so much to read, and shows to rent, and they have s-some sorta cinema on campus during the afternoon, but we never went 'cuz w-we were busy. Also, clubs are allowed to start recruiting first year students during the second m-month, something about first years being situated, and club affairs being settled…"

"Right." Sun nodded, finishing the last of his bagel as he cast a curious glance at Blake. He was not a subtle sort, and Blake hid a sigh of annoyance as he took in her legs before looking back at Ruby. "So, big readers, huh? What else do you girls do?"

"Train. A lot. Because I don't have t-time for anything else." Ruby puffed her cheeks up, and Blake hid a small smirk. Their team leader wasted plenty of time reading and looking up cute animal pictures on her scroll, but she did spend an enormous amount of time with her notes and her scythe.

"And you?" Sun looked to Blake, leaning towards her in open interest. Blake hardly looked his way; he needed to read the room better and flirt with the girl who had been chattering about his ' _yumminess'_ earlier.

"I like reading and naps." Blake answered. She also liked teasing her teammates to a frenzy, but that was none of his concern.

"Cool, so… like, power naps, or long naps or—"

"All the naps." Ruby answered, and Blake hid a smirk. " _All_ of them."

She wasn't wrong. Blake hid a chuckle as Sun scratched his head in confusion, and checked her scroll when it buzzed. Her smile fell.

 _[Don't tell Ruby because she's going to freak, but you two need to get back to Beacon. Weiss was poisoned and I'm freaking out.]_

Blake reread the message Yang had sent her.

 _[Poisoned?]_

 _[YES. I should have mentioned she's fine, she unpoisoned herself or something. Hurry?]_

The bagel in Blake's mouth turned tasteless as the sudden weight of message fell on her. Poisoned? That wasn't something that just _happened_ to people unless they mishandled cleaning products. Weiss had gone to _eat,_ so unless her food was contaminated, or somebody had—

Blake's throat went tight. A wing place full of _Faunus_?... No, no, they wouldn't have, they _couldn't_ have, Weiss was in disguise…

 _Weiss_ had been poisoned. The sweet little rich girl who had treated her to tea, and had a whole-hearted belief in the quality of a team. Of all the people Blake had issues with, Weiss had been the least troublesome in person by far, which in itself was troublesome because she was a _Schnee_ who had gone into a _Faunus dive_ and and—

Blake felt an ache in her chest, and she tried to wrap her mind around the information… yes, she needed to go back, to confirm the story, to make sure Weiss was okay. She had to be calm, however. Their little outing had been short and eventful, but now they _needed_ to go back…

"Ruby." Blake spoke thickly, her voice sounding wrong coming out of her mouth. She stood and silently returned her borrowed book back to its place, a strange roboticness in her movements. "Ruby, _we need to leave."_

"Huh?" Ruby looked up from Sun, who looked equally confused as Blake began to put things back into place, her expression flat, other than her wide eyes. "B-but—what's wrong? We just got here? And Sun—sh-should we…?"

"Yeah, is there trouble?" Sun stood, his expression now serious as he sensed Blake's distress. Blake bridged her fingers in front of her in thought, and breathed out.

"It's a team matter, and doesn't concern you. Yang has asked that Ruby and I return to our dorm room so we can handle this together. I mean no offense, but it's private." Blake spoke mechanically. They were in _Vale,_ they were _Beacon students,_ they were meant to be perfectly normal and friendly, they weren't supposed to be dealing with _this._ Surely the Faunus wouldn't have—against somebody so important? In broad daylight?! Even the Fang wouldn't be so bold…

At least… that's what Blake wanted to believe, and she couldn't see her own expression as she took Ruby's wrist to tug her to her feet.

"Blake?" Ruby's voice was soft, full of fright as the black-haired girl pulled her leader close. "Wh-what-what's going on?"

"I'll tell you at the dorms." Blake spoke gently, trying to reassure Ruby with her eyes, but doing a poor job masking her own fear and guilt.

"Hey." Sun walked towards them, wearing a confused but understanding frown. "At least let me escort you two to the docks, alright?" The offer went unanswered for a moment as Ruby and Blake looked to each other, and Sun pressed on. "I promise, it's just to keep you two outta trouble. Besides, it's not like I won't ever see you again! Just… lemme _help."_

Ruby looked up to Blake with uncertainty, more pale than usual. Blake caressed her cheek for a moment, then nodded to Sun. "As long as you don't make this weird."

Sun saluted, and took the lead out the door.

* * *

"If your sister is pulling some sort of prank, I am killing her until she's dead, and _then pissing on the remains."_ Blake spoke a full sentence for what seemed like the first time since they exited the book store. Ruby followed behind her down the hallway towards their dormroom, the statement serving to both confuse and worry Ruby even more.

"U-um, wh-what happened? Did-did Yang get in trouble?" Ruby asked, feeling cold and clammy as she struggled to keep up with Blake's expedient pace. Blake shook her head, continuing forward unimpeded.

"Not _yet,_ but I _swear…"_ Blake let the threat fall flat. Her mind was racing with possibilities, and she craved to know more. More than anything, she needed Weiss to be okay. She needed to _know_ Weiss was okay. She wanted to find whatever idiot hurt her teammate, her friend–she was friends with a _Schnee;_ the thought sent rebellious tremors through her limbs–and wrap Gambol Shroud's ribbon around their neck.

Their door was within sight, and as they closed in, it opened. Ruby and Blake both came to a halt as the tip of a cane lead the headmaster out, one hand running down his face in an open display of concern, before nudging his small spectacles back up his nose. His gray hair bounced a little as he glanced towards Ruby and Blake, his expression worryingly blank.

"Hello students." He nodded his head at them, shutting the door behind him. Ruby ran forward, her expression on the verge of tears as she shook his arm pleadingly. Blake normally would have reprimanded such disrespect, but Ozpin rest his hand on Ruby's head in an almost familiar way.

"P-pro-prof-pro-h-head-headmaster, i-is Yang o-kay? D-did-did she g-get in t-trouble?! I-I s-swear she's a g-good per-person, sh-she gets—" His finger bumped her lips, silencing her as he put on a gentle smile.

"Your sister is perfectly fine, Ruby; contrary to your fears, she is well within the law, both Vale's and my own." He answered, withdrawing his hand as he turned to face Blake.

"And Weiss?" Blake asked, moving forward to look up into his curious eyes.

"Weiss is currently exhausted, but healthy. Nurse Nightingale gave her a thorough check-up and confirmed there are no harmful toxins remaining in her body."

" _Toxins?!"_ Ruby squeaked, her hands closing around Ozpin's wrist tightly. The headmaster was very calm towards the dramatic wringing on his hands as Ruby looked up to him, begging for an answer, and he nodded slowly.

"While enjoying a meal in Vale with your sister, a member of the White Fang slipped poison into her meal." Ruby had gone slack, wavering in place until Ozpin squeezed her shoulder. "She's okay, Ruby. She needs bed rest, good food, and the comfort of good friends. The perpetrator was apprehended by the police. You, however—" Ozpin didn't finish his statement in time for Ruby to come to her senses and push through the dorm door. The small cacophony of yelps, whimpering, shouting, and the clatter of furniture was cut short when Ozpin shut the door again, and he turned to face Blake.

Blake was staring numbly at the floor, her hands cold and limp, her head hanging without the willpower to keep her posture straight. The headmaster calmly moved towards her, and the tip of his finger lifted her chin to look him in the eye. "Blake?"

"H-ha-ah…?" Was all she managed, her arms trembling in a mixture of betrayal and grief. "H-headmaster…?" She grit her teeth, unable to keep her eyes from misting over.

"I know how it feels to accept the sins of your organization as your own, but it was not your hand nor your words that let this come to pass. You are no more responsible for this than I am." He let his hand hang by his side, and though his expression was not pitying, Blake still looked away in shame. "You and Weiss have grown together in ways that I suspect surprise you."

Blake swallowed a curse, a sob, and a growl all at once, and nodded slowly. "She's not perfect." Blake admitted, feeling her lips tremble. "She's not a monster, either. It's not simple, I was hoping it would be _simple,_ but… but I'm scared of her getting hurt, and I'm scared if she finds out—..."

Ozpin took her hesitation to speak further to interject. "There's much to be afraid of, but I somehow doubt it'll be in the ways you think. True fear comes from the unknown."

Blake didn't know what he meant. ' _In the ways that she thought?'_ She feared this pack she was forming was built on lies, both big and small. She feared that they would reject her the moment they knew her history. She feared what might happen to them if they didn't know what her life was...

She looked up to Professor Ozpin, the calm way he evaluated her, and he gently pointed to her room. "Your team needs you, Blake. Put aside your worries for the moment so you can be there for them, and when the time is right, do what you must." His fingers lifted, and Blake felt a knot in her stomach tighten as he delicately touched the very tip of one side of her ribbon, while she resisted the urge to flick her ear.

And, like that, his hand was back by his side, while he stepped around her with a calming smile, heading for the elevator. Blake turned to watch him, and impulse screamed within her. "Headmaster!" She called out, giving him pause. "I-I wanted to- I have to ask…" She looked to her room, where Ruby waited, where Weiss lay. "I wanted… she's—Ruby…" Blake trailed off. She could ask the question, she could _get her answer. It was within her reach._

 _Go to Weiss._

She wanted to scream and tear her hair out. She wanted to be selfish and demand answers, but how could she justify the timing? To demand to know one of her teammate's secrets while another barely avoided _dying?_ Was it _right?_ Was it _wrong?_ It was a simple question to a very big secret, she wanted the curtain pulled aside so they could finally end this charade and stop dancing around the issue…!

… But she was a coward. She would give priority to her own curiosity over Weiss's plight, or she would squirrel away her inquiries and remain in the dark to soothe her own guilt. How she craved the simple solution of leaving… how could she justify herself to Weiss now? She'd be in the line of fire, demands made as to why she lied…

She turned her head back towards the door. "... I'll ask later…" Blake spoke just loud enough for the headmaster to hear. He did not move from his spot immediately, but when Blake twisted the door handle, he continued toward the elevators.

Blake pushed the door open and walked in to take in the scene.

" _Let go."_ Weiss ordered, looking frail and pathetic in her bed, propped up by a pile of pillows and wearing some formless gray pajamas.

" _No!"_ Ruby sniffed loudly, her face buried into Weiss's shoulder, wrapped around her bedridden partner so tightly, Weiss couldn't move her arms.

"Let go!" Weiss ordered more sternly, and Ruby shook her head like a petulant child, before whimpering louder. "How can you expect me to rest when you're like this?!" Weiss demanded, then gave Yang a pleading look. "Help? She's _your_ sister!"

Yang chuckled softly, standing up from the chair she'd placed by Weiss's bunk to grab her sister by the shoulders. "C'mon Ruby, Weiss needs her rest."

"No! _Nooooooo!_ I wooon't!" Ruby whined as Yang, with great effort, managed to pry her arms open. "I gotta stay or somebody might hurt her again! Yaaaaang, _nooooo!"_ Ruby was pulled off and dropped into Yang's chair. Weiss sighed in relief and quietly reached for a teacup on a nearby nightstand, prompting Yang to automatically grab the accompanying teapot and fill Weiss's cup, letting the girl drink with relish while Ruby squirmed and fidgeted by Weiss's side.

"... _Child."_ Weiss flicked Ruby's forehead, drawing a pained squeak, and a pouty look. She looked to the door in slight alarm as it clicked closed, and Blake locked it behind her. Blake slowly walked in, looking from her tense, simmering partner to Weiss, hoping she was keeping her face as neutral as she wanted it to be. "Tea, Blake?" Weiss offered, gesturing to the tea pot.

"I don't have the stomach for it, but thank you." Blake answered gently, her stomach still in tight knots as she walked to the bed. Awkwardly, she sat down by Weiss' feet. She looked remarkably cozy, and even had her hair down. She looked like the ill girls Blake's books constantly described: pale, long-haired, in clean, but plain bed clothes, but there was no dying light in her eyes, just a tired flame, awaiting the passage of a storm to burn brightly once more. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Not as glad as I am, trust me." Weiss smirked.

"I know." Blake responded with a half smile. "But, more importantly, how do you feel?"

Weiss' smile faltered, and she fell somber, taking a long drink of her tea. When she answered, her voice was very calm, if confused. "I don't know." She raised a hand to touch her chest, and took a deep breath. "I mean, obviously I'm tired. Aura detoxification is incredibly strenuous, and I'm really not hungry, though I know I should be."

"You know what I mean, dummy." Blake spoke softly, both Ruby and Yang watching nearby, their eyes wide, their ears open. "How do you _feel?"_

"... Scared." Weiss admitted, twiddling her thumbs. " _Angry."_ She spoke more forcefully, making fists. "I'm supposed to be a huntress, and I was nearly murdered by some Auraless grunt and a vial of poison." She sighed thickly, laying her head back, her eyes glassy and soft. "Though this is only _first_ attempt on my life, it's not like I could have expected it…"

"You say that like you expect it to happen again." Yang said gravely, and Blake bit down on her lower lip as Weiss nodded solemnly.

"Being a Schnee isn't always glamorous. It can be dangerous, even if you're from one of the branch families. The Schnee name paints a target on your back, whether or not you're involved in the SDC, whether or not you live like a celebrity or stay out of the limelight for a quiet life. Those…" Weiss hit the bed with her fist, her head hung low, her voice breaking, "Those _monsters,_ those so-called _revolutionaries_ in the White Fang, it doesn't matter to them what you did, they'll murder anyone who carries the Schnee name, even by proxy, because all they care about is revenge!"

Blake turned her head away to stare at the floor. That wasn't… _completely_ true. Weiss had every right to be angry, but the words stung…

"Why do you think I know an anti-poison technique? They don't fight fair, they want us weak, they want us to suffer. They've been threats my entire _life,_ _my_ company, and _my_ people are under a constant threat because of them. Walking into that building was stupid _stupid_ of me, trusting that man was _stupid_ of me. He outright _said_ he was a White Fang member and I _trusted_ him to play nice!" Weiss's voice rose, and she flopped back onto her pillow, taking deep breaths as she tugged at the sheets around her furiously. "Leave it to the Fang to use sacred hospitality to stab you in the back."

"I still want to _kill_ that guy." Yang suddenly growled, loud enough to make Ruby flinch away from her. The blonde's knuckles were turning white as she stood in place, shaking, leaking a potent rage that left Blake staring in quiet fear. "That goddamned _animal."_ Yang spat.

"Yang!" Blake called her out weakly, trying to give her a disapproving look, but she could feel the resistance dying in her. After everything she'd seen them do, after everything _she'd_ done…

"No, Blake! I'm not—I can't be PC right now!" Yang turned, swinging a blind hook at empty air, her shoulders shivering as Ruby quietly stood, reaching out to her older sister, only for Yang to let out a low, frustrated cry. " _He told us he owed us!_ We _trusted_ him! I thought he was a nice guy, I thought it was going to be a good day, but _no_ , the bear turned out to be a fucking snake!" She threw another aimless punch. "I am so _done!_ I mean, how long did he even _know?!_ Did he just _use me_ to hurt Weiss?! I bet that asshole hated me too! Oooh, woe is _me,_ I don't have hairy ears so it's okay to _use me_ _too!"_

"Yang, y-you're shouting." Ruby gently warned her sister, but Yang hunched over, another furious noise escaping her as she held her knees.

"I wanna _shout,_ damnit! I wanna scream, I wanna _kill that asshole!_ He _used me!_ He was going to _shoot me_ even though I helped that idiot getting his ass beat in the alleyway!" Yang turned towards Ruby, her face contorted in rage, her teeth grinding together in frustration, and Ruby stared silently, unable to drum up any sort of argument. "I'm not some _tool_ to be tossed away once I'm not _useful anymore,_ Ruby!"

Yang gasped, went tense, and went quiet as Ruby held her. Blake watched in mute guilt as the two sisters hugged, Yang trying to suck down her anger as her little sister clung to her, and Blake hung her head. "We're okay…"

"I'm _not_ okay…" Yang insisted, resting her hands on Ruby's back. "I didn't even get to _hit_ him. I was _useless_ Ruby, I just had to stand there and watch—"

"It's okay."

"It's not _fair,_ I hate this!"

"It's _okay."_

"Stop _saying_ that!"

"Yang." Weiss's voice sprang up, shutting the two up. Weiss held her teacup up demandingly, and gave the blonde a frustrated smile. "You're raising a bigger fuss than I am, and I was the one that got poisoned. Tea, please."

Yang sniffed loudly, and pushed Ruby to the side. Emitting an aura like a rampaging bull, the furious girl miraculously managed to pour Weiss a full cup of tea without spilling a single drop, and Weiss drank thankfully. "You're such a _butt_ Weiss." Yang muttered, falling back into the chair with a grieved sigh.

"A _healthy_ butt, though!" Ruby leaned over her partner with a little smile, and Weiss snorted.

The three girls looked to each other for comfort while Blake quietly walked to the closet, leaning against the doorframe for support. The White Fang had hurt her teammate, they'd all but ridiculed her partner, and Blake could hear them muttering and whispering about how they'd failed to strike a blow, that any one of them could have finished the job…

They'd be so wrapped up in their craving for vengeance that rights and wrongs stopped mattering. All that was left were moralless soldiers, filled with a hypocritical self-righteousness and unreasonable anger. They wanted temporary highs over long-term solutions, and they would make things so much worse for that singular moment of triumph...

The White Fang, her people, her home, her ideals… liars and deceptions, and she had been molded by them. She was their product, but she felt so alienated, how had they been trained the same way, taught the same ideals, but come out so disturbed? They weren't her people any longer, and these girls…

… They weren't either. This had gone too far. Blake was from a whole different world, and here she was _pretending_ to be part of theirs.

She grabbed the old duffel bag she'd brought her life to Beacon in and began to put her clothing in it out of sight of the other girls.

She couldn't stay; she needed to fix the problems she'd been a part of. Tonight, when everyone was asleep, she'd go. At least then they'd have nice memories of her, not turned bitter by the knowledge of who she was. She could at least share one last cup of tea, one more flirt, one more joke, one more book…

And then she'd fix the Fang herself, however she could.

* * *

The silent buzzer in Blake's scroll went off at exactly midnight. It wasn't necessary, as Blake couldn't drum up the urge to sleep. So many afternoons wasted on naps, but the one night she should have settled in to gain some energy, she couldn't.

She sat up, not having bothered to pull over covers. She was still in her clothes from the day, having excused it as simply being too tired to change. Quietly she slid out of bed, hitting the floor on silent tip toes. She picked up her shoes from the closet and slowly and meticulously slid them onto her feet.

She stood, her duffel bag of clothes over one shoulder, and resolved that she would make it to the door without overthinking.

As she stepped out of the closet, walking with practiced stealth, her eyes immediately caught the glimmer of silver and blonde as the pale moonlight filtered through the window and struck Yang's hair in an unignorable way.

The entire rest of the day had been a haze. Blake had practiced the steps in her mind, again and again, knowing the girls would be in bed at least by midnight with the day's activities. If they did not, Blake would simply wait, but mercifully they'd each resigned themselves to their beds by nightfall. They had talked, chattered, made vows of vengeance and protection, discussed how they'd avoid such scenarios in the future, related stories they'd heard of the Fang, and Blake had settled onto her bed, listening until one of them came to get her.

Staring at Yang, Blake felt a lump form in her throat. The perverted bruiser had appeared in her life as a falling star, brilliant and flashy, an unquenchable wildfire that wanted to consume Blake with affection and fun. Yang made the darkness in the back of Blake's mind retreat, and Yang shared herself so earnestly with Blake.

There was a threatening strength to Yang's charisma. It was easy to be taken by her warmth, and feel like the world was a wonderful place full of excitement and fun, where the danger could be punched away and the people were all new friends waiting in the wings. Blake hadn't met a girl like Yang before, and her sheer passion had inspired Blake. Blake had spent her life surrounded by people with righteous purpose and grim stories of their youth, but Yang's power was in her normalcy.

Blake envied it, and embraced it when she could. Spending some time before bed, talking about their day, avoiding the obvious topic of conversation, Yang was worried about a man named Pops, worried that he'd have to stop serving food, and bitching and moaning about Weiss making a mess of a T-shirt and pants. She was an everyday girl combined with a stick of dynamite, and Blake loved that about her.

Yet, she could be all-consuming, hungry for attention and affection… compared to her little sister, she was unbearable at times.

Silently, Blake looked to Ruby's bunk, hidden behind curtains, and her smile slipped. The big secret… she'd never get to know. That was okay, though; it could be somebody else's problem. There was almost a relief in knowing she'd never know, but at the same time, there was a disheartening loss. Blake still yearned, not just to sate her curiosity, but because she liked the girl.

Ruby was cute as a button and sweet as a song, a nervous little wreck who, nonetheless, carried herself with purpose. The world was big and frightening, and Ruby wanted nothing more than to fight it back. She wanted the world to be a home, safe and sound for everyone, and that very idea made her stronger than she had any right to be. Blake admired her drive and her wholesomeness, it was easy to like her for her naivety and kindness, but she radiated a weakness that drew people to protect her.

More than anything, Blake wanted to feel like she was doing the right thing, and this intelligent little girl, so frightful of her own inadequacy, but courageous enough to face it, stole Blake's heart and loyalty. Ruby would do no wrong, saving people was her life's goal, and Blake respected that. Her all-encompassing compassion, for human and Faunus, had given Blake hope that this was her place…

… but not as much as Weiss had.

Blake stared at the silent, dark shape on Weiss's mattress, and felt her heart sink. Getting to know Weiss was like finding buried treasure; the face of evil, the heart of darkness, the tyrant-in-training herself, was, in truth, a bossy, but kind girl. Neurotic and over-assumptive, but quick to admit her own faults and try to correct them.

While Yang gave her comfort and Ruby gave her drive, Weiss gave her insight. This one girl, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, had the intelligence and understanding to know what constituted right and wrong, but also the moral compass to use it for the world's benefit. She was a good person, one who wanted to be the absolute best so that she could use her power for the betterment of all.

She was not evil, none of these girls were, they were utterly kind, endlessly affectionate, and driven. They had made it to Beacon with a goal in mind, and even if Ruby's was childishly lofty, and Yang's cluelessly murky, they had a greater ambition than some of Blake's old associates, who were content to go with the flow, even as it spiralled into the abyss.

Blake stared at her friends in quiet grief. In her own way, she'd make sure their goals were attainable, by trying to remove at least one obstacle from their path.

The thought made Blake feel better about herself, and she went to the door. She hung her head, and breathed out unhappily; it was better this way. If they didn't know, maybe they'd still like her. She was okay being a happy memory.

She twisted the door handle and opened it to the darkened hallway, stopping dead in her tracks with wide eyes as Ruby stared up at her. Beneath her goggles, the girl's expression was blank, and in her hands were a couple of granola bars and a bag of chips.

No words were spoken, and Blake silently stepped back in shock, while Ruby shuffled inside. "R- _Ruby?"_ Blake stammered, staring down at her leader curiously, then up at her curtain-covered bunk. "I-I didn't expect you to… I mean, what are you doing up?" Blake spoke in a whisper as Ruby glanced down to the snacks in her hands with embarrassment.

"I-I thought Weiss woulda wanted something to eat when she woke up, so…" Ruby stared down at her hands. Blake blinked slowly, and nodded, gulping loudly.

"Ah, well... _good._ Don't mind me, just going for a walk." Blake said lamely. Ruby looked over Blake curiously, reading every inch of her posture, before her head turned to stare at Blake's duffle bag.

"W-what's in there, Blake?" Ruby asked, making Blake sweat.

Blake silently pleaded with Ruby to not do this now, to just trust her, to just _believe her..._

"My books." Blake lied, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "I couldn't decide what I wanted to, err, read, so I figured I'd take them all down by the fountain, enjoy the night, the sounds…" Blake trailed off, her expression a sorrowful grimace as Ruby quietly stared at the bag.

Without a word, Ruby reached a hand out and flicked on the room's light.

Blake flinched, suddenly no longer protected by the still shroud of night, the room's artificial lighting making the hairs on the back of her neck crawl. She heard shifting from the other beds… " _Ruby!_ What are you doing?!" Blake insisted in a hiss.

Ruby's voice was calm, but demanding. "Your books are on the shelf, Blake. Where are you going?" Not a single stutter in her voice. That, somehow, was more damning than any of Weiss's and Yang's casual insults towards the Fang.

"What's going on?" Weiss's groggy voice rose from behind Blake. The black-haired huntress looked around in a panic, seeing Yang sit up, staring the two of them down, a frown on her face.

"Just… just going for a walk!" Blake insisted. She heard Yang slide out of her bed, and move to stand behind her, and Blake could feel those lavender eyes on the back of her head.

Ruby shook her head, and pointed to Blake's bag with a frown. "You spent an hour in the closet messing with your clothes. I-I'm not dumb, Blake! D-don't _lie to me!"_ Ruby ordered, her cheeks turning red as she became more upset. Blake glanced between the two sisters, while Yang slid past Blake to poke Ruby's forehead.

"Calm down sis, you're over-emotional." Yang glanced Blake's way curiously as Ruby gave a small whine. "What's up? Li'l late to go camping." Yang seemed more curious than suspicious, especially as she drew a struggling Ruby out of the way.

"I-it's nothing, just…" Blake shrugged. The door was clear, she could _leave._ She watched Weiss slip out of bed, standing on firm legs to come hold Ruby back. "Y'know…"

"We _don't."_ Weiss pointed out. "Ruby, quit struggling."

"B-b-but sh-she's trying to l-leave us!" Ruby insisted in a sharp voice, making Blake cringe when Weiss shot her a hurt look.

"No she's—… I mean, _are_ you? But you wouldn't, right? We're a team."

"Ruby, why are you making such a big deal out of this? Just let her be mysterious, it's her thing!"

"No!" Ruby fixed Blake with a deep, pained frown, and Blake felt a stone settle into her gullet. "Th-this is different! This isn't n-normal B-B-Blake!" Ruby sucked in deep, panicked breaths, the shadow beneath her feet seeming to darken. "Blake, i-if you're h-hurt, you can t-tell us! I-it's okay! W-we'll h-help y-you!"

"I-I'm not—" Blake sputtered, backing away from Ruby.

"You're being overemotional, just _calm down!"_ Yang insisted, though her eyes lingered on Blake's bag again, then Blake's face, clearly wanting an explanation. "Ruby, you're too old to be acting like this! She's not running away!"

"Yes she _is!"_ Ruby stomped. She grit her teeth, and Blake hopped back at the sudden ferocious display of teeth. "Sh-she barely j-joined us, k-kept g-going to the c-closet a-and- _and_ … _and..._ " Ruby's voice broke. "Sh-she's hurt! I… I _feel_ it… Blake, _please,_ w-we're your team!"

"I'm _not hurt!"_ Blake insisted with a raise of her voice, looking at Weiss and Yang for some support. Ruby sniffled loudly, and their two teammates looked to each other in silent worry.

"Blake, are you really trying to leave?" Weiss asked, leaving Blake agitated that they'd ignored her question.

"I-I told you I wasn't!" Blake's voice rose, though her panic only grew as Yang stomped over to her. "Yang, wait—" But it was too late. The blonde had snatched her bag, opening it even as Blake pulled the strap. Her clothing, day, night, and under, fell to the floor in a heap. "S-stop! You're being ridiculous, I can explain!"

Yang snatched a bra off the ground and held it in front of Blake's face, looking painfully angry as she shook the garment. "Explain _what?_ Who packs their underwear to go for a walk?! You—I can't believe this! _Why?!"_ Yang's voice rose, and Blake found her back to the wall. "What did we _do,_ Blake?!" Yang's voice was cracking, her anger turning to worry. " _No,_ what are _you_ trying to do?! No bullshit, damnit, and none of your cutesy little half answers! You're _caught!"_

Blake glanced to each of the three girls, certainly _feeling_ caught. This had unravelled faster than she could have expected, and despite her attempt to be strong and brave, she just felt small, and awfully guilty. "I-I was—you're not—I can't—I—"

Weiss stepped forward, her face pale, her eyes wide, her mouth tight. "Blake, please answer us; this is clearly just a misunderstanding. Is a relative sick?" Weiss offered.

 _Yes._ The perfect way out! Weiss was a godsend when the time was right. Blake swallowed thickly, looking from face to face, the idiotic excuse on the tip of her tongue. "I—"

"Bullshit!" Yang stomped, making Blake freeze up. "If your family's sick, why wouldn't you tell us?! Why sneak out?! You think I'd be pissed if you went to go help your grandma or whatever?! _Why_ are you trying to leave in the middle of the night without _telling us?!"_ Yang demanded, her teeth grit as Blake slumped against the wall.

That was it. There was no good excuse; there could only be escape or giving in… her eyes felt hot and moist, and she had to suck up her guilt to even manage a single word. "I-... I was going… I was going after the White Fang…" She admitted, her chest throbbing.

Yang groaned thickly, stomping in place in outrage. "That's _stupid,_ even if that was _true,_ you don't think I wouldn't want in on that?!" Yang shot Blake a furious look, and Blake felt a twinge of offense. "Put your shit away and get back to bed!"

" _No!"_ Blake insisted, straightening up, her yellow eyes narrowing as she grew angrier. "I am going after the White Fang and that's final. None of you need to get involved. Stay at Beacon, do what's important to _you!"_

" _Hell_ no!" Yang snapped. "You're my partner, I'm not going through the whole bonding process with somebody who's nowhere near as sexy as _your_ dumb ass is."

"Y-you're our fr-friend, Blake, we can't j-jus-just _f-forget_ you!" Ruby insisted, shimmying in worry, the shadow beneath her feet shrinking away as she sniffled and stole control back.

"And besides," Weiss added, giving Blake a disappointed frown, "the White Fang aren't worth your time. You have much better things to do here as Beacon, _not_ go after a bunch of idiotic, violent criminals who—"

" _They're not criminals!"_ Blake suddenly shouted, silencing Weiss in a heartbeat. Blake bit down on her lower lip, and wiped away the moisture gathering in her eyes.

"Blake, I didn't—okay, this isn't the time for that discussion." Weiss breathed out, trying to bring peace, but Blake had none of it.

"It _isn't?!_ I've had to sit by _all day_ and listen to you and Yang talk shit about them!" Blake shot a sharp glare at Yang, who, still tense, could only blink in confusion as her aggression grew disconcerted. "They aren't a bunch of thugs! They aren't _criminals!_ They were a bunch of kids whose families _suffered_ because of humanity! They were a bunch of destitute, run-down second-class citizens trying to get away from the bullying and snide remarks! They tried, damnit, they tried _forever_ to do things the right way, and the only thing that's getting results is _violence;_ it's _you_ who backed them into the corner, _you_ who caged them up, and now _you're_ afraid because _they_ don't see _any other way out!"_ Blake's voice reached a peak. Whether or not the neighbors heard and were concerned went ignored as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang just stared in shock at Blake. Their teammate knelt down, stuffing her clothing back into the bag as Weiss worriedly took a step forward.

"Blake…" The heiress spoke delicately, staring at Blake like a rabid animal. "It doesn't concern you, right? I mean, I get you're pro-Faunus, but isn't this too far? It's just words. We're frustrated, we're angry, I-I-I mean, I'm sorry we said those things, but… but what's it to _you?"_ She asked with a helpless shrug.

Blake stared down at her bag. Everything about her ached, and she could barely see as her vision went blurry. She wanted nothing more than to pull a Yang and rip down the nearby wall. She wanted to _fight,_ she wanted to _hurt,_ she wanted all of this to be _over with._ She stood, slowly, and looked up to Weiss, her anguished glare sending the debutante back a step.

"You want to _know?"_ Blake started, her voice warbling in an uncontrolled mixture of negativity, all the anger, sorrow, guilt, and fright, for once, empowering her. Her hands reached up to her scalp, and she froze for a single second, knowing there was no way backing out of this as she pinched her ribbon… and she pulled.

Ruby and Weiss's jaws fell as one, Weiss stumbling back a few steps, while Yang simply stopped moving, stunned as Blake's cat ears flicked and twitched, then laid flat on her head in anger as she relaxed her control. "B-Blake—" Weiss started, but Blake cut her off.

"I am _Blake Belladonna,_ my father came from the Tsukikage Tribe of Mistral, my mother from the Kuroneko Tribe of Mistral." Blake tugged at an ear, forcing them to see it flicker, clearly alive and frustrated.. "I was _born into_ the White Fang! I marched in _parades,_ I raised _signs,_ I signed _waivers,_ I sent _letters,_ I did _everything_ under my power to try and _make a difference!_ When my parents accepted defeat and retired to Menagerie, I kept going! I joined the Vale chapter believing we could change the world without a drop of blood, and in return, we were beaten, starved, and driven out! We spent _years_ in the woods, hunting and pillaging because we had no _choice!"_

"I trained new recruits, I stole information, I spied on Schnee officials, all because we couldn't figure out how to _make you racist cunts listen!"_ Blake wheezed ragged breaths, storming forward to push a finger into Weiss's chest, shrugging off Yang when she tried to grab her arm. "For _every_ bad thing we ever did, it was because somebody associated with _your_ family decided we were a _problem_ to be _eradicated._ Every single peace talk ended with a sudden ambush or a _hilariously_ one-sided agreement! I tried, and tried, and _tried_ to believe there was some good in humanity, and it was only by _hiding_ as a human did I start getting treated as a person!"

Weiss stepped back, her expression one of utter terror as Blake panted in her face, only for the black-haired girl to draw back, clutching her face, gritting her teeth in pain. "B-Blake… you're—" Weiss swallowed thickly, "you're _White Fang?"_

"Was. _Was."_ Blake hissed, glaring at Weiss through her fingers. "You're right… you're _fucking right, okay?_ They turned into a bunch of killers!" Blake threw her hands out in a rage. "Not out of self-defense, but for _fun,_ for _profit,_ we're everything people _say we are!_ I can't even blame the _Schnees!_ I'm not happy you have to learn how to _not die_ day-to-day! People started joining for revenge, and they think it's solving something! All they're doing is making themselves look _evil,_ and I couldn't do _anything about it!_ So I _ran!"_

Blake suddenly calmed, taking deep breaths as her fury turned to wide-eyed self-loathing, and she clutched her forehead. "I ran! I _ran_ because I couldn't say enough, or do enough to fix them! All my life I've been _fucking useless!_ Standing around and watching people get hurt, watching everything I stood for get trampled and bloodied! So here I am, as far away as I can be, pretending to be a normal girl…" Blake sniffed loudly, staring at the girls around her.

The fear on their faces, the slack-jawed shock, the subtle anger and wonder and worry and _everything_ was written on their face. The guilt tore at Blake. She didn't want to hurt them, she didn't want them involved, why couldn't they just be blissfully unaware?

The first person to make a move was Ruby. Silently, still shellshocked from the sudden revelation, she touched Blake's shoulder. The older teammate twisted to face Ruby, her face streaked with tears, her eyes all but bulging as adrenaline poured through her veins. Ruby touched her cheeks, and Blake's breathing slowed. "... I'm sorry…" Ruby whispered, though she didn't seem to know what she was sorry for. "I-I d-didn't know, b-but i-if I did… you're still Blake." Ruby whispered, trying to give Blake a strong look, even with her headgear in the way. "I-I d-don't know i-if th-this changes a-anything o-or eve-everything, b-but… but you're s-still B-Blake, th-the g-girl I r-read with and t-train-train with! I t-trust you."

The words sank into Blake's heart like a knife. "Trust?" Blake whispered heatedly, her lips peeling back to show her teeth as Ruby's hand pulled back an inch. " _Trust?!_ You don't—how _dare you?!"_ Blake roared, turning on Ruby, angrier than ever, the fire in her chest consuming her mind as Weiss backed away, and Yang was still frozen, her heart screaming to act, but her body too bogged down to obey. " _You_ of _all people_ talking about _trusting me?!_ When I still can't see your _fucking eyes?!"_

Blake's hand shot out, and a pained shriek escaped from Ruby. Weiss and Yang both straightened as Blake's arm pulled back, a pair of large, black goggles in her hand. Blake stared Ruby in the eye, and continued to roar.

"Was that so _hard,_ Ruby?! What the hell do you have to hide?! You're just an idiot girl! You don't have—" Like a hand snatching the wick of a candle, something quenched the flames fueling Blake, "Y-you're not—just a dumb…" Blake stumbled back a step, the goggles dropping from her hand. "H-huh…?" Blake's throat grew tight, breath barely able to enter her body.

She felt every nerve in her body squeeze, and a silent scream building up in her lungs, only to die of strangulation before it could escape. Those eyes clawed at her defiance, a gnawing dread that grew, and chewed, and gnashed, and ripped into her mind, heart, and soul. The inexplicable terror began to weigh down on her and her senses began to darken as it grew unheeded.

Ruby stared back, her monstrous eyes wide in stupefied fright. She was not diseased, she was not Faunus, Blake had no idea _what_ she was as she threw her back against the wall, panicked breaths escaping her as her hands searched for something, _anything_ to defend herself with.

"B-Blake…" Ruby reached out after her, tears dripping to her chin from those demon's eyes. "W-wait… no, no please…" Ruby covered her eyes, and finally wailed, "I c-can explain! _I can explain!"_

She wasn't safe here, that's all there was to it. She would be cast to the darkness, ground under heel, broken by the hordes, and devoured alive and screaming... She had to escape. She had to escape _now._ Blake's hand found the door handle and she pulled violently.

Weiss reached a hand out as the door flew open. "W-wait, Blake!" Weiss walked forward on stiff legs, but Blake was already out the door.

Finally, Yang came to her senses to throw herself after her partner. Weiss stood still, her hand uselessly outstretched towards the empty air Blake had just occupied. Her arm lowered, her mind confused, her thoughts reeling, trying to parse the mountain of emotions that had just happened.

She looked down to Ruby, who had crumpled to the floor to grab her goggles and desperately pull them on, then back to the door.

Yang, meanwhile, slowed, whipping her head around in Beacon's courtyard, trying to catch even a _hint_ of her fleeing partner. Down the road, through the trees, all around the building, nothing. She took a step in one direction, then looked the other, and found herself frozen.

There was no sign of Blake, and Yang stood alone in the courtyard. With a single, defeated breath, Yang sank to her knees.


	19. Missing: Black Cat

The steady ' _tock'_ of the tower's swinging pendulum filled the otherwise oppressive silence that had settled over the headmaster's office in the wee hours before daybreak. Unlike the daytime, when natural light filtered into the open, cozy office, the room was exceptionally sterile, even bleak as artificial lighting combated the shadows. The world beyond the high windows was dark, except for the distant stars.

Neither Ozpin nor Goodwitch seemed especially tired, even this early in the morning, though the latter's expression was certainly foreboding without the headmaster's signature quirkiness to temper it.

The gray-haired man sat silently, staring down the three hastily-dressed girls in front of him, and finally released a very small, though pained, breath. "Please understand, girls, I wish there was more I could do, but the only thing I have the authority to do in this circumstance is to file a missing person's report and hope beyond hope that Blake is found."

"If she left of her own accord then we can only hold faith that she comes to her senses and returns, or wish her success and happiness as she goes her own path." Professor Goodwitch added, her usual authoritarian presence downplayed, either by tiredness or the news, the girls couldn't tell.

Neither of these things calmed Ruby, whose frustration was palpable the moment the elevator doors had opened. "That's not _good enough!"_ Ruby flailed her arms in impotent anger, causing both her teammates to back away a step. "B-Blake's out there s-sad and s- _stupid_ and sh-she's-she's all _Blakey_ right n-now! W-we need to f-find and h-help her, o-or she'll get hers-herself k-killed!"

The little leader, youngest of the team, was red-faced and scared beyond belief, but still held her composure together to demand audience with the headmaster. Ozpin rarely met with students before sunrise, but this was a special case; any message sent to his desk marked 'urgent', in turn, contacted his scroll, and in this case, Ozpin would readily agree that it was urgent.

Students fleeing from Beacon wasn't unheard of. The stress of the grueling physical training combined with the demands of its more cerebral coursework could easily overtax the unprepared, and rather than try and amend their flaws, some students opted to simply flee, leaving their team at a disadvantage that was not easily recouped. Many went home, some fled to other schools, and a few simply disappeared, finding new lives away from everything they once knew.

It was not a problem Ozpin liked, not in the slightest, not in the least because it was one he didn't have the power to fix. He had facilities and faculty for students feeling overwhelmed, he had a direct connection to the Vale police to give and get information regarding runaway students, he had cameras throughout Beacon's most common pathways, but if a student made the conscious decision to disappear and he didn't have the foreknowledge to stop it, he was at a loss.

It was especially difficult with somebody like Blake, who was already off of Vale's radar as a former outlier, but was also well-trained in the art of subterfuge. Even going over camera footage, he could hardly guess which exit she used. Securing passage to Vale by foot, road, or boat wasn't hard, Ozpin made sure they were each well-staffed, but she could have been long gone by the time he got the records of which cab or which boat she'd taken; all assuming she hadn't gone by foot and made things even harder.

"Ruby, believe me, I wish there was more I could do." Professor Ozpin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before giving Ruby a sympathetic look. "I will permit you, however, to search as you see fit. You may enlist any number of students that are willing to join your cause, and may, of course, use school facilities to make posters and put out notices. We will keep you in the loop as we get information from the Vale police."

Yang walked forward in a tired slouch and planted her hands on Ozpin's desk. The constant, low heat Yang was putting out would cause most people to grow uneasy, but Ozpin didn't so much as flinch as murky purple eyes glanced up at him. "This is a school full of _hunters,_ can't you send people? Isn't Professor Port some sort of amazing tracker?!"

"Professor Port also has a full schedule, and while I am sure he would be more than willing to lend his skills in hunting down Blake, he also has pressing conferences in Vytal to attend later this afternoon. If you would like, you may _ask_ him, but unless it's an emergency in Vale, I cannot order him to find a runaway on his day off." He closed his eyes, hiding his own pain at the situation, but then steadied his emotions and sat up. "I know you're afraid for your teammate, but you need to trust her ability to reason with herself. Blake just might choose to abandon this little crusade of hers and return to Beacon, hopefully in time for classes at that; so, please, don't do anything too hasty. Fortune favors the prepared."

Yang looked back to Ruby and Weiss, and sluggishly, they bowed their heads in defeat. The Headmaster tried to lift their spirits once more as he guided them to the elevator, but the three girls were despondent. As the elevator descended, Professor Goodwitch frowned, watching the headmaster worriedly as he stared at the elevator doors while they closed. "I'm sure it's as you say, miss Belladonna is bound to return."

"I certainly hope so. Losing a teammate is never easy; losing a friend is even harder…" Ozpin hummed, heading to the coffee machine to start a brew.

"Should we really allow Rose to leave Beacon?" Glynda asked, her hand sliding to her hip where her crop hung. The headmaster didn't answer right away, so the deputy headmistress continued to vent her concerns. "What she's going through would be incredibly volatile for _anybody,_ but more so for a hormonal teenager who's not used to losing people so suddenly. What if this turns into an incident? This could cause her to summon!"

Ozpin watched the glass pot of his personal coffee brewer fill up with a dark brown liquid, and he momentarily imagined it pitch black, red eyes staring back at him, but he simply put on a fascinated little smile. "I think we saw some very different things in miss Rose just now, Glynda."

"Explain." His right hand woman ordered, striding closer with her arms crossed, her hand squeezing the leather handle of her crop.

"It's true that we know Ruby's control of her Grimm is reliant on her control of her emotions, but she made it through the bitterest sting of loss with the clarity of mind to immediately contact us, her superiors." He continued to watch the pot fill, the quiet bubbling of the brew comforting him. "She did not summon before, she did not summon _now…_ she had a plan before, I imagine she has a plan _now."_

"You're sure of this?" Glynda asked once more, and Ozpin nodded.

"Not entirely." Ozpin answered, getting a sharp look from the lady professor. "But if we butt our heads in every time something comes up, Ruby won't learn how to handle the stress without us." He lifted his head as he sucked in the smell of coffee deeply, and sighed. "She broke a rule, didn't she? Somebody saw her eyes, and based on her nervousness to show us before, it must be terrifying to show somebody with less self-control, whom she relied on for friendship for support, who never _knew…"_

Glynda hesitated in pressuring the man, he must have had more than _that_ on his mind.

"But she kept the Grimm restrained and is presently more worried about her friend than being exiled, captured, or hated." Ozpin gave Glynda a little half-smile as he held out a mug, a splash of milk already at the bottom for her. "We should be proud; she has restrained the worst of her emotions and the most destructive of her abilities and is instead more worried for a fellow classmate; her _teammate._ I believe that is what we want out of our students: _conscientiousness."_

"I'm still unsure, sir." Glynda admitted after accepting the mug, holding it out instinctively when he turned with the pot of coffee in hand to fill her cup. "What if you're wrong?"

"Then I'm wrong." Ozpin answered honestly, and once again earned himself a scornful look from the woman. "But, I feel confident in trusting Ruby to withhold herself. She's done _so well_ so far, I'd be loath to tighten the leash the instant we suspect danger. If anything, I'm worried more about Weiss."

" _Miss Schnee_ is unlikely to level the school and cause an intra city implosion." Glynda pointed it, and Ozpin merely smiled.

"True, but she just discovered one of her teammates was a member of an organization dedicated to undermining her family's business and sense of safety." Ozpin blew a cooling breath across his own mug of coffee; pitch black, as he prefered it. "If anyone should be feeling betrayed, furious, and sorrowful, it should be her."

* * *

The elevator ride down to the ground floor was not an easy one. The gentle, mechanical shakes and shivers were negligible compared to the stirring storm from the three girls riding it.

Weiss pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, despite the spring's warmth. Yang had pressed her fist to the wall, still as a statue, eyes closed as cold, useless anger was overwhelmed by sorrow. Ruby, before them, stared down at her scroll without a word.

Team RWBY was down to three. In a month's time, the three of them had bonded together, as well as with their missing quarter, in a most unexpected way. Weiss could only muse that they would hardly be as brazen and honest as they were with each other if it weren't for Ruby and Yang's earnesty. Girls their age were rarely so open with strangers, and Weiss was used to the catty sniping and gossip that filled her circle of associates in Atlas.

Ruby and Yang all but swamped her in unbidden affection, and it had opened something bright within her, a craving she had never felt before. She had reached out to Blake with the same brashness with the hopes her third teammate would open up, but the truth…

How could Weiss excuse her? How could she blame her? A feeling worse than the poison filled her belly: bitter betrayal and venomous anger, leaving her feeling full of paralyzing ice. It was an anger she wanted to fix by sleeping, not by action, and those angers were dangerous indeed, as they festered and rot until the mind was steeped in a fetid swamp of parasitic rage that would thrive for far longer than a few hours.

Worst of all, Weiss brooded bitterly, was that Yang was still. Yang was not somebody who failed to act; she was quick to whip herself up into a frenzy and pursue the target of her anger with fists and fire.

That, more than anything else, made Weiss's hatred grow. Blake's absence made their blonde heartthrob seem less alive, and if Weiss had come to rely on anything from Yang, it was that liveliness. That bitterness became a burning, and Weiss grit her teeth. She wanted Blake to be found, and made to answer for the hurt she caused.

But… how? Where?

In contrast to Weiss and Yang, Ruby stood at their front, not tense, not relaxed, but shaped for danger, for action. When the doors to the lift opened, Ruby stepped out first, Weiss behind her, her mind a haze, and Yang reluctantly pushing herself off the wall to trudge after her sister.

Ruby did not hang a right to go to the dorms, instead heading straight for the doors leading outside. Weiss pursed her lips in a silent question, but did not dare speak out loud, knowing they were a powder keg ready to go off at a single wrong word, and she was ill-content to light the match.

Out in the crisp night, Ruby strode towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, where Yang found herself bitterly recalling where she'd given up the chase.

The gentle night, bereft of clouds, full of stars, and with the whine of distant insects, seemed strangling; a reminder of their shared hopelessness. It was pathetically poetic, and Weiss desperately wanted some comfort in the form of her bed, but Ruby stood quiet and still before the fountain.

"Girls." Ruby finally spoke up, turning her head to look at them. Weiss and Yang watched her with wide, worried eyes as their leader continued. "I-I want to know what you're going to do."

Weiss looked to Yang, Yang looked to Weiss, neither looking like they had any clue what their young leader meant. When Weiss looked back, it was with tight lips and a quivering jaw. "Go to bed and wait for Blake."

"Go to the gym and hit things until I feel better." Yang replied flatly, looking away from Ruby with a barely audible sniffle.

"That's not what I meant!" Ruby threw her hands out, her expression an unimpressed pout. "We have to get started now. The longer we wait, the further Blake gets, so let's h-head to Vale—"

" _NO!"_ Yang suddenly interrupted with a shout, glaring at her sister with violent red eyes, hot tears brewing at the suggestion. "She _ran away,_ Ruby! She doesn't _want_ to be found! Let the stupid bitch be _mysterious!_ We'll go on without her, we don't need need that _liar_ if all she's going to do is keep to herself!"

"And besides…" Weiss spoke up, her eyes downcast, her face flat with hidden pain. "You heard her, she said she was _White Fang._ A criminal, a thief…"

"Yeah, _yeah!"_ Yang agreed hotly, making fists as steam vented from her blonde hair, "how do we know she's not feeding information back to her buddies in the Fang?! Maybe _she's_ why Weiss got poisoned!"

" _Shut your damn mouth, Yang."_ Weiss suddenly snapped, the curse briefly causing Yang's eyes to turn a frightened lavender as Weiss trembled, glaring at the floor. "Th-there's no way. Sh-she had so many opportunities, that was o-one _idiot,_ Blake w-wouldn't have tried to k-kill me!" Weiss wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, unable to believe she was getting so emotional over a girl she'd just learned was a _White Fang_. "Wh-why would she have waited? Why would she have tried to g-get to know me? She was angry, and _s-stupid,_ but she wouldn't have—I _refuse_ to believe she wanted me _dead."_

"Sh-she was White Fang…" Yang pointed out weakly.

" _Was."_ Weiss corrected angrily. "A-all that aside, she ran away. She _left._ She made her decision. It's like the headmaster said, we let her make her own decisions, and trust her." Weiss closed her eyes, and Yang turned away from Weiss in shame.

Ruby, meanwhile, felt hyper. That inexplicable energy was in her again, but rather than waste it in a panic, she wanted to use it. She knew exactly how she wanted to spend all her energy, and with a small sigh, she began to pace. "W-well, I _don't_ trust her." Ruby stated, drawing the idle attention of both her remaining teammates. "You s-said it yourself, she's s- _stupid._ I bet she's out there f-feeling all sad and stuff, we're her _friends,_ th-this can't be easy for her!"

"And she still left." Yang grunted, glaring a hole through the ground. "We're not _that_ good'a friends."

"I think we are." Ruby whispered, and took a deep breath to clear out the doubt creeping in. "B-but she has her heart set on something stupid. She's willing to r-ruin her own life to solve it, and we can't let that h-happen. Yang, do you re-remember Otaran's Folly?" Ruby pleaded, and Yang shot her a dark look.

" _That_ is a _book,_ Ruby, a _story,_ made up by some asshole looking to make a quick buck!" Yang snarled, her voice dropping in volume. "Even if we somehow found her before she got herself killed, what makes you think we can talk her out of it?"

"Because we're her _friends_." Ruby answered, making Yang growl.

"No we're _not! S_ he used us to feel _better_ about herself, she—" Yang found herself staring into the black lenses of Ruby's goggles as Ruby stuck her face into Yang's, the younger sister's frustrations clearly written across her face. "—she just—you _heard_ her…"

"So did _you!"_ Ruby's voice hit a yell, and Yang shrank back. "Sh-she was in so much pain and all you care about is how much it hurt _you!_ Blake is out there, o-our _friend_ is _out there,_ and she's _hurt!_ Did none of that time you spent with her mean _anything_ to you?!"

"It didn't mean anything to _her!"_ Yang shouted back, but her shoulders sank, her eyes elsewhere in the yard. "She threw it all away because… _because…"_

"Because she's _scared."_ Ruby pressed on, and Yang turned her head away to avoid betraying her expression. Ruby took her sister's burning-hot fist and squeezed it gently, trying to cool her. "Sh-she didn't want to show us she was hurt. We can find her, and bandage her!" Ruby spoke optimistically.

Weiss stirred by Yang, frowning at Ruby. "Blake's decisions are not our business. Why bother?" Weiss didn't sound as if she had given up, but rather, was pleading for an answer.

Ruby quietly hooked an arm around Yang's shoulder, the other around Weiss's, and pulled them close. The two girls awkwardly pressed together with Ruby, looking to their little leader for some spark of hope, and Ruby answered. "We-we've lost people, right? To Grimm, to bad guys, t-to all sortsa bad things. I-I don't want to lose another. I don't c-care if I have to put Blake in the hospital to do it, I just—I-I want her to know sh-she's not alone. None of us are; we have each other."

Silently, Yang tugged Ruby closer, the older sister's expression full of grief over memories and loss in her life, and she rubbed Ruby's back consolingly. Weiss considered the two girls offering to draw her in. The easiest way to avoid betrayal and loss was to never let anyone get close, and though Weiss had long ago promised herself that she would stand on top of the world alone if she had to. The two girls in front of her, and the one lost to them, made the climb seem so much taller, yet that much more tolerable.

She slid into the arms of the two sisters with a sigh. A weekend lost to betrayals and search parties, fantastic. She was a three-act play in the making, but she wanted to believe that, somehow, this would work out for the best.

"So how do we start?" Weiss asked the obvious question when they parted, looking to each other for answers.

"E-easy! I texted the best tracker I know!" Ruby smiled hopefully. Weiss blinked curiously, and turned her head as she heard the click of small nails along the pavement.

Coach Tai stood at the far end of the path, sloppily dressed and offering a tired smile. At his feet, Zwei barked excitedly, racing to Ruby's feet for ear scratches. The little leader looked up to her two surprised teammates with a smile as she pet the corgi. "Weiss, Yang, w-we'll cover more ground if we split up. I-I'll follow Zwei." Ruby slid Blake's ribbon out of her pocket, the scent still fresh.

Weiss looked down at the dog, and up to Ruby, quietly wondering where her partner's drive came from, then nodded. "I know of at least one Faunus hotspot. Did the idiot in question happen to let either of you take a picture?" Two shaking heads, and Weiss sighed thickly. "I'll see if I can't draw Blake from memory and get answers there." Weiss glanced to Yang, who flinched at the suggestion. "I'll bring a weapon this time, don't worry about me."

Yang stared Weiss down, then slowly turned to Ruby. Her little sister was never one to give up, not in training, not in combat, and, it would appear, not in chasing down somebody Yang had written off as hopeless. The blonde swallowed; Blake had left her, ranting and raving about humanity, breaking the one rule with Ruby they had… all in pain.

Yang's hand slid under her breast to feel the beat of her hurt. She hurt too; all the things Blake had said, revealed, and done, it had hurt… Yang wanted to slug the idiot, but there was also a gentle kindling of compassion, wanting to find her and make sure she was okay. She breathed out through her nostrils and nodded slowly.

"I'll check out Junior's Club, he's bound to have _something_ on the White Fang. If I can find them before Blake does, maybe I can catch her before she does something stupid. Don't be surprised if she comes home with a bruise though." Yang worked up a smile, and Ruby bobbed her head confidently.

"Okay team RWBY," Ruby held out a hand, "let's get our B back!" Weiss and Yang placed their hands on Ruby's with hopeful, but frightened smiles, and they cheered with everything they could.

* * *

What had even happened?

How had it been possible? It had turned around so quickly, but Blake could still remember the few seconds she had peered into death. Every time she closed her eyes Ruby was there, right in front of her, staring with those… those _eyes…_

Blake's eyelids opened wide as she heard a blaring horn, and she found herself staring into the headlights of an oncoming car. She screamed as she swerved back into her lane, and she gripped the wheel tightly as she made herself _focus._

She had run. She did it. She was gone, she was a non-person at Beacon now; fantastic, _wonderful even,_ she had successfully run away from a place she could call home to go pursue her former friends-turned-terrorists and probably die in the process. She was free to try and pursue her true goals, not held back by Weiss, or Yang, or… or Ruby…

That sweet, round face, pale and gentle, with those little reddish locks, and the eyes of… she was no mere girl. Was that her semblance? Was _that_ why she hid? All Blake could recall was pools of blood floating in ink, and the sudden terror that had bit down on her psych; snapping teeth and snarling beasts had filled her head, and even now, just thinking about them made her throat tighten in panic.

They had drilled a feeling into her she'd sought to escape: the fear of a loved one. It was a feeling she had escaped by fleeing from Adam, the man she once loved and believed in, who had turned his hand on her, who bared his teeth whenever she dared show dissent, who convinced her that she was betraying their cause and their vision…

Blake's foot hammered on the brake pedal as Adam's red hair, olive-skinned face, and smoldering frown filled her mind's eye, but his mask, his _eyes…_ red on black, hungering for the blood in her throat, his fingers replaced by animalistic claws reaching for her breasts…

Blake breathed panicked breaths, her limbs trembling as she pulled the car over to the side of the road. She stumbled out of the driver's seat, lurching for the forests surrounding the dark road. She bent over a shrub, eyes wide, sweat dripping off her pearly skin, staring at the innocent bush in a cold fear.

She had never felt this way before… not when the anti-Faunus squads were closing in on her position, calling out slurs and promising violence she could never imagine. Not when Adam was tearing his own tent apart, screaming about the faults of humanity and the incompetence of his own people. Not when faced down by a horde of ravenous Grimm, attracted by the bloodthirsted anger of her fellow revolutionaries and her own dread…

No, she _had_ felt this way: hopeless, bleak, frightened of the smallest noise or sight, but never to this degree. Before, she at least had an inkling that she could run away, but every time her mind wandered, all she could think of was those eyes. Those were _Ruby's_ eyes, the eyes she hid from her out of fear, she hadn't trusted Blake to see or even know about them…

Of course, the first thing Blake had done upon seeing them was run, and here she was, unable to forget them, still fleeing, still thinking… it was evil incarnate. A sadistic, cloying fear that was giving her waking nightmares just trying to _forget._

And they were on _Ruby._ A thought tore at Blake, one that made her momentarily forget those eyes: ' _What is she_ really?' Blake had never heard of a semblance like Ruby's, at least not a fear inducer that could somehow tear a dog _apart_. Those eyes were inhuman, more so than any Faunus could _ever_ claim to be. At least the Faunus were grounded by the various creatures that still lived and breathed across Remnant. But Ruby had the eyes of… of…

Not _Grimm,_ but something worse, something smarter, more terrifying, more maddened. So many things _clicked;_ Ruby's nervousness and secrecy, her desperation for affection and relationships, was she some little _creature_ sent to examine humanity…? No, no, Ruby was too genuine. She was too _human_ to be some outside presence. She had an affliction and… and Blake had run…

She had run and confirmed that no, she was not ready to handle Ruby's secret. Blake's secret had a grounding point, one everyone understood immediately, but there was no context for Ruby's eyes. Rather than try and listen, in the heat of the moment, at the height of her anger, Blake had run.

She had run. She had _run…_ _Again…_ Again and again and _again._ She ran from her family, she ran from the Fang, she ran from her friends, she ran from _Ruby._ Over and over again she had _run._ The emerging pattern was proving itself true, Blake was still a coward.

Blake couldn't sum up the words to express herself. The most she could manage was an inarticulate scream in the middle of the night, to pull her long, black hair and see those eyes behind her eyelids as pure anguish overwhelmed her. Her fight for her people ended in cowardice, her attempt to be forgotten by her friends ended the same.

 _Nothing went right._ Her life was fuck-up after fuck-up, always capped by the decision to run away and try again, only for her to tear herself apart and ruin it _further._ If she had been more cruel, she could have stayed in the Fang; if she had been more forgetful, she could have stayed at Beacon; if she had just been more _brave,_ then maybe… maybe she could have fixed all of this.

Silently, Blake stumbled her way back to the old blue truck she'd somehow procured in her flight. A quick check under the dashboard confirmed her suspicions: in her own mindless desperation, she'd hotwired it, just as she'd hotwired dozens of other cars and trucks before. It was probably one of the professor's cars, thinking about it, but she didn't dwell on it for long. She sat in the driver's seat, turned up the heat, turned on the radio, and sat back, eyes half-lidded as exhaustion, pain, fear, and fury simmered in her.

What a perfect hell she'd made for herself.

Quietly, she tried to find a happy place. Walking in an open flower field, enjoying the sights, the scents, and the sounds, a smile crossing her face as a flash of blonde shot by her side, a fiery, womanly grin taunting her to try and keep up, and the rush of colors as she chased the laughing figure…

No, no... s-sitting on a balcony somewhere, under the cover of a large canopy, watching the rain, listening to the pitter-patter of wet drops as she tasted the buttery sweetness of some freshly baked cake, a steaming cup of tea by it, and the gentle presence of a noble and kind girl sitting across from her, offering a teasing remark on Blake's lack of focus before pushing the honey closer to—

 _No… no no…_ Why couldn't she stop _them_ from showing up? She'd been alone for so long, she'd done this before, why couldn't she stop herself from picturing those friendly smiles. Did she really crave her pack that much…?

One last time, a place she'd pictured a thousand times before, whenever she needed to to just leave reality for a while and continue on.

She closed her eyes and found herself in a nest of blankets and pillows, in a dark room, lit only by a nearby desk lamp. The smell of paper and ink filling her nose as she cracked open a book to read, one filled with romance and sex between two star-crossed lovers from different walks of life, fighting a system that dared to keep them apart.

She heard a sound, a voice, her _own_ voice reading the words of this imagined story, perfectly comfortable and content. It was a series of buzzwords, phrases, and beats she was all too familiar with, ideas of her own story she desired to someday write. She loved to hear herself read, imagining dropping an octave to play the males, or putting on a squeaky voice for the little fairy. She'd wanted a story to read to her children, to her friends, to her lovers… she always loved an audience. The thought caught her off guard, and she found she'd stopped imaginary reading, instead, adjusting her shoulder as a weight pressed down on it. A young girl, so full of life and goodness, her eyes closed as she nestled up to Blake's side.

Wiping soft, dark bangs from the girl's brow, the younger girl would look up to her with a brilliant and happy smile, her eyes opening to swallow her in blood and shadow, her lips parting to show rows of needle-like teeth, and then they sunk into her neck, the eyes wide with madness, blood pouring into the girl's mouth—

Blake came to, the wheel of the truck in a painful death grip. Her heart hammered in her chest, her skin felt so itchy and cold, and sweat poured down her face and arms.

No… no time for comfort, she… she needed to go. Far away. To Vale. She needed to stop the White Fang. Somehow, someway, all by herself. Just as soon as her heart slowed, and she could keep her hands from trembling…

* * *

In the few hours past midnight, the club had come to a quiet still. With the guests ushered out and the doors closed to the public, the late-night cleaners got to work scrubbing every surface to make it sparkling clean. Hei 'Junior' Xiong _hated_ coming back to a dirty business, so even near the end of his rope in exhaustion, he stuck around to ensure a smooth end to the night.

Other than the legitimate staff of Junior's club, several well-dressed goons in three-piece suits sat back, waiting for word from their boss to leave, counting stacks of lien or enjoying one final drink before they were sent home. The dance floor was quiet, no flashing lights or booming bass to bring it to life, making it feel lonely and empty, only highlighted by the twin Malachite girls tiredly slow-dancing while quietly discussing what to do the next day in the vast, empty floor.

It was the club's most peaceful hour. The chatter was low, but generally happy, and the club was restocked to handle the next day's activities, both legal and illegal. The only exception was Junior himself, who stood at the bar with a throbbing vein in his forehead.

"I told you that this was _strictly_ for ' _special guests!'"_ Junior gestured to the tall, half-empty, impressively-expensive bottle of honey-brown liquor, with a label describing its exquisite taste, age, and Vacuan origin. "I'm not wasting a two-hundred and fifty lien bottle of oasis cognac on a pair of nobodies on their honeymoon!"

"Oh don't be so prudish, Hei," the aged bartender spoke through a harsh, gravelly voice, only punctuated by her deep wrinkles, heavy makeup, and the lit cigarette in her hand, "it's a special time for them, you can spare two shots of good booze to let a happy couple celebrate."

"One happy couple, fine, but why not _every_ happy couple?!" Junior threw his arms out, waving them angrily. "If I'm giving free shots to every ' _just married'_ pair of moochers that walks in here, I'm not exactly making back that two-fifty, Yolanda!"

"Oh _please,_ Hei, you make more than four times that when midnight hits and your boys start passing ice out like it's Halloween." Yolanda rolled her eyes, smacking her protruding, red-caked lips together before taking a drag from her cigarette.

"And I'm _losing_ money with freebies!" Junior slapped the bar with a stern growl, though Yolanda didn't so much as blink at the display of aggression. "No more freebies, no more discounts, not unless it's somebody who _actually matters!"_

"You're being hysterical, Hei." Yolanda waved the cigarette dismissively, earning a snarl from her boss. "Look, it's a nice night. Just pack it all in and head home, sleep on it. Have the girls keep ya outta trouble." She waved a hand over to Melanie and Miltia, the twins still occupying the dance floor.

"I _don't_ need babysitters." Junior grunted. "I need a bartender who understands how business works! I don't want to have to assign someone to stand watch over here so they can squeeze the money out of honeymooners!"

"You threatening me, Junior?" Yolanda asked with an unimpressed glare, leaving Junior to huff, puff, and finally relent, raising his arms in frustration.

" _No._ Just… forget it, we'll pick this up another time. I _don't_ want to have this discussion again, so unless I say otherwise, _no freebies."_ Junior groaned tiredly, leaning over the bar. It was about that time to head home anyways, and he was developing a frustrated headache.

Behind him, from the doors, he heard the sharp ' _bang'_ of an explosion, and the throbbing vein in his temple turned red. The locked doors of the club sailed through the air, tumbling across the dance floor as Melanie and Miltia leapt over the wreckage. The clean-up crew dove aside, shrieking as the legitimate employees went for cover. The suited mooks shot to their feet, fumbling for batons and baseball bats.

"Keep them busy!" Junior shouted, racing up the steps to his private office, where he kept his weapon. The dozen men, along with the Malachite twins, surged towards the door, only to freeze in place.

It wasn't the sudden heat wave that poured through the entrance that made the men pause, nor was it the near-lethal intent that poured out in hot, rapid waves. The boys knew full well who was marching towards them, and it would have been customary at this point to try a futile charge and end up as scenery drapes. No, what made them freeze was that the girl storming in _wasn't smiling._

Yang, the epitome of a good time, looked furious. When Yang was happy, the beatings were almost a jovial greeting between associates, but anger… the boys hadn't dealt with an angry Yang. The men looked to each other, legitimately worried over their health as they inched back.

Melanie, and Malachite, however...

" _Where's Junior?!"_ Yang's shout broke the silence. Without another word, Ember Celica covered her fist, and she let loose a dangerous snarl as she held back a pair of vibrant red and black claws.

"You know we can't let you in that easily, Yang." Miltia spoke with a surprisingly calm voice, even as her other hand arced towards Yang's face, only to be deflected by Yang's other fist. "You look nice by the way, digging the sorta rough rider style."

Yang bellowed furiously, charging forward to force Miltia back, their weaponry grinding together as Melanie flew overhead. The cyan-tinged twin's heels planted into the wall, and launched herself at Yang, flipping to try and cleave Yang's head off her shoulders with the blades on her boots.

Miltia jumped, Yang ducked, and Melanie flew between them, sliding across the floor with a dark scowl. "Don't _compliment her,_ Miltia! You got a _lot_ of nerve showing up here _again,_ Xiao Long!"

Miltia danced backwards to stand by her sister's side, claws at the ready. "I dunno, it's kinda sweet, she makes this place less boring."

"Don't be such a sap!" Melanie ordered tersely. The two arced away from each other, closing in on Yang in what would have been a phenomenal pincer against anyone else. Two quick hits, and Melanie was, in the loosest terms, caught by the crowd of black-suited goons, the whole lot of them thrown onto their backs, while Yolanda raised a hand and caught Miltia before the girl could crash into the wall of alcohol behind her.

"Well hey there, Yang." Yolanda's tone brightened as she tossed Miltia over the bar, the red-dressed girl landing unceremoniously on her butt. "Was wondering when you'd visit again. Why don't you come sit, have a quick drink? Ya look like ya need it, and Junior should be just a minute anyways."

Yang's red eyes focused on the aged barkeeper. She wanted to be a maelstrom of trouble, she wanted to break anything and everything in reach, she wanted to punch that fond, toothy grin off the bartender's face, but with a harsh grunt, she lowered her fists and slowly walked over to the bar. She thrust a fist out, catching Melanie in midair, sending her back across the room before the blonde took a seat in a barstool. "Hey Mrs. Malachite." She said tiredly. "Can't drink tonight." Yang managed in a controlled tone, looking at the woman's cigarette almost hungrily.

Yolanda reached into her pocket and popped out a small small box. She offered Yang an unlit stick, and Yang snatched it, pressing a white-hot, Aura-tinged finger tip to the cig. Yang popped the brown filter between her lips, and took a deep drag, blowing the acrid smoke out with a tired, embittered expression on her face. Then, she let out a loud, disgusted cough, and glared at the cigarette in her hands.

Yang's face sunk deeper in frustration as a presence leaned on her back, and Miltia cooed comfortingly as she snuggled up to the blonde's back. "You shouldn't smoke, it's bad for you." The more demure Malachite warned. She didn't look bothered when Yang shrugged her off and waved the lit stick angrily.

"Don't be so _friendly,_ _she's_ the one who dropped us like we're a bad habit." Melanie's sneer made Yang's eyebrow twitch, and she shot the greener girl a deadly look.

" _I'm_ not the one pulling the twin-switcheroo so you could _both_ get in my pants! _I don't do sisters."_ Yang jabbed the cigarette at Melanie's midsection, making the girl flinch and swiftly wipe the ashes off her dress.

"Aww, we just wanted to share…" Miltia pouted, looking genuinely sorry as she laid gentle hands on Yang's back, only to earn an annoyed sniff from the blonde.

"And all those sweet nothings you told us both flew out the window the moment we came clean, like everything we did together didn't _matter."_ Melanie grit her teeth as Yang took another drag, trying heavily to control her temper around the older Malachite.

"And I keep telling you two, ya can't share every damn thing." Yolanda reprimanded, shooting the twins a sharp look that left them looking in other directions. "It's one thing to share a meal, but a person? What'd ya think was gonna happen?"

"Sexy twin fantasy." Melanie and Miltia both spoke as one.

"Which is _way_ creepier in reality." Yang added on, making Melanie growl, and Miltia wilt.

"Well, if you tried again, maybe with just _me?"_ Miltia wiggled in place, looking hopeful as could be as Melanie gasped.

"I saw her first, I've got dibs!"

"You made _me_ ask her out for you."

"I would have messed it up! You're _better_ about that sorta thing!"

"Maybe because I don't act like I'm the gods' gift to the world…"

"Well you _should. H_ ave you _looked_ at us?!"

"Only every day when I look into your eyes, Melanie…"

Melanie blushed. Miltia smiled. Yang gagged. Yolanda rubbed her temples.

Junior took one look at what was happening, tossed his weaponized bat aside angrily, and collapsed into a seat next to Yang. Yang turned to face him, and Junior almost went boneless as he face planted the bar. "What do you want, Blondie?" He asked, voice muffled.

"Same thing I _always_ want." Yang said darkly, pulling a puff from the cigarette in between her fingers, letting the cloud of smoke out with an annoyed sigh, her eyes closing as she considered how all her life's choices lead her here. "Information."

Junior lifted his head to give Yang a narrow look. "Always wanting to _know_ crap; I didn't start this business to kowtow to some punk blonde who can't use a library." He met her glare with one of his own, before idly looking to the cigarette in her hand. He had never seen her smoke before during the handful of times she'd broke in to look for answers. "Those things'll kill you, y'know."

Yang waved the cigarette threateningly, rolling her eyes. " _Jeez,_ I didn't think I'd be getting a health lecture from a _drug dealer._ I _know."_ She pointed the fag at the club owner. "I got the full breakdown _and_ got grounded by my _dad_ over it years ago, and seriously, I am like _three wrong words_ away from crying my brains out and beating your ass while I do so, is _that_ what you want?!"

" _No!_ No no, _no."_ Junior reared back, hands in from of his face, just in case, while Yolanda laughed. "The hell's got your hair in a twist, Blondie? You usually have _fun_ humiliating me and my employees."

Yang stared Junior down, then turned to look at the bar in front of her. She twiddled the stick between her fingers, then unceremoniously flicked it into a nearby ashtray, waving the smell out of her face. Ruby would be pissed at her later, but Yang needed something to take the edge off. "I'm looking for someone."

Junior groaned, "And I told you everything I knew! What more could—"

"Someone _else."_ Yang cut him off sharply, her fingertips drumming the bartop with a growl. She was still heated, but it was fading embers. She was ready to ignite, but she had a job to do, something to focus on, and it kept her from letting loose and causing more damage. "Somebody hunting for the White Fang. Where are they?"

"The Fang?" Junior's eyebrows shot up his forehead, his lips delicately parting with the dozens of questions on the tip of his tongue. "You're going to hunt down the _White Fang_ to find this person?"

Yang side-eyed Junior as if he was the most tedious obstacle she'd handled all week, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am, and I figured I'd start out by asking you, since your thugs tend to get hired out to everyone like they're the city's bicycle."

"Well I hate to be the one to point this out, Blondie, but the White Fang aren't exactly partial towards humans, even hiring 'em. The couple of mutts I have around here haven't gotten any offers either." Junior tapped the bartop, drawing Yolanda's attention. A shot glass was put in front of both him and Yang, and Junior gestured to the big bottle of cognac still on the counter. They both had a glass of amber alcohol in front of them, and Yang only briefly hesitated before taking a quick sip, her eyes closing as the burn hit her tongue, then ran down the back of her throat. "The Fang's been busy as hell lately. They've got plans, or _something,_ and getting involved with them ain't a good idea. Whoever they have in their sights is gonna get a helluva wake-up call if they aren't prepared."

"So you _do_ know something?" Yang surmised, swirling the booze in the glass.

Melanie watched Yang scornfully, and leaned over the counter to smile at the aged barkeep. "Auntie, could Miltia and I have a drink?" She asked with a smile sweet as sugar and sharp as her heels. Yolanda snorted.

"You 'n Miltia are too young to drink. I'll grab you some water."

" _She's our age!"_ Melanie snapped at her elder aunt while pointing at Yang, who was ignoring the outrage with every ounce of her willpower.

"And, unlike a pair of screw-ups who got dumped outta school in their last year 'cuz they were too busy preening and wasting their time with drugs, _she's_ earned her drink." Yolanda grunted, putting two tall glasses of water in front of the twins. Melanie and Miltia both pouted as they sipped at their perfectly healthy, not-at-all-adult drinks.

Junior polished off his drink, setting the empty glass in front of him with a sour expression. "Pity to waste good alcohol talking on _this._ Yeah, I know a thing or two." Junior waved dismissively, and Yang turned more fully to face him, her eyes narrowed. "They're moving Dust, _lots_ of Dust, lots of it stolen. They're tossing it into big shipping containers down at the Duermoor Docks every night. They're rushing like they got some sort of quota they're trying to keep up with; the load it all up onto small ships and send 'em out when dawn breaks."

"And nobody says anything?" Yang cocked an eyebrow. "The police don't know?"

Junior scoffed. "It's the _Duermoor_ police division, Blondie. You could buy them off with half a sandwich and a wink, assuming their heads aren't buried in the sand trying to route out the ' _internal corruption'_ they've been self-investigating for the past year. I wouldn't be surprised if the White Fang have them looking the other way."

Yang breathed out of her nostrils, closing her eyes. She chugged the rest of the drink, not bothering to savor the taste. She slid the shot glass away, her body language decompressing as the loss of adrenaline let a pensive mood take over. "It's a start, I guess."

Junior addressed the number of bottles lining the back of the bar's shelves, his leg jittering in a tired energy as Yang rested against the bar somberly. He tugged a pocket watch out of his pants and checked the time, then groaned. "I know you're in a state, Blondie, but it's closing time. You wanna sit in the dark and feel sorry for yourself, go ahead, but nobody's made a fortune off sitting on their butt playing pretend." Junior stood, clapping his hands for attention. "Grab your crap and get out everybody, and _no,_ you don't have time to scrape a little snow off the top! Get out!"

The handful of workers and dozen or so goons tiredly made their way out the ruined doors as Junior called and left a message for his building's contractor. Yang sat at the bar as Yolanda cleaned the two dirtied glasses and let out a thick, tired sigh. "He's right, Yang." The aged woman put the glasses to the side and whipped off her apron. "If you wanna find this person, you should be on the move."

"Kinda hard when your heart wants to jump out your throat and strangle that person." Yang grumbled, slipping out her seat despite her words. "Thanks for the drink, Mrs. Malachite."

"Anytime, Yang." The woman put on a cracked smile, and Yang turned to face the well-dressed twins staring her down.

"I hope you find whoever you're looking for, Yang." Miltia put on an optimistic smile, whereas Melanie scowled.

"I hope they're dead in a ditch." The cyan twin spat, but both stepped aside when Yang trudged towards the door.

* * *

As the sun first began to peek over the distant horizon, a man and a woman in dark blue suits, displaying city badges proudly the front of their police jackets, scratched their heads as they searched the still warm truck parked at the far, more private end of Vale's biggest park.

Just as the call had said, the car was unlocked and still running, allowing the two officers to dig through it for information on its owner.

From afar, within the trees lining the outer edge of the park, Blake watched the two policemen tiredly, crouched on the base of a sturdy branch, but leaning heavily against the trunk. An ' _anonymous'_ call alerted the police to a stolen vehicle, ensuring it would be returned to its owner, and Blake was satisfied knowing that she didn't totally ruin somebody else's day.

Before the police could look her way, she dropped to the base of the tree, plodding deeper into the park. She weaved around stretching beams of sunlight, sticking to the shadows as she'd long trained herself to do.

In front of her, the world blurred and tilted, the morning oranges and greens muddying together to form indistinct, contrasting shapes that loomed and reached out towards her, pools of red and black forming between the lines, causing her to blink, her mind to clear for a single second, before tiredness took ahold once more.

Everything was a haze. Blake's head hurt from stress, her heart hurt from the ceaseless _feelings_ she couldn't get rid of, and her body hurt from exhaustion. She was ready to slip into a coma for a few days to just heal, but she had a mission.

To fibe da Whib Fun—...

Blake's eyes shot open as her shoulder throbbed. She'd stumbled directly into one of the park's hardy trees, the last minute or so of walking wiped clean from her memory. She held her arm with a frown, trying to will her Aura into healing the small bruise, but she barely got a dark flicker. She was simply too far removed from normalcy and comfort. There was no fire in her, just ashes. She needed to take a minute to tend to herself.

An hour even. Maybe a whole day.

Blake frowned at her own pathetic state, sulking forward until she broke through the treeline to the park's centerpiece: a large, a man-made rock structure, as tall as a two-story building, overgrown with ivy and moss. It half-embraced a large lake, where swans and ducks mingled with brightly colored fish and frogs, the beautiful blue water regularly cleaned of refuse and pollutants by the dutiful park attendants. From the small man-made mountain, an artificial waterfall spat into the lake, forming a small grotto behind the blue cascade.

The park's numerous, weaving walkways all eventually tangled up around the startlingly pretty structure, and judging by the tables and concession stands, it was a popular place for visiting families.

When she had first seen it, Blake had been entranced, her mind trying to latch onto descriptive words to better explain to herself what she was looking at, but sensible language had slipped out of her grasp. She simply took in the beauty, and quietly held a hand over her chest.

When she first hid out in Vale and found the structure, she'd felt a moment of elation and comfort; it seemed like a truly safe little hideaway from the White Fang. Now? It was the first time in the past couple of hours she felt anything other than guilt, shame, humiliation, and fear. It was a little getaway from her first pack, it would serve as a getaway once more.

She walked around the edge of the lake before breaking into a sprint, leaping onto the stones forming the little mountain. She heard the gurgle of water pouring into water, she smelled the spray and mist, she felt back in nature, isolated from the woes of the world and people, not constrained by her packs' feelings.

She grabbed ahold of the green-coated rocks and pulled herself up the mountain. She was pretty sure this would get her shouted at by the park rangers if they noticed, but she didn't care. She was a lawbreaker, and more than that, she needed privacy.

She climbed and swung her way into the small cave the waterfall poured out of, the steady hum of the electrical pump drawing up lake water to shoot back out providing a comforting blanket of noise. Sure, it was loud and constant, but it banished the cold, harsh thoughts that kept threatening to pop up into her head. It also kept her from seeing those _eyes…_

 _Ruby's_ eyes.

Blake paused, leaning against the machinery tiredly. As she slid to her rump, she found herself imagining she was in her bunk at Beacon again, a small, dark-haired little girl curled up against her side, reading with her. Her lip trembled, and she silently bit it to quell the resentment rising in her chest. The little secret-keeper… how dare she be somebody so… so _likable._

This wasn't how the story was supposed to go. Once the big, ugly secret was out, Blake was supposed to be hated, and hate Ruby in return. In some way they were both monsters, but Blake still ached to feel Ruby's approval and affection. Why did she have to hide it?

Blake's ears flattened on her head, and tiredly, she contemplated what would have happened if she'd been more honest herself. Blake wouldn't have been trying to excuse herself from their lives at the same time, maybe it would have gone over better.

"Idiot." Blake whispered to herself after a low sigh. Once again, too wrapped up in her own thoughts, not speaking up, not stepping forward, obeying commands until it was time to leave… she didn't want to think about how things could have gone differently. If all four of them had gone to that wing place together, maybe Weiss wouldn't have gotten poisoned, but no, Blake had pushed, Ruby had pushed back, and they were sent on a bonding trip. How many things could she have solved by just opening up? By being less curious? Or being _more_ curious?

She rubbed her watery eyes, trying to dismiss the longing for her warm bed again. She could have still been asleep, waking up to a fine Sunday morning, grabbing some fresh fish from the cafeteria. She could have joined her team, her friends, her pack in a trip down to Vale, and come to this very park together. That would have been lovely. Chatting with Ruby on a blanket, tea with Weiss at one of the picnic tables, getting chased by Yang around the water, maybe bending the rules and climbing up to this cave where they'd have privacy…

Blake had nodded off a few minutes ago, dreaming about a better time. Friends, family, a world of peace and clouds and good literature, shared with a handful of people she sorely missed. Blake drifted off to a better world, unaware of the figure stretching and yawning on the other side of the pumps.

* * *

" _Following the failed assassination attempt on Weiss Schnee, Kramer Umbasa is facing charges for attempted murder, tampering with food, and inciting a riot in the Pop's Wings & Things diner. There are mixed reports on what incited the attack: some claim that Weiss Schnee used racially charged insults against Umbasa, but several others, including proprietor Terravore 'Pops' McClallen, claim that Weiss Schnee had done nothing to provoke an attack."_

" _Very interesting Valua. You did an on-the-field interview with Weiss Schnee herself, what is your perspective?"_

" _Weiss Schnee claimed to be wearing a disguise strictly to avoid suspicion, as absurd as that sounds. However, Pops was a long-standing member of the White Fang before his departure, and though he has been vocal about his criticisms of the current state of the White Fang, he has never attempted to sabotage their efforts before. If he is willing to both protect and back Weiss Schnee up, there is a very good possibility that the negative press and counterattack would overwhelmingly do more harm than good."_

" _It's almost a pity that the attempt failed. The Schnees haven't had a solid blow levied against them since the Miner's Veteran Union harshly fined them for their poor mining conditions until improvements were enforced."_

" _Indeed, though I question whether or not assassination is our best step moving forward; lowering ourselves to their methods goes against why the Fang was originally founded. In my opinion, the Schnees have proven to be vindictive, but also self-conscious; the media could play a large factor in exposing their dark side, and presented by the right lawyers to the right judges, we could hit them where it hurts the most: their wallets."_

" _Normally I'd agree Valua, but the Schnees have bought the favors of lots of judges with known anti-Faunus sentiments."_

The handful of Faunus in the diner listened intently to the radio, while Pops chopped onions and chicken to prepare for what he expected to be a very tense, not to mention sparse, rush hour. Pops had stayed the night in his shop to keep an eye on the storefront in case any opportunists with a brick, a can of spray paint, or worse decided to make an example of his shop.

In the morning, his gray-haired wife, sporting sharp, slit-pupiled eyes stalked in, scaring some ruffians out of the alleyway with a snap and a wave of rock-solid cane. Soon after came the delivery boys, bringing Pops the week's worth of chicken, and finally, some of Pop's most loyal customers and closest friends.

One, a bulky, weighty girl with ibex horns glanced over the counter, watching Pops mix the sauces he'd be using for the day in a bowl and put on a little grin. "' _Terravore?'"_ She asked, drawing a dirty look from the old restaurateur.

"You call me _Pops,_ I ain't standin' my own name in my own business, ya hear?" He ordered grouchily. He wasn't sure what was worse, the disagreements over how the situation had been handled, or that they chose to reveal his full name…

"Terry, honey, I'ma gonna open the doors now." His little wife spoke. In sharp contrast to Pops, Michonne 'Ma'am' McClallen was an itty bitty thing. Walking with a slight hunch, barely breaching the five-foot line, and with tightly contained gray curls on her head, the wrinkled little thing somehow outsped the youngsters helping keep security while on a cane.

"Alright mama, don't strain yer shoulder." Pops called over to his wife, who tutted, then unlocked the doors, opening them testingly before shooting back behind the counter. Pops let some sauce drip off his stirring spoon onto his thumb, and held it out to Ma'am, who licked it off, smacked her lips, and sneered.

"Needs more red pepper." She grabbed a shaker of pepper flakes, and Pops put a hand on his hip as she shook a healthy amount of spice into the bowl.

"You always say the red sauce needs more pepper, but not everybody's gotcher devil's tongue, mama." Pops shook his head as Ma'am took his spoon and began stirring in long, slow, relaxing strokes.

"They'll earn it, Terry, they'll earn it! I swears they will, if they just quit overreactin'." The two squabbled over how to properly treat their customers while the rest of the Faunus in the room leered out the windows and sat about, impatient and anxious. There were already protests being planned in front of various Faunus organizations over the perceived mistreatment of a high-class human celebrity.

The morning news had been full of condemnation and speculation, with several anti-Faunus groups using the opportunity to get on their soapboxes about the White Fang. One of the larger Faunus watched the Channel 8 news report, his lips turning white as a middle-aged, furious human ranted about how humanity was being taken advantage of, while the news reporter simply looked worried to share a room with the man.

They, of course, did not know how the retaliation would play out. Retaliation was inevitable, it was just a matter of when and how. Graffiti, broken windows, destroyed equipment, it had all been avoided overnight, but now that the story was circulating at lightning speed across the city, it was simply a matter of time before the first punch was thrown.

An hour passed. Pops glanced out the window repeatedly as he saw a group of humans congregating across the street. An hour ago, it had only been three humans, watching and taking pictures of the storefront. They were joined by two more ten minutes later, and five more arrived in almost half an hour. They were starting to reach twenty strong by the top of the hour, and Pops couldn't help the nervousness welling within him.

The rest of the store could feel it. He figured he didn't have much of an afternoon rush to look forward to, so he dipped into his stock to get an early breakfast started for everyone, to give him something to focus on, but he was growing frustrated. He didn't see signs or weapons on them. He wondered what the heck they planned to do. He didn't _want_ to get physical, but if there was another incident in his store…

He breathed deeply, looking at his fellow Faunus. His friends, his customers, people he'd grown accustomed to over the years. There were six of them in the early morning hours, and three more had just arrived. The whole eleven of them in the store could probably fight off the humans if they needed to, but Pops didn't want to see his store trashed. If it did, well… Menagerie would be his next step.

He'd almost resigned himself to the move, and spoke under his breath to Ma'am about his plans if they were given the motivation to leave. Ma'am spoke lightly, gently trying to dissuade him, but also spitballed some possible locations they could take over. Pops wanted a place on the main avenue, Ma'am wanted a place by the ocean. They argued incessantly, until the first tingle of the door's bell got their attention.

Pops turned around, tense, but trying to keep a welcoming look on his face. "Mornin' stranger, how can I—" He paused mid-sentence, his big eyes blinking slowly as the rest of the Faunus in the room got their feet, staring warily, some in surprise, some in anger, "W-why, miss Schnee, I wasn't expectin' you anytime soon." Pops tried to keep a calm tone, his large nose flaring as he took a calming breath.

"Something urgent came up." The heiress spoke tersely. Weiss's eyes went to the Faunus standing up, watching her suspiciously, some gripping their weaponry in preparation for an attack, and then she looked back to Pops. In startling contrast to yesterday, the young Schnee was instantly recognizable. The white dress and jacket combination that she wore for her last photoshoot and musical performance stood out in the dim lighting of the building, and her all-too-familiar white hair was pulled through a small, decorative crown to create her rebellious sidetail. However, hanging at her side was unmistakably a weapon: a long, thick foil, with a cylinder made for dust cartridges.

She held herself up as tall as she could, trying to look in control as she stepped forward. Everyone stared her down, and with nobody making a noise, her footsteps were as loud as gunshots.

Weiss was here again, the princess of the Schnees, the family with one of the worst reputations among Faunus. From her beauty, to her stride, to her sense of fashion, she was every bit the royalty the Schnees presented themselves as. She stood out among the more simply dressed Faunus; even at her most exhausted, not even a full day after her assault, she looked silvered and pristine–her very presence was suffocating.

The White Fang had dealt a frightful blow against her, and here she was once more, at the place it had happened. She came to stand before Pops, looking over her shoulder at the Faunus watching her closely.

"Now, I ain't one to be tellin' you how ta live your life, but you'd gone through a heckuva ordeal yesterday, shouldn't you be relaxin'?" Pops asked tenderly. Their eyes met. Her expression was so much stronger than it was before, she no longer looked beleaguered and ill; even with weighty bags under her eyes she seemed powerful, a girl with a mission, whatever it may be.

Weiss reached past her left hip, avoiding Myrtenaster to not display aggression, and pulled her scroll out of her rear pouch. "Believe me when I say that I wish that I could, but I unfortunately don't have that luxury. I'm trying to find somebody, and was hoping she might have come here." She set the scroll before Pops, who shot a sharp look over her shoulder. Weiss glanced back, watching a man with scaled cheeks look away, putting something back into his pocket.

Pops delicately handled the scroll put into his large hands. He adjusted his glasses and peered at the holographic screen. It portrayed a pencil drawing of a girl's face on a piece of sketch paper. It was not the best drawing in the world; one eye was a little off-center, the other more rounded than almond shaped, and it took Pops a minute to realize the triangles on her head were ears.

"Who's this, miss Schnee?" He asked, noting the long, wavy black hair with curiosity. He licked his lips in thought as Weiss crossed her hands in front of her stomach, her expression falling noticeably, leaving Pops working his jaw in worry.

"She is…" She trailed off right as she began, and shook her head. "She _was_ my teammate at Beacon. Her name is Blake Belladonna, and she's a Faunus."

Ghira's kid?... Pops didn't know of too many Belladonnas, but Ghira and Kali were both black-haired, and the ears… maybe it was too coincidental, but Pops wasn't about to discount the similarities. He looked down at Weiss once more. He barely knew the girl in person, and he was fully on edge for something to happen today, but the memory of her pale and sickly was still burned into his mind.

He was in an ' _every man for himself'_ mindset, he wanted to defend himself and his homestead, but the young woman before him had been harmed under his watch and came looking for help.

Somebody behind Weiss spoke up, "A Faunus? Teamed up with _you?"_ A donkey-eared blonde boy asked in disbelief, and Weiss shot him a quiet, tired glare as Pops took it into consideration.

"Now, miss Schnee," Pops began slowly, handing her scroll back to her while giving her a very gentle, but pleading look, "I can't say I recognize her, but I'm also wonderin' why ya came here t'ask. Things're lookin' grim today, people're already makin' up their own stories about what happened 'n why, I don't mean to cast shade on yer intentions, but I can't help but feel this is the start a-somethin'..."

Weiss looked at the picture of Blake quietly, her face dipping as her emotions threatened to bubble to the surface. It was there, only barely noticeable, but Pops could see the guilt on the young woman's face, then a flash of anger as her lips tightened. She pursed her lips and put her scroll away, quietly, yet bitterly, looking down as she squeezed her hands together. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just came looking for answers. If you hadn't protected me yesterday, I would have avoided this entirely, but…" She trailed off, fixating him with a pair of misted over eyes, and Pops deflated with a sigh.

"C'mere miss Schnee, let's take a seat." The large Faunus nodded. The two of them sat across from each other at one of the tables, the other Faunus restlessly milling about, watching curiously and with the intent to counterattack if things went poorly. The bell jingled as one Faunus raced outside to chase somebody off, but Weiss quietly sipped her grapefruit juice as she considered what to say.

"I've only known her for around a month." Weiss didn't meet Pop's eyes as she grew lost in thought. "At first, she wasn't anything terribly special. She hid her ears so we'd think she was human, and was sort of distant. She was part of the team, we worked together, but she guarded herself. We barely knew anything about her, but she warmed up in the last week or so. She told us she trained in a camp, she told us her name, but that's all we knew about her. I didn't see anything suspicious at first, we had only _just_ got assigned to each other, even _I_ wasn't about to divulge my whole life story in the first month of working with somebody…"

"Take yer time, miss Schnee." Pops spoke consolingly. Ma'am scooted up to the table carrying a tray in her hands, and Weiss sat up straight in surprise, both by the sudden appearance of the sharp-eyed Faunus woman, and by the sudden smell of hot, freshly-fried food. "Now ain't the best time, mama." Pops squeezed his wife's shoulder, and the little thing huffed.

"Two o' you are jabberjawin' like the world's endin'; I won't hear none of it. Eat!" She ordered. Pops only meekly complied, popping a fry in his mouth as Weiss stared at the food, a sickly feeling entering her stomach, her throat itching in phantom pains… there was no Yang here to protect her now, but looking up at the big, round restauranter, Weiss swallowed down her illness.

"Thank you, ma'am." Weiss picked up a wing coated in red sauce between her dainty, perfect fingers. Before she could think too hard on it, she took a bite, the explosion of meat and tangy heat filling her mouth, and her tongue curled at the burn of the sauce. She chewed slowly, instinctively trying to taste for some sort of foreign entity; the White Fang's strangulation poison apparently carried a faint taste of walnuts, but Weiss found none in the flavor. Well, she was either dead or fed, a distinction that annoyed her since her stomach immediately let out a hideous gurgle. She really should have eaten before she'd left. "Thing is, I may have said some unkind things about the White Fang while we were in our dorm room."

"As to be expected." Pops nodded simply, watching as Weiss polished off a wing and set it aside, delicately wiping her fingertips with a napkin. The young heiress considered the food before her, then took an onion ring. She bit into it hungrily, chewing slowly to savor the taste, then quickly stuffed her mouth with the rest. "Shoulda had a meal 'fore ya wondered in, miss, body can't heal without food."

"I was distracted." Weiss grunted, swallowing as she reached out for another wing, paused, and took her hand back. She focused on Pops in front of her, but her eyes drifted away. He watched them, they refused to focus on him, he could sense something amiss as she lost whatever energy she'd had in eating. "It… it turned out she was a member of the White Fang. A _former_ member, who had nothing to do with yesterday's events… I believe." She added on after a pause, making Pops wince. "She apparently had some issues with how the White Fang was conducting itself and left, but I'd said too much. She decided to slip out at night, but we'd caught her before she could."

Weiss took a napkin to twist in her hands, her eyes downcast, but then she pulled the little cloth taut, her expression turning hard. "She yelled, she told us everything, she showed us her ears, and she-she fled. She left the three of us behind and is who-knows-where, doing who-knows- _what,_ and we're trying to find her."

It seemed a more common story these days than it used to be. A White Fang member escaping to try and live a normal life away from the violence and oppression, only to find themselves unable to adapt. Pops had been lucky enough to have an idea of what he wanted when he'd left. Some people weren't so lucky. "And what're ya gonna do when you find her, miss Schnee?" He asked calmly.

Weiss quietly picked up a wing, and rather than answer, bit into it. It took Pops a minute to realize she had no clue what she was going to do. Weiss ate slowly, calmly, sniffling as the spices tickled her sinuses, the conflicting emotions plain on her face. Slack disbelief, drooping grief, tight anger, simmering guilt, Weiss's eyes were easier to read than a child's book, and Pops understood her all too well.

"How much do you care about Blake, Weiss?" He spoke her name boldly, almost testingly. He knew a thing or two about boundaries, especially with the Schnees, but Weiss was far more personable. She was not the cold, calculating machines her family seemed to employ in business dealings. However, she did not look offended, she simply glanced up at him, her expression confused and hurt.

"I don't _know."_ She answered meekly, her feet kicking out in an annoyed spasm. "How am I supposed to feel about her? I've only known her for so long, I barely know anything about her, and out of nowhere she ups and leaves while giving me every reason to distrust her. But I _don't."_ Weiss drummed the table with her fingers, sucking a breath through her teeth. "She's made me angry, she's made me scared, but I don't believe she wants me hurt. She told us that she's going after the White Fang, whatever that means."

"What it means," a Faunus spoke up from nearby, a powerfully-built brown woman who, despite the layer of sheep's wool growing along her exposed calves and forearms, managed to look equal parts intimidating and serious, "is that your friend is looking to get herself killed."

"I _think_ she was serious, ma'am." Weiss spoke harshly, and the tall woman snorted.

"I am too. I've been in the Fang for sixteen years, whenever somebody ups and leaves outta nowhere saying ' _I'm going after this'_ or ' _I'm going after that',_ it means they either succeed or they die. And they _never_ succeed." The woman stood up off the wall and approached the table, making Weiss flinch as she drew closer, and though Pops gave her a warning look, the woman took a wing and bit into it. "Just left the Fang, went to Beacon, made nice with a Schnee who is then almost killed, and decides to go after her old organization? Probably scared to crap and sees no way out. She's putting _her life_ on the line because of you, you realize that? You're why she's ri-riding the—na-haa- _aah_ these are _hot!"_ The woman coughed, making Weiss roll her eyes.

"Mild at best." Weiss huffed.

The woman slammed a fist down on the table, holding her mouth while her nose wrinkled in pain. "Don't you— _hack!—_ don't you tell me what ain't hot! Faunus or human, _taste buds_ are equal!" She coughed.

Weiss cocked an eyebrow, and pushed her mug of juice closer. The woman quickly downed it, and Weiss shook her head. " _Clearly."_ She picked up a wing and nibbled it almost triumphantly as the sheep woman glared in embarrassment. After a moment of silence, Weiss sighed, "I care enough that I don't want her dead. I want answers, I want to tell her _my_ side of the story, I want to know _everything._ I mean, of all people, I was friends with a girl from the _Fang."_ Weiss lowered her food, and stared at the tabletop in open confusion. "All my life I've been raised to hate the White Fang, but we shared tea, we shared stories, we talked about life and philosophy and she's… a good person."

"Hard to hate somebody you share so much with, huh?" Pops asked teasingly, and Weiss, for the first time, wore a small, if sad smile. "I hardly know ya, Weiss, butcha ain't a bad girl, and trust me, I been dealing with bad people all my life. I think ye're doin' the right thing, but I also think ya shouldn't hang yerself up over it. Do watcha need ta do for yerself; playing a hero with the White Fang involved isn't the best idea for a Schnee."

Weiss silently nodded, but paused, examining her fingernails as she thought. "Probably not, but…" She looked up at the ceiling, eyes closed as she spoke her thoughts. "I'm a huntress. I'm a _Schnee._ My grandfather wouldn't have given up looking for somebody in his caravans, I could never live up to him if I gave up on somebody I tentatively call a _friend._ I'll do what I have to, not just for me, but Blake too."

Pops regarded the Schnee girl in front of him calmly. Nicholas Schnee was an odd subject among the Faunus, but he didn't spill out his personal opinions. "I'll keep an eye and an ear out for this Blake girl, missy." Pops offered, earning an appreciative look from the young girl. "But in the meantime, ya need ta keep an eye out for yerself."

"I plan to; Yesterday taught me much." Weiss nibbled and ate, then felt her scroll vibrate. After a quick clean-up, she checked her message, her nostrils flaring. "No information anywhere. The search continues." She sighed, and stood, her eyes lowering towards all the food. "Thank you for feeding me, sir, and thank you for hearing me out. I would like to come back sometime, once this mess is sorted."

Hearing the admittance made Pops smile, and the larger man stood to extend a hand towards the girl. Her slender fingers embraced his, and they both calmly shook. "We'd be happy ta have ya, Weiss. Good luck."

"Luck's for the hopeless." Weiss answered dismissively, but when their hands released, she inclined her head, "But thank you. You as well."

"Miss Schnee, miss Schnee, don'tchoo leave just yet! Nuh uh!" A small voice rang out. Weiss turned as the itty-bitty Ma'am sped up to her, holding out a plastic bag with a box in it. "When ya find 'er, feed 'er this. Stupid decisions make ya hungry, she'll probably be starvin' when ya catch up to 'er."

Weiss stared at the small matron with curious surprise, taking the bag as the little lady bobbed her head and zipped away, leaving Pops chuckling. "Just enjoy the free take-out; it'll make mama feel better knowin' yer fed."

"Of course." Weiss tried to sound knowing, and gave him a small, but respectful bow before walking towards the door. "Thank you." She whispered, just loud enough to be heard on her way out. Pops watched with a small, curious smile as she stepped out into the crowd of humans that had migrated across the street. Pops fixated on the group with worry, as did the Faunus gathered at the windows, but Weiss's piercing voice made him smirk. " _Why in the world are you crowding around me?! Of course I'm fine! What are you hooligans doing; don't you have_ anything _better to do?! Get out of here!"_ She roared, waving a threatening arm at the crowd.

They quickly moved back across the street, watching Weiss storm away in an annoyed huff.

The situation at Pop's Wings & Things had only slightly improved, with one incident deflected by an unexpected guest, but the dwellers were prepared to handle the rest.

* * *

Blake awoke to fresh sunlight pouring into the cave she had taken up residence. Blake _also_ awoke to a full-body ache that made her regret having such petty things as muscles.

Was it Pierothorp that wrote ' _To be alive is to suffer?'_ Blake couldn't recall exactly, but ol' Perry wasn't far off the mark. She licked her dry lips and groggily stared at the opposite cave wall. She couldn't recall her dreams, a sure sign she was stressed, and she took a shaky breath.

It all hurt, even worse when she remembered where she was, why she was here, what had happened…

Blake quietly burrowed her nose into the shirt draped over her torso like a blanket. Yes… there was no turning back now. No home to return to. She'd outed herself, there was no choice.

She closed her eyes and let her heavy head rest, her senses tuning out as she turned inwards. She needed to find the White Fang to stop them, that's all she knew at the moment. She'd stayed silent for so long, and turned tail once the silence threatened to burst. Whenever she raised a hand in protest, the merest assertion that she was growing soft and hurting the Fang caused her to slip back into line, even with the guilt weighing heavily on her head.

She was tired of being a coward.

Finding them couldn't have been too hard, and she'd scream herself hoarse if it would make them listen. They _had_ to be stopped.

Blake's eyes opened a bit. Then, Weiss would have less to worry about. She buried her nose under the white shirt and tried to stop her thoughts from taking over. Blake bat her eyes, her vision foggy.

Fresh tears threatened to spill. She didn't know why her heart hurt as much as it did thinking about those girls, she hated how _easily_ she let them wriggle in and make themselves important.

What a weak girl she was… she was meant to be a powerful enforcer of her people, a hunter of the Grimm, and here she was, shedding tears over a trio of people she barely knew. One of whom had kept a secret from her, true, but looking back on it… she shuddered.

This whole situation was idiotic, and Blake only saw one way out. She needed to repair her old life. She couldn't settle down in a new one just because it was easy, comfortable, and fun… oh _god,_ it was a good life she could have had at Beacon.

Blake sniffled, and finally noted the distinct scent of musk. She opened her eyes wider, finally allowing herself to take in exactly the state she was in, and lifted the strange, white button-up shirt laid over her. Had she stolen it? She couldn't remember stealing it, but she also couldn't remember most of the drive into Vale. Quietly, she inspected the shirt, sniffing the masculine scent on it curiously, and looked around the cave.

Sitting at the entrance was a boy with a tail. Shimmering blonde hair, powerful back muscles, a banana in hand; Blake recognized him with a twitch of her eye. How the hell…? No, there was no time for this. She didn't have time to deal with a stalker.

Sun quietly stretched in the morning sun, enjoying the warmth, as well as the sights and sounds below. His day was already starting out interesting, which he was thoroughly pleased with. He heard the click of a stray pebble behind him, and he hopped to his feet. "Well well, sleeping beauty's finally woken up! So what brings you here?" Sun asked as he turned around, only to immediately go blind as a white yet refreshingly breathable cloth wrapped around his face.

Blake slid behind the yelping monkey boy and grabbed the sleeves of the shirt wrapped around his face, quickly tying a double knot as he grasped at the restraint frantically. Blake sprinted to the edge of the cave, glanced over her shoulder at the boy, giving him a tired glare, and skipped out.

She sprinted down the uneven, rocky mountainside, watching for footholds instinctively as she descended. Her foot hit the wet grass, and she waved her arms as she briefly slid, nearly losing her footing in the process, but managed to catch herself a second later. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the blonde-haired Faunus boy hopping out of the cave's mouth, and she was off like a shot.

Calling up her aura was taking up more effort than usual, as her soul was in a flux; her emotions in argument with each other and her mind hazy and unable to latch onto a single, solid idea other than one, vague goal. She raced through the tree trunks of the park's forest, trying to stay out of sight of Sun. The tip of a thin branch cut a thin line of red across her cheek, and with a wince of pain, her foot caught a stray root.

She tumbled, quickly ducking into a roll to maintain some momentum, but when she rose to her feet, she pitched forward too far, and she threw her hands out to catch herself on a tree. She panted heavily, her mind heavy and hazy, her lungs already burning with exhaustion. She must have been a sight for sore eyes; such a maddened escape attempt only to end with such a humiliating flourish of poor timing and even worse observation.

She dug her fingernails into the tree bark, and turned sharply to stare as she heard the shifting of brush behind her. "Yeesh, you bailed faster than my prom date." Sun muttered as he emerged, holding his still tied up shirt in one hand. Blake tensed, her shoulders rising like a cornered animal, her ears straightening, and his eyes went over her scalp. "Oh dude, you're a Faunus too, cool." Sun smiled.

Compared to Blake, Sun looked positively vibrant. His chipper, blue eyes flitted about with a curious energy, his face baring no tired lines or dark bags. Without a shirt on, the full breadth of his musculature was on plain display, and he was a handsome boy indeed. He was almost a shorter Taiyang, Blake noted, but without the scars or the ruggedness that made Taiyang so masculine.

He also seemed thoroughly nonplussed that Blake had made such a grand attempt at escaping. Blake breathed deeply, clearing her lungs as she dug her fingers into the tree. "Go _away_ Sun." She ordered in a venomous growl, while Sun untangled his shirt to put it on.

"Ma'am, you're in obvious distress, just let me help you." Sun said calmingly, taking careful steps towards Blake, never losing that dumb smile.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Blake demanded, twisted around to press her back against the tree. She could feel her legs recovering, she just needed another few seconds. "Get the hell away from me! Are you stalking me?!"

"No no no…" Sun held his hands out, slowly taking another step closer. "I woke up in that waterfall place and found you there. Look, you seem pretty freaked out, why not—" Blake burst into motion, leaping to the left, but Sun, wreathed in his Aura, snagged her upper arm to stop her. "What's– _rrrgh!–_ what's _with you?_ It's not like I pissed in your breakfas—" An elbow to the nose cut him short, the flash of pain and momentary surprise allowing Blake to get loose.

The cat-eared Faunus broke into a sprint, staring over her shoulder at Sun as the boy recovered and stared at her in surprise, and then looked ahead in time to eat a faceful of low-hanging branch. When she opened her eyes again she was staring up at the sky through the sunny boughs above, her nose throbbing, blood pouring out of her nostrils, and her back not-so-subtly telling her to stay still for a minute.

Almost in resignation, she let loose a quiet, perturbed breath, and refused to meet Sun's eyes when he bent over her. His smile had slipped into an awkward cringe, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Mmmmaaaaaybe now's not the time, but, uh, I get the feeling things aren't swell in your neck of the woods. Wanna talk about it?"

Every urge to punch the handsome boy in his perfect, boyband nose was weakened by by the pulsations of pain coursing through Blake's body. She quietly, tiredly stared at the sky, and answered in a surrendering voice, "Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Ruby found her mind drifting along, far and away from the present as she stared down at the black ribbon in her palm.

They could claim they'd only known each other for a month, but a month with Blake was just as long as Ruby had known Weiss, and Weiss was her bestie.

Ruby felt a tug on her hand as Zwei tried to pull her along by his leash, sniffing at trees in the park and trying to guide his young master along the trail. She was being difficult, but she moved with each pull, so he kept going.

She had not grown up with a lot of people to lean on. Ruby had her father, her sister, her uncle, and her dog, but they had a world outside of her–except maybe Zwei. They had vast worlds, full of people, professions, and activities, while Ruby had her room, in her house, in their isolated neck of Patch, far away from many of the world's greater problems.

Ruby could hunt, she could chop wood, she could exercise and train, day in and day out; she could read to herself and imagine entirely different continents by looking up pictures and movies, or she could pick up long-tired games for a nostalgic trip through Cookieland or the digital world of Yang's game system. After fifteen years, Ruby had retread the same paths, the same words, the same routines, and the same entertainment again and again.

Every now and then there'd be a new face and voice in the house as her family brought home friends or associates. Ruby had shaken a few hands, introduced herself as the little sister, and found herself watching from beyond door frames as Yang and her study group goofed off and built a project for Signal, or she watched her father relive memories of old missions while sharing a beer on the couch with some hunter who had swung by for a visit.

These were people her family knew, had grown to care for, had relationships and experiences with.

Ruby had none of that.

Ruby had made friends with the people in her books, and aspired to be big and powerful as they were, and every push-up, every swing of Crescent Rose, every factoid of information regarding the Grimm she picked up were all steps closer, but no matter how good she got, or how much praise her family had given her, she still felt small and frustratingly blank whenever they brought somebody new.

She'd often sneak away to her room to avoid questions about her life and going-ons; she knew she was terribly boring. What entertainment could she provide without stories or hobbies to share?

But in the course of a single night, everything had changed.

She squeezed the ribbon in her hand tightly, her lips thin and tight as emotion threatened to overwhelm her thoughts. She had met Jaune, then Weiss–though Weiss didn't really count at the time–Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, and Blake. Ruby didn't know a lot about Blake, but having fought alongside her, studied with her, and read with her, Ruby felt a gentle bond.

She had helped make the girl laugh and smile, she had accidentally hurt her and made her mad, and now she had scared her. The leg-a-licious beauty that presented herself with the downplayed flair of a smoky female lead from a noir story, fleeing from Ruby over a simple misunderstanding.

Though… it was awfully complicated too.

A mistake had been made, one that needed to be corrected. Ruby needed to make sure Blake was okay, and try to take her back home; at the very least, give one final goodbye, even if the thought made Ruby's eyelids slam shut to keep the idea from letting her cry. Her friend was in pain, and Ruby couldn't help her, and that hurt Ruby more than the frightened face Blake had made.

Ruby didn't care if she knew Blake for only a month, it could have been just a single night where Blake had humored Ruby with a conversation, or even a lifetime of hunting together, she just wanted Blake back. It wouldn't be enough to just hear her voice again, Ruby needed to see her, to feel her, to _know_ she was okay.

They were friends, and Ruby wasn't about to give up on that.

As she and Yang had done a dozen times in their youth, Ruby climbed the park's mini-mountain and slipped into the open cave. Zwei toddled ahead of her and sniffed all around, and Ruby swallowed thickly as a bubble of hope formed in her stomach. "You smell her boy? Was she here?" Ruby asked, and Zwei wiggled his rump as he lead the way back to the cave's entrance, then down the mountain once more.

"Can't say I've seen anyone like that." A park ranger told her as he put a fresh trash bag into a receptacle, and Ruby pouted as she took her scroll back, hiding Weiss's sketch of Blake. "She only went missing last night, right? I'm sure she'll be back."

"Y-yeah…" Ruby nodded solemnly as Zwei tried to pull her into the woods again. A full hour of sniffing and following later, Ruby found herself out the exit on the other side of the park, looking around frantically for a hint of black hair.

"Sorry miss, haven't seen anybody like that." A police officer shook his head, leaving Ruby to pout.

"Why the hell wouldja wanna find her? You keep filth like her around, and you end up with a whole zoo clawing at the door." A woman grunted furiously, wheeling away before Ruby could argue.

"If she wants t'be free, you gotta let her go, sister; don't you worry none, the world has a way of taking care of its children." A rabbit-eared man spoke in a dreamy tone, smelling heavily of something that made Ruby's mind fuzzy.

Ruby stared down at Blake's picture sadly. Her friend was out there, in pain, lonely, trying to do something right, but in all the wrong ways. Ruby dug a finger under her goggles to wipe her eye clear of gathering moisture, but paused. She turned to stare at her reflection in a store window, and quietly frowned. "This is all _your_ fault…" She muttered, passively scratching at her goggle strap. "I-if you were just… b _-br-braver…_ if you we-weren't born a f-freak…" Ruby whispered.

A low whine grabbed her attention, and she glanced at Zwei as the little corgi padded over to her and flopped onto her feet, exposing his belly while giving her a dim, happy look. Ruby sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve, and knelt down to scratch the pup's belly, kneeling to rub him all over. A little giggle escaped her as Zwei licked and nipped her fingers, chasing them playfully.

Zwei leaned into her hand as she dug her thin nails behind his ear, panting loudly in dim joy as his master shed her poor mood, and Ruby stood up, frowning at the pavement. "Okay, back to searching." Zwei put his nose to the pavement again after a quick sniff of Blake's ribbon.

The dog latched onto traces of the scent wherever he went, but as they neared the more populated areas of Vale, he began to lose focus. Whether the smell of food overrided Blake's scent or he was just hungry, Ruby couldn't tell to her frustration, but they weaved between the dozens of market stalls and pushed through the massive crowd of shoppers, trying to find some trace of her once more. Something, however, caught her eye.

"Excuse me miss, can I interest you in some fried squid?!" A man shouted over the clamor of the Sunday crowd. Ruby slapped a lien card down and reached for the side of his stall, plucking a long black hair wrapped around a splinter in the wood.

"Two please! Do you r-remember somebody who had hair like this?!" Ruby yelled back, her heart pounding hopefully as the man handed her a pair of sticks with the toasted brown seafood. Ruby held one by her waist, and Zwei's head popped up to snag it with an excited growl.

"I've served a hundred people already, sweetheart, can't tell ya!" The man called back. He jerked back as Ruby thrust her scroll into his face with a desperate look.

"Pl-please try and remember! She looked like this!" Ruby held the scroll to the man's face, and he delicately scratched a floppy brown ear on his scalp, then shook his head with a frown.

"Sorry hon, wish I could help you out! Next! You sir, interested—" His voice drowned out as Ruby walked into the crowd, chewing in frustration as Zwei carried the bare stick the squid had come on like a twig for fetch.

She glanced up as she passed by a large, whirring booth, and stared curiously at the sharp-dressed occupants, each surrounded by pieces of advanced, Atlesian technology. What truly made Ruby slow, however, were the cameras stringing the stall.

"—and I'm telling you, it can't be done on site. It's reviewed by our parent company, we don't keep the playback nearby for security reasons!" A woman with a platinum blonde bob cut and snazzy glasses leaned over the table for Ruby to hear her.

"C-can't you contact them?! It's r-really important I f-find this person!" Ruby waved her scroll, but the woman shook her head.

"We get too many customers passing by, we'd need a specific timeframe and we've been open since nine! That's assuming she didn't just walk by without a look. There's thousands of people that filter through the marketplace each day, trying to find one person in the crowd from five different cameras would just be an exercise in frustration!" The woman's clear blue glasses flashed, and a small alert notice appeared on the edge of her left lens. "Sorry miss, I wish I could do more! I got a call to take!"

She and Ruby parted ways, with Ruby gruffly kicking a loose piece of concrete in frustration. How was it that nobody had seen Blake?! She was only the stupidly prettiest person Ruby knew! That alone should have been a solid qualifier for identification…

Ruby sat on a bench as Zwei investigated, and marked, a tree growing on a small mound of well-groomed grass just outside the market square. Ruby stared at Blake's picture. Why didn't she get an actual photograph of the girl before she left…? Stupid short-sightedness…

She'd have given anything for more than a memory of Blake, but all she had was a hastily done sketch. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down to think, to try and use what she knew of her friend to figure out what her next move would be. She was going after the White Fang, so she would probably go straight to wherever they were… but Ruby didn't know where that was, and Yang had said the Duermoor Docks were clear when she'd gone to investigate.

Weiss hadn't found any info at the wing place either, so their best bet was probably pinning down where the White Fang were operating and try to intercept Blake. How did one go asking where the White Fang were stationed, however? Ruby was pretty sure just walking into the nearest Faunus bar would get her booted for being underage, and she didn't have Yang's feminine wiles to gain trust and conversation from people who really should have known better.

Ruby let out a small sigh. She couldn't claim defeat, her friend was out there. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and calmed her heart.

"What a magnificent dog!" An almost exultent girl's voice broke her trance, and Ruby whipped her head to find the source. Zwei was laying on his back, panting loudly, pink tongue lolled out of his mouth as a girl excitedly scratched his belly. "You are the cutiest _and_ the wutiest! Yes you are!"

Ruby watched for a second, unsure of what to do as the girl bathed Zwei in affection. She stood, the leash waving at the motion, and walked closer to hopefully extricate them both from this situation and continue the search, but the girl looked up to her immediate, precise movements. "H-hi." Ruby waved awkwardly.

The girl hopped to her feet, and turned to present herself to Ruby. She was a little off in a way Ruby didn't really understand, but her smile was as bright and cheerful as the cloudless, sunny day, and Ruby couldn't help but return a small one. Her short, curled orange hair waved and bobbed as she tilted her head, revealing a huge, cute pink bow on the back of her head.

Her grey girl's overalls and formal shirt stood in stark contrast with the black and neon green necklace and thigh-high boots she wore. She was as pale as Ruby, with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, and the brightest green eyes Ruby had ever seen. Also much like Ruby, her curves were terribly subtle, her tight clothing unable to highlight her feminine structure and leaving her looking awkwardly youthful.

"Sal-u-tations! Is this your dog?" The girl asked, her body twisting to point to Zwei, but her head not following. Ruby nodded, rubbing her arm as the girl immediately returned to a neutral pose, while Zwei sniffed her foot. "Your dog is both cute and delightful! May I have your permission to take pictures of him or her to upload to the internet?" Her head tilted to the right in an unsettlingly non-Zwei-like fashion.

"I—uh." Ruby looked down at Zwei, who was using the girl's foot as a seat. The girl did not seem to mind, or even notice as she stared a hole through Ruby's head. "S-sure, b-but I'm in a hurry, so just a few."

"I can do that! Though for the sake of your time, how do you define ' _a few?'_ Is it two? Is it three? Is it four? Is it greater than five?" The girl asked in an oddly exacting tone as she lifted a sleek, top-of-the-line scroll out of her skirt pocket, opening it to focus on Zwei as the pup stared up at her happily.

"O-oh, um, I-I guess maybe between five and ten?" Ruby tilted her head quizzically as the girl reached down to pet Zwei, retook control of her foot from Zwei's butt, and retreated several steps backwards to kneel down like a photographer.

"Then I shall take exactly nine!" The girl exclaimed. Zwei stared at the girl curiously. Then he flopped onto his side. Then onto his back. Then he got back up and sat, turned away from the girl, then he looked over his shoulder. Then he laid down, giving the scroll a big, lovey-eyed look. "Excellent! Extraordinary! Most wonderful! You are a natural! Amazing!" The girl exclaimed with each photograph, and Ruby couldn't help but grin a little as Zwei hammed it up.

When the girl stood to cycle through the photos she took, Zwei hopped up with a happy yap and trotted to Ruby's side, ever obedient.

"Thank you for allowing me to take pictures of your dog! It was a pleasure to meet you miss—" The girl literally stopped in place, her expression frozen, mouth open, eyes glimmering, hand extended… and then she backed up with a horrified gasp, causing Ruby to step back in growing worry. "I have made a most repellant gaffe! I meant you no offense! My name is Penny Polendina!"

"I-it's okay, we all–" Ruby flinched as Penny strode forward and put a hand out, wearing an almost obnoxiously wide smile, "–make mistakes…" Ruby blushed a little as she quietly took the hand, and the girl moved her hand up and down stiffly. In contrast to the rest of her oddities, Penny's hands were surprisingly milquetoast. She had incredibly soft palms, but she was neither warm nor cold; it almost felt like Ruby was shaking the girl's hand with a blanket between their palms. "H-hi Penny, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Ruby Rose!" Penny repeated, her head popping forward in a very quick nod. "That is a beautiful name! Thank you for allowing me to take pictures of your dog! It was a pleasure to meet you miss Ruby Rose!" Penny took her hand back, standing straight in a perfect posture.

"S-sure, no problem, Penny." Ruby smiled gently, quietly wondering what Yang would do in this situation. Probably try to reassure the girl and make an excuse to leave. "W-well, m-my dad always s-said you have to b-be a little chancy to make friends. I'm sure Zwei loved it. A-anyways—"

"Friends?" Penny asked, her smile shrinking into a small, curious line as those green eyes blinked. Or Ruby assumed they blinked, her eyelids had moved so quickly Ruby thought it may have been a trick. "We are friends?" Penny asked in a much more calm voice.

"W-well…" Ruby tensed up. She had to go find Blake, but _politely…_ and though this girl was weird, she wasn't malicious. "Sure… we can be friends." She quietly hoped she wasn't about to regret that.

Penny's pupils seemed to shrink a half-centimeter as she stared at Ruby, and that curious look immediately broke out into a brilliant, massive smile. She took Ruby's hand, and stared the regretful girl in the eye with pure joy on her face. "Yes! We _can_ be friends! You cannot comprehend how happy that makes me, I can only hope that you are happy that I am your friend too!" Penny happily kneaded Ruby's thin fingers, and Ruby made an awkward cough, and quickly looked around for help from a non-present Yang.

"Y-yeah! I-I'm sorry th-though Penny, I r-really have to go! I-I'm trying to find another friend—"

" _Another_ friend?" Penny asked, her expression turning serious as she closed in, making Ruby go pale as their noses nearly touched. "If she is lost, then she must be found! For the sake of friendship, I shall help my friend find her friend!"

 _Oh boy…_ "I… I guess it couldn't hurt?" Ruby squeaked.

"I will do everything within my power to not harm you or your friend!" Penny assured with a rapid nod, leaving Ruby to sweat. "How shall we begin? Do we have pictures? A location? A smell? A dog such as yours has a brilliant sense of smell!"

Ruby stared at the very strange girl, but quietly lowered her eyes. Having another person to help couldn't hurt, even an odd one like Penny. Ruby quietly took her scroll out of her hip pouch to show Penny Weiss's drawing. "This is Blake Belladonna, she has y-yellow eyes, black hair, and cat ears. Sh-she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met, an-and I just want her to come back to Beacon." Ruby's shoulders shrank as she stared at the picture, and Penny took her scroll out once more.

"I shall take a picture so that it will increase my chances of identifying her!" Penny explained, only for Ruby to give her an odd look.

"How about I just t-text you it?" Ruby offered.

"You wish to text me?" Penny asked in surprise. Ruby felt she might regret it… but she got Penny's number, and sent her the picture in a text.

Penny stared down at her scroll screen, the open chat window displaying Blake's picture and a number that did not belong to either herself or her father. Quick as a shot, she was making Ruby a scroll contact, and smiling brightly as she did so.

Ruby sighed… today was going to be difficult _and_ strange.


	20. Found: Black Cat

"Have you ever met somebody who made you believe that you can change the world?"

The question caught Sun off guard, and he politely lowered his fork to answer. "I mean, sorta? My teachers always talked about how the future is in out hands, so…" He trailed off, then stuffed his mouth with half a hard-boiled egg drowned in Vacuan spices. The two had long moved away from the well-kept treeline of the park, having found a small, Faunus run breakfast nook with a balcony overlooking the street below. Sun sat on one side of the table, Blake on the other, both with small plates of food in front of them.

Blake wasn't looking at him, or the small pile of hash browns she'd ordered to try and appease her gurgling stomach. She leaned her cheek on one hand, her eyes downcast and staring through the table they sat at, her nose still red, but her nosebleed fixed. She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "No; not like that. Somebody who speaks out against the injustices of the world, or talks with so much purpose in their cause, you can't help but think, ' _this person will change the world!'"_

Sun sipped at his coffee thoughtfully, examining Blake's face. She was still somewhat delirious from their prior chase, but the coffee seemed to have brought some sense and life back to her. "Well, I've heard some pretty rockin' speeches about saving the world, doing the right thing, being a better person than who I was yesterday—"

" _Not like that."_ Blake shot the boy a glare, causing him to awkwardly sip at his own coffee as Blake shook her head. "I'm not talking about those self-help speeches about doing better every day, I'm talking about somebody who fills you with _purpose,_ somebody who makes you feel _strong_ and your enemies _weak_ when they talk."

"Mmm nope." Sun shook his head, watching the dark-haired beauty brood across the table. "I mean, people have _inspired_ me, but it doesn't sound like they've inspired me like they've inspired you."

Blake stirred quietly, seemingly not wanting to acknowledge that, but then she let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah." Her frown deepened. "I'm a follower, I always have been. I'm not good at making plans or leading other people, I'm good at making them feel comfortable, or helping them get smarter, or providing ' _camp morale.'_ I'm a walking, talking cocktease, if nothing else." Sun lifted his eyes above Blake's neck, and met her hard glare guiltily.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being attractive, right? I mean, look at me!" Sun smiled jokingly, smacking his prominent abs, but Blake didn't so much as blink in his direction as she nibbled the end of a hashbrown.

"Anyways…" Blake grunted. "The first person I met to ever make the world seem… _small,_ and changeable, ended up losing his mind." Blake spoke in a slow, careful melancholy, clearly struggling to keep her composure slack and neutral as painful memories began to dredge up. "I gave everything to him. We were best friends, lovers, and partners. He wanted to make the world a safe place for the Faunus, he wanted to make humanity realize we weren't to be ignored or cast aside when it was convenient. He could be aggressive and cold at times, but he was often smiling, and _driven._ Every day he woke up, no matter how sick or hurt he was, to further our cause…" Blake let out a heated breath, and she stared blankly down at her food. "But the longer it went on, the less he smiled. We weren't moving fast enough, these things take _time,_ but we were all feeling hopeless. Then, one day–and I swear I don't know when, I just saw it happen–he was angrier than he was happy. Shouting and threatening his own followers, too powerful to be questioned, and still just as dedicated to a cause, just not our old cause. Suddenly, the only thing he cared about was revenge. If humanity wouldn't listen… it was going to pay."

Sun swallowed thickly, rubbing his scruffy blonde hair with an unsure expression. "Kinda sounds like those warmongering idiots in the White Fang." He tried to joke.

"We _were_ White Fang." Blake said pointedly, making Sun open his mouth, then slam it shut with an apologetic squeak. "Or, _I_ was White Fang. He still is, and he's leading the Vale chapter down a violent spiral that makes Sienna Khan look like a _saint_. So... I left. I felt like I had no voice, he told me all I was doing was hurting the cause, he _threatened me_ when I brought up my concerns in private… and I left." She sank, her eyes closed. "I didn't try to gather followers, I didn't fight back, I let myself be cowed and did more and more violent things until I couldn't take it anymore. I don't _hate_ humanity, and after meeting Weiss, I find it harder to hate the Schnees, but _that man_ found a new drive and new hope in _hate._ I didn't try to fix anything, I just… _left."_

"Well…" Sun tried to interject before Blake could turn into a puddle of depression, quietly offering her an egg. "If you were feeling threatened, what else could you do? Better to run and fight another day than die, right?"

Blake sniffled, and Sun inwardly groaned. Probably not what she was looking for… "I came to Beacon hiding my ears so people would think I'm human, and it worked for a month. I thought if I could hide long enough, grow strong enough to return and take control, that would be good enough, but… then I met _them…"_ Blake's eyes began to water, even as a sad smile grew across her face. "Weiss was abrasive, but a good person. And _Yang…"_ Blake's smile grew, even as the tears really began to pour. "She made me remember what it was like to just… be a _girl,_ she was such a pain, but she had a way of making you feel good no matter what, and helping you forget your troubles. And-and you _met_ Ruby…"

"Yeah. Yeah, she's a good girl." Sun nodded slowly, remembering the adorable little thing with a fond smile.

"She was just _brimming_ with potential. She didn't care if you were human or Faunus, she wanted to protect anyone and everyone." Blake scratched her scalp as something began to irritate the back of her mind. "She needed direction, but her _purpose_ was clear. She was meant to be a hero… except those _eyes…"_ Blake paused mid-speech.

Sun waited and watched quietly for Blake to continue, but began to grow worried when Blake began to very nervously drum the tabletop, then suddenly sat up in agitation. "What about her eyes?" Sun asked, feeling his toes curl when Blake's face went placid.

"It's… nothing." Blake whispered softly. "She just—it seemed like everyone knew but me, y'know? You get curious, you start to feel like you aren't trusted, but the truth…" Blake shuddered in revulsion, and Sun squirmed in discomfort, now burning to know. "A-all three of them…" Blake began again, regaining some of her lost composure. "They made me feel… at home, like I belonged again, but only because they didn't know who or what I truly was. My entire life, up to Beacon, was the White Fang… I didn't belong in a school surrounded by humans, how could I stay with the guilt that my team had been attacked by my own people…? So… I left. Again. I told them everything to wipe my conscious clean, and I ran so that I could go back and try and fix my mistakes, to give my team the peace of mind they need to live their lives."

The monkey boy quietly tugged the stem of a banana, peeling it down half way. He looked Blake in the eye, trying to judge how intense he wanted to be right now. "Okay, so… what makes you think they aren't trying to hunt you down and bring you back right now?"

"Why would they?" Blake's face tensed as the question left her lips. Her heart plummeted at the thought they'd so readily abandon her, but the possibility was there, she just didn't want it to be true. "They know I'm a terrorist, a liar, and a coward. They saw me… they saw me hurt Ruby. Oh god I _hurt Ruby…"_ Blake pressed her fingers to her temples, letting loose a shuddering breath.

She returned her attention to Sun when the tip of his banana prodded her forehead, and she gave him an annoyed glare. "Hey, I _met_ Ruby yesterday. Did you break her leg or something?"

"No!" Blake's stare hardened at the implication.

"Stab her in the back and leave her to die?"

" _No!_ I forced her goggles off her, it—…! It probably pulled her hair."

"Okaaaaay, so you pulled her hair by accident. Cool. Now she hates you?" Sun raised a blonde brow, and Blake glowered.

"I forced her to show me her _eyes,_ Sun. That was the _one thing_ I was told not to do! I broke her rule, I _exposed her."_ Blake spat furiously, squeezing her wrist tightly as she recalled the moment for the hundredth time that day. She shuddered, and bit back some bile in her throat as she remembered the way Ruby looked. "And judged her by how she _looked…"_

"And you think she hates you now?" Sun cocked his head, drawing Blake back out of her head.

Blake stared hard at the tabletop, her mind's ignition turning, but failing to fire as she tried her damndest to find the negative. "She'd have every reason to. I… I stole her secret. I mean, maybe it's not much, but I know why she has to wear those goggles now, I-I should have waited." Blake buried her face into her palms, letting out a shaky moan. "God- _goddamnit,_ I should have waited…"

Sun frowned. He'd been curious as to why Ruby bothered walking around in shaded goggles, but he was too busy laying on the charm to ask about it. "How bad could it be? Is it some sorta semblance thing?" He asked, tapping his temple, and almost immediately Blake shot him a defensive look.

"It's not _your business._ It wasn't my business either…" Blake acknowledged with a cringe, "But… I owe it to her. I mean, she _should have told me,_ but I can see why she wouldn't want to, and- _and_ _ugh!"_ Blake threw her arms up, a headache forming from the swirling confusion, stress, and frustration. "God, it's like something out of some hack's first novel; the angsty girl with a curse that turns everything she tries to do into _shit_ …"

Sun looked to her in confusion as she collapsed on the table headfirst, hiding her face. "Maybe you coulda told her about your ears first? Just traded secrets, get her trust—"

" _Shut the fuck up, Sun."_ Blake snarled, not bothering to lift her head to do so.

Sun stuffed his mouth, and shook his head. He wasn't one to offer an unwarranted opinion out of nowhere–well, who was he kidding? He stuck his nose everywhere he possibly could, but this was far more serious than some relationship troubles and a costuming malfunction. "So… what's the plan then?"

Blake lay still and silent for a long while. She curled her fingers into tight little balls, then let them go, relaxing once more as her large ears twitched. She slowly gathered herself back up, a frown on her face, and she breathed out. "I need to go after the White Fang."

" _Do you?"_ Sun asked, his voice like a bullet, causing Blake to flinch as he stared her in the eye and ate around a mouthful of banana. "White Fang'sh alotta people," he swallowed loudly, and pointed the lower half of his snack at Blake, "'n you're one person. Like, even if you were this uber-legendary White Fang super operative at some point, shouldn't you get help for this sorta thing? I mean, nothing's stopping you from heading back and fixing things with your team, is the White Fang really _your_ problem?"

Blake met his eye. His gaze did not waver, and his expression remained firm as he waited for her answer. He was right of course, but… that didn't mean she herself was wrong. She examined his face carefully before she dared answer. She'd made a dozen reckless decisions since last night, the last thing she needed was disappointing yet another person. "... Yes." She answered softly.

"Why?" Sun asked, his voice equally soft.

"They are my people." Blake rubbed her hands together nervously. "I contributed to their cause, and I turned the other way when they began to change for the worse. I have a responsibility towards them, towards the Faunus, and towards humanity to try and fix my mistakes. I know more about how the White Fang operate than probably anybody else in this city, even if I'm just one stupid school girl, somebody has to do… _something…"_

"What kinda something?" Sun persisted, and Blake's brow knit in frustration.

"... I need to find out what they're doing in the city. The White Fang's always had a couple of operatives in Vale, but never to steal anything. There's been dozens of reports in the last few months about Dust theft, and there's too much evidence that it's the White Fang behind it. They've never needed this much Dust before… they're up to something big, and damnit, I have to know what they're doing."

She fell silent, expecting another ' _why?',_ another ' _you're just one person,'_ but it never came. She looked up to Sun as he dropped the empty banana peel on his plate and quietly nodded. "Well, my team's not expecting me until tomorrow. Where do we get started?"

"We?" Blake asked, confused and a little dismayed.

"You haven't touched your breakfast, barely slept, and can't even call your Aura up." Sun pointed out with a smirk, his tail flicking behind him in an obnoxiously lackadaisical fashion. "It would be against my code as a man and a hunter to let you go alone! So… where do we get started?"

Blake glared, though it lacked true animosity. She didn't want other people involved, but at the same time, he wasn't entirely wrong. She could barely bring her black Aura to bear, so she simply let loose an annoyed sigh. If he wanted to make himself expendable in _her_ mission, fine, lackeys were good to have. "We'll start where _all_ the White Fang start: at the corners."

* * *

The familiar buzz and whine of a sporty motorcycle outside perked Ruby's ears up, and she immediately turned in her seat to stare out the little coffee shop's window. Yang slid off her motorcycle after finding a parking space and released her hair from a ponytail, running her fingers through the long, blonde mane to fluff it up. Sliding off the back seat, Weiss stood on unsteady legs as she pulled Ruby's helmet off of her head, a slight blush and surprised, wide eyes gracing her face.

The two girls walked into the coffee shop, Yang looking uncomfortably dour, Weiss twiddling her fingers in some unknown energy. The pair made their way towards Ruby's table. "I hope you have some good news about our dumb bitch of a teammate, 'cuz I sure as hell don't." Yang griped as Ruby stood up from her seat.

Weiss remained quiet as the two sisters embraced, but, judging by Ruby's tight grip and somber sigh, she was empty-handed as well. "'m sorry Yang, I couldn't find her…" Ruby murmured, and Yang released the tension in her shoulders as she fell slack against her little sister.

"Not your fault, she's the idiot who left." Yang rubbed Ruby's back and loosened her grip to stare down into Ruby's goggles. "Look, I've been in too crap of a mood to tell you this, but I'm gonna now: it's not your fault."

"I-I coulda t-told her…" Ruby whispered, and Yang shook her head.

"No you couldn't, that was the rule. Listen sis, we both know what those eyes of yours do to people; Blake jumped the gun, we hadn't had a chance to figure out what to do." Yang assured Ruby, comfortingly drawing the younger girl's hair away from her brow, as she always did.

"It was a tragedy of errors, that's all to be said about that." Weiss spoke up in a quiet voice, arms crossed until Ruby glanced her way. Weiss looked the other way, her thoughts a low, groggy simmer. "There's no telling what wouldn't have lit the powder keg, other than if we had all been honest from the beginning. I'm sure Blake has her reasons for hiding from us, even if I believe they are going to be _terribly_ unsatisfactory. We had no way to know what would happen."

"Yeah." Yang nodded, brushing Ruby's cheek with the back of her thumb. "So don't sweat yourself. We'll be okay." Yang went quiet after that, despite her eyes telling Ruby that her big sister wanted to say so much more.

"And… _you're_ okay?" Ruby gently squeezed Yang's wrist. The blonde remained quiet for a long time as she toyed with Ruby's hair, then glanced to the table.

"Which cup's mine?" She asked, staring at the three cups of steaming coffee. Ruby frowned, and gestured to the far end. Yang nodded and made a move to slide into the seat, but paused. She stared silently, while Ruby put on a nervous smile. Weiss peeked past her teammate, and her brow tightened. "... Ruby." Yang spoke slowly. "Who the hell is that?"

Ruby coughed loudly, and whispered in a low voice, "U-um… this is… my new friend, Penny…"

The orange-haired, smiling girl's head twisted curiously to face Yang with a quick, precise jerk, her hands not leaving Zwei's belly for a second, the blissed-out dog laying across her lap lazily. "Hello Ruby's sister! My name is Penny Polendina! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Weiss turned to give Ruby a flat, temperamental look, and Ruby tugged her hood over her head. "Ruby…"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Ruby whimpered, trying to look as sorry as possible as Yang looked between her sister and Penny, who tilted her head in a curious way.

"How—" Yang pressed a palm to her forehead, "how do you _accidentally_ get somebody involved in a missing person's case?!"

"I-it's a bit of a long story…" Ruby whispered. Penny did one of her too-quick-to-see blinks as she turned towards her _new friend_ curiously.

"Whatever do you mean, Ruby? I took pictures of your dog, you mentioned searching for Blake Belladonna, and I offered my assistance as your friend! There is nothing complicated about that!" Penny nodded swiftly, and Ruby deflated, quietly gesturing to Penny to indicate she was correct. Penny put on a happy smile and continued to pet Zwei.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang sat down where their coffees awaited them. Ruby next to Penny, across from Weiss, while Yang sat across from Penny, sipping her caffeine thirstily. She was a tough girl, taking her coffee black and bitter, letting it awaken and embolden her with its strength.

While Ruby drank her coffee with ungodly amounts of sugar, and Yang drank hers straight, Weiss was at a comfortable middleground, with one sugar and two shots of cream. Though the coffee warmed and soothed the girls, when their cups sat on the table they each sank into a fatigued state, their bodies restless, yet tired, their minds brewing, but hazy.

Penny sat silently, glancing from girl to girl. Had Zwei not been in her lap, she would have been shimmying in her seat, as she was sitting among her peers! Their stress levels were notably high, and they were clearly exhausted, but she sat among them nonetheless.

" _Yang."_ One of them finally spoke up. After some confusion and looking about, Ruby, Weiss, and Penny looked to Yang in curiosity. Yang sipped her coffee, and let out a sigh, hardly looking at the other girls. "My name's Yang, not ' _Ruby's sister.'"_

Penny perked up, her pupils narrowing as she focused on Yang. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yang!" Yang nodded in response, while Weiss bowed her head, eyes closed.

" _My_ name is Weiss Schnee; teammate to these two, student of Beacon Academy, and heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Penny, thank you for joining the search, even if it's a bit of a _surprise."_ Weiss shot Ruby a withering look, making her partner squeak and gather herself up in embarrassment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Weiss Schnee!" Penny smiled perkily.

"Introductions and pleasantries out of the way, we shouldn't waste our time brooding and dancing around the issue. What information do we have?" She looked up, her face an ashamed frown. "My search was fruitless, I came out no better than before, other than having lunch waiting for us."

Yang spoke up next, picking at the cardboard insulator around her coffee cup. "I have a general idea of where the White Fang might be, but no idea when they'll be there. The Duermoor docks is the worst place you can be after dark, unless you're looking for easy money or easy drugs. If we wanna investigate closer, we gotta do it carefully."

"... I mean, it's a start." Weiss nodded, swiftly typing the information into her scroll before turning to Ruby and Penny.

Ruby worked her tongue, trying to figure out how best to let her teammates down, but Penny set her scroll on the tabletop. They watched as she took the edges and spread them wide, pressing a holographic button to turn off the screen display and create an adjustable hologram between the four of them. It displayed a map of Vale, with yellow lines crossing through a broad array of streets. "Ruby and I began our search in the Multicultural Exchange Square, spreading out north and south to cover more ground. I found no evidence of Blake Belladonna in these areas, unfortunately, but Ruby and Zwei discovered a trail."

Weiss and Yang both stared in quiet surprise and fascination at the advanced display of technology, but both shook themselves out of their surprise at the news. "You found a trail?" Yang asked her little sister.

"You have an Atlesian Super Scroll 9x?!" Weiss asked in a high voice. The rest of the table turned to stare at Weiss in a mixture of pride and annoyance, and Weiss quickly clammed up. "Ahem… yes, the trail, first and foremost." Weiss blushed, even as Penny pushed her scroll to the Schnee girl. Weiss quickly snatched it up to poke through it. "These haven't even been granted to the _Schnees_ yet, much less the public…"

With Weiss occupied with the bells and whistles of upcoming technology, Ruby started with a resigned voice. "Zwei caught her trail several times today, but I think g-getting mixed up with all the people confused him. We found it, lost it, found it, l-lost it… and then it stopped at a curb at the corner of Kokomin a-and Fleet, I-I think she'd caught a cab, but…" She trailed off, swallowing thickly, and Yang let out a sigh.

"Well… crap." Yang buried her face into one of her palms, and Ruby's stomach did a little flip as Yang deflated, finally showing how tired she was. Yang was not quick to show weakness of any capacity, she prided herself on being a stable anchor for her friends and family. However, every now and then a crack appeared, to let her peek in and see the young girl beneath the bravado, and sometimes her entire facade simply crumbled, and she quietly, peacefully resigned herself as a failure.

"... You said the Duermoor Docks were where the White Fang worked, right?" Ruby offered, drawing a simple nod from Yang. "Then w-we need to go back there and check."

"Maybe.." Weiss spoke up, sliding the scroll back to Penny. "We'd have to do it at the right time. The White Fang typically operate at night, using the cover of darkness for many of their attacks and ambushes."

"Th-then we should investigate s-sometime at night. Why not tonight?" Ruby offered desperately, ringing her small fists as Yang refused to look up. "M-maybe… maybe we can in-intercept her."

"And expose ourselves to an enormous number of well-armed and dangerous hypocrites in the process." Weiss countered with a quiver in her voice, instinctively touching her neck. "B-besides that, we have class tomorrow, don't we?"

"Class isn't as important as Blake!" Ruby raised her voice in sudden anger, causing Weiss to shrink back in quiet shame. A sudden ' _bang'_ rattled the table, and Ruby and Weiss quickly turned to look at Yang, who hadn't lifted her face out of her hand.

"... Blake seems to think otherwise. It's no use to do something stupid _and_ dangerous when we don't know if the dumb bitch'll even be there, or _want_ to come back." She opened her eyes, the pale, pretty lavender in them abnormally dull. "The Fang probably have the police paid off anyways; we'll have no back-up and we'll be fighting legitimate criminals who'll throw us into the river the moment they can. This is an ' _adult's'_ case and all the ' _adults'_ are looking the other way. Just... Pack it in, Ruby." Yang's defeated sigh instantly killed any hopes of gaining any sort of momentum on the case, and Yang rested heavily on her own arm for support. "Nobody slept last night, nobody got the chance to cry, and I am seriously hankering for a long-ass nap and some ice cream and pretzels."

Ruby swiftly looked to Weiss for help, but the heiress wouldn't meet her gaze. Ruby's face began to turn red, and she clenched her small fists, trying to find _something_ to say… but Weiss beat her to the punch. "Ruby… I'm _tired._ I want to find Blake, but right now, I'm just so exhausted. Between everything that happened yesterday, and everything that happened last night, and everything happening now, I want to go to bed. Yang's right, Blake may not care about her academics, but I do. I'd like to be ready for tomorrow."

Ruby's jaw dropped. By her side, Penny felt the shift in mood and Zwei perked up in her lap, his head swivelling between his two masters in silent worry as one radiated depression, the other anger. The two silent observers looked to each other, and Ruby finally spoke up. "W-well… I-I do-don't… I-I can't go home a-and sleep knowing B-Blake's out there s-somewhere and _scared_ o-or lonely! Y-you two…" Ruby took a hitching breath, cooling the fire in her lungs, "You two g-go _nap._ _I-I'm_ not giving up."

With that, Ruby stood. Yang didn't dare look her sister's way, and Weiss simply watched the table with guilt as Ruby stormed away. It took all of ten seconds for Ruby to return and slap a lien card on the table, then storm off once more.

Weiss balled her hands up together and struggled to come up with an idea or a plan. She truthfully did want to hunt Blake down and figure out what to do from there, but even with food in her belly, she was truly exhausted. She looked Yang's way, and the blonde simply pushed the remainder of her coffee aside and stood.

"Penny." Yang spoke the name forcefully, while struggling to keep the emotion off of her face. "Can you go after Ruby? Make sure she stays outta trouble? I just—I need to go rest my head."

"Of course Yang, you can count on me!" Penny smiled, but it was not returned. Yang nudged Weiss, and they both filed out dismally. Penny lifted Zwei, following after them. Yang had her hair back in a ponytail, Weiss had a helmet on, and the two watched Penny as she set Zwei on the ground. The pup went off after Ruby, wherever she had run, like a shot, Penny in hot pursuit.

Weiss and Yang backed out of the parking spot and rode towards Beacon, both slumped and miserable.

It wasn't as if the fire wasn't there. There was a spark of interest, of need, of _desire,_ but that fire had been burning hot and furious for years now. Yang drove slowly, since she felt the weight of a friend on her back, but no matter how the gears turned, the fuel for the search was long past used. She'd already spent years asking herself ' _why?'_ and ' _where?',_ she'd exhausted plenty of lien, time, and energy on one fruitless search, it was hard to rouse herself for another one.

Blake had been… a curiosity. Mysterious, beautiful, cold, yet teasing; she was a strange, zen creature with moments of high-energy and long periods of slow dryness chilling on her bed reading. She was interesting, and Yang sincerely regretted not trying harder to unwrap the girl and see what she was like _really_ fired up, but it was a new chapter in Yang's life. She was four years away from becoming a huntress, she wasn't ready to so easily throw that away for another chase she had zero faith in.

That was one of the cold truths about Remnant; when the stress was too much, it was all too easy to buy a ticket somewhere and disappear forever. Even with a fledgeling internet connecting the four capitals, the lesser towns and villages weren't exactly up to speed on technology. That was assuming the missing person even survived, or didn't go to join a fucking _bandit_ coven.

Thinking back on it, Yang wasn't too sure what she valued so much about Blake. It wasn't like the girl was paying lip service to her or anything. She was a frigid wall sometimes, and a teasing, playful gremlin at others, but she wasn't all that different from other girls that showed one or the other side of those traits. Yang knew nothing about her at the time, but now she knew she was some sorta former terrorist and had cat ears.

Yeah, Blake wasn't all that special. Yang connected better with Weiss and her sister anyways; she didn't need the playful insults or teasing wiggles of her hips to keep going. It wasn't like they hadn't fought together, ate together, or succeeded in their classes together.

Yang sighed thickly. She never went to bed easily when she was in denial, but she had to save her tears for when she was in private. Maybe she'd feel differently after a long nap. Maybe she'd feel the exact same. Either way, she just wanted to forget about Blake and move on. It had only been a month, the girl would be nothing more than a distant memory in a year or two…

* * *

"I know I sorta agreed to help you, but I'm not trying to actually get recruited, y'know?" Sun mused as he watched the White Fang member passing out pamphlets on a street corner. Sun had only been in Vale for a day-and-a-half now, and he could already tell they were not in one of the good parts of town.

Around the market district, the buildings had been quaint, bright, and well-washed, and humans milled about, doing their business without a rush. The shops were well-kept and comforting to be around, but this part of Vale…

' _Ghetto'_ was a bit too strong of a word. It was rough and worn, tagged walls facing the streets and trash accumulated in shady corners, while numerous Faunus milled about. Some aimlessly, some pushing carts full of groceries, few dressed in their Sunday best. The buildings had a layer of ash and dirt around their bases, and the brickwork was shoddy and patchwork in some places. Some windows were simply patched up by boards and nails, and White Fang posters hung freely off the walls, nobody around feeling offended or dutiful enough to tear them down.

It reminded Sun a little too much of living with his host family in Mistral. In Vacuo, humans and Faunus intermingled freely. Status wasn't a racial thing, though it could feel that way when a fight broke out and insults were being hurled. There was no ' _status quo'_ being maintained in Vacuo, as its history and government was infamously tumultuous, being constantly built, crumbled, and reformed until Shade cropped up well after the other three academies. Shade prided itself on its all-accepting attitude; pass a simple hunter test, and enjoy seven-to-ten years of hunter training, meals, and shelter. It was by no means a bad school, but there was a prestige Beacon carried that caught Sun's attention.

Sanctuary, Mistral's largest intermediate hunter school, had merely required money, and the Wu Kongs were not a poor family. Sun learned in the country that made the best use of his flexible, acrobatic style, but there he saw the disparity between classes. Vacuo had few class differences, something that was changing as the country amassed more wealth, but Mistral was old and established. Even if the little house Sun stayed in was far better than the tents in Vacuo, it was a vast gulf of difference between his host family's house and Neptune's little mansion.

It was something Sun had learned, gotten used to, and ignored. The Faunus clearly weren't on even footing with humanity, even though they were getting closer, little by little. Sun simply assumed if he gave it time, he wouldn't have to lift a finger. Humans and Faunus would intermingle and these sortsa places would be cleaned up. Or, at least, there'd be just as many humans kicking dirty cans out of the way as Faunus on these streets.

Guys like the White Fang were simply too… _complicated._ Sun was gonna be a hunter, and he wanted to be among the elite hunters from Beacon, fighting for the Faunus was something for politicians and people who cared about giving speeches. Sun wanted a crap ton of money and for babes to be hanging off his arms wherever he went. The last thing he wanted to do was be associated with crime… well, crime beyond banana theft.

Blake crossed her arms. The pamphlet giver was a girl probably no older than the two of them, wearing a necklace with the White Fang symbol on it. Her unguligrade legs marked her as an obvious Faunus, impossible to hide with even a good pair of pants. The cost of what would probably be a better top speed than Ruby—... than a trained human sprinter was that she couldn't hide who she was. Blake took note of the ugly scar on the girl's kneecap… Blake was willing to bet it wasn't a Grimm that made that scar.

"I'm not asking you to sign anything. Just say what I told you to say, and tell me what she tells you." Blake spoke firmly.

"Alright, I'll be right back." Sun lifted his back off the wall they were leaning against and began to casually walk towards the hooved girl while Blake rested against a wall with forced ease. As she watched Sun walk, the world blurred, and she yawned, but she shook her head. She had to stay in the game. She couldn't rest… she had a mission. Once she knew where… she'd work up the adrenaline to call her Aura up. It wouldn't be hard once she had some energy and direction. She'd eaten, she had motivation, she just needed to get there.

She focused on her finger, willing it to be sheathed in the light of her soul, but every time she focused, her gut tightened, her head pounded, and her heart hurt. Whenever she let her mind drift, she saw three girls whose smiles made every decision hurt. She had to _focus,_ what mattered was her mission, not her damned feelings. She had to escape this confusion somehow… the closer she got to the heart of her mission, the easier it would be. That's what she told herself.

She closed her eyes, and one of her ears flicked towards Sun as he spoke some distance away. "Hey sista! Wassup?"

"Oh! Err, h-hello sir!" The girl tried to keep a serious, loud voice as she turned to face the monkey boy, her eyes barely able to travel above his abs. "Ahem, are you i-interested in learning about the White Fang?"

"Actually, I was sorta wondering about something else." Sun's voice fell, but Blake's ear picked it up easily enough. "You know what the moon'll be like tonight?" He scratched the back of his head.

Blake's nostrils flared. He made it sound natural enough, but the important thing was that he nailed the next question. Blake glanced across the street at the two tough-looking Faunus sitting on a bus bench. They were watching Sun intently, and Blake looked away. The White Fang typically operated in groups, but the pamphlet vendors were usually left to their own devices unless trouble hit. Any pamphlet hocker who needed bodyguards was somebody a little deeper in the organization, who knew a thing or two for the Fang on the street.

It was important for members from out of town to know who to talk to, and Blake was _very_ familiar with the system. Blake looked back at Sun as the girl contemplated him curiously. "Why, looking for a full moon?" She asked with a twitch of her eyebrow, and Sun chuckled.

"Naw, looking for a crescent." ' _A job,'_ in other words. The moon was an important symbol to the White Fang, and the full moon carried a load of connotations, purity being the biggest among them… so those looking for less than pure jobs liked a different sort of moon.

"Well brother, you're in luck! There's gonna be a good view of a crescent moon tonight at the Duermoor docks." The girl answered with a smile on her face. Her eyes shifted from his abs, to his face, then past him quickly. Sun turned to head back to Blake, but her hand caught his. "Wait! Just a minute, brother."

"Wh-what's up?" Sun turned back to the girl.

"In our efforts to uplift Faunuskind from human oppression, we've found ourselves coming closer and closer to clashing with our greatest opponents! Do you feel the waves of change, brother? We are—" The girl went on and on, espousing the greatness and success of the White Fang.

Blake listened to the babbling with a sigh, and shook her head. Between her inane speech and the footsteps of the surrounding pedestrians, Blake could feel herself nodding off again. Damnit, she needed another nap… She flinched awake as a hand landed on her shoulder. She glanced up, putting on an innocent face. A bald man with ram's horns looked down at her consolingly, and glanced about. "Are you lost, young lady? This isn't the sorta place you should stick around in."

Clearing her throat, Blake brushed his hand off her shoulder, pushing her panic to the wayside to speak her lie. "Sorry sir, I just got off work. I'm dead-tired, just… needed a place to lean against." She sighed, edging away from the man.

"Why don't I walk you to the bus stop?" He offered. Blake's ear perked as she heard footsteps to her side. The other man was approaching her from her peripheral vision, clearly trying to remain casual, but failing. Blake grit her teeth.

Blake quietly evaluated the man. He was big and well-built, but had kind eyes. Blake knew that kindness could be faked. "I-it's okay. I'll just be on my way, sorry to worry you." Blake stepped away from the man, and right into the open palm of the other man.

She saw the second man's other hand move around her, and her arms raised in an instant to catch it before it could close around her face. She opened her mouth to scream, but the horned man in front of her grabbed her around the cheeks, making her eyes bulge as her whole body wound like a spring to push. She wasn't done for yet, she could still escape; she just had to call up her Aura, even just a flicker of it!

Her hand lashed out, punching the horned man's chin, but he barely reared, and his hand didn't move. She needed her Aura, _now;_ she concentrated, breathing heavily as her arms were pulled behind her, crushed between her back and the second thug's chest. His hand replaced the horned man's and she kicked, flailing an arm to scratch and grab whatever she could as she screamed into the man's palm.

She had to call on it. She had to do it _now…_ her stomach tied up, her head pounded, her heart was throbbing in her chest, she _needed it!_ This couldn't—why now?! How—what were they doing?! Why did they want her?! She was being dragged into an alleyway when she briefly flashed black, her Aura finally springing to action, and her foot connected with the horned man's groin, causing him to buckle over with a grunt of pain. Her teeth dug into her captor's finger, and he hissed and growled, but forced himself to keep quiet; her arms loosened, she grabbed his wrist again to twist his arm off her, and once she had some slack-

The wind was knocked out of her as a fist shattered her thin Aura and buried itself in her stomach. She pitched forward, gagging as pain shot through her belly and up her esophagus. She barely had time to react when the horned man's knuckles collided with her jaw and caused her to fall limp, her mind going blank from pain.

She needed to escape. Why wouldn't her arms listen to her? She saw the first thug's head as he reached down to grab her ankles; where was the kick she so desperately needed? Her thoughts were heavy, and she felt herself get slung into the back of some sort of vehicle. She blinked, sitting up quickly to scramble for the doors, but the two men climbed in and slammed her to the floor.

Her body wouldn't cooperate, her Aura wasn't coming back. This wasn't how this was supposed to _go._ She bit and gasped for air, but the cloth went around her mouth and was tied behind her head. Her wrists and ankles were bound together with thick rope, and the two men stepped out of the back of the van to stare at her. One lifted his scroll to stare at a picture, and turned to the other with a nod.

Blake struggled and squirmed, she knew how to escape the bonds, she'd done it before, this was nothing new. They just needed to get in their seats and leave her alone; no, of _course_ one of them would sit in the back with her, hand clutching her arm and squeezing whenever she so much as wiggled. Goddamnit, where was Sun?!

The doors to the van slammed shut and the thug got into the driver's seat, and Blake felt her options draining away as the vehicle started, then sped away.

* * *

 _-Defining New Primary objective: Locate("Rose, Ruby");_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _/ :D_

 _Current Status: is Sad;_

 _/ :(_

 _-Defining New Secondary Objective: Locate("Belladonna, Blake")_

 _-Attributes: [Cat Faunus, Defined "Most beautiful girl" by "Rose, Ruby", [blakeb ], Searching for "White Fang" {Lead: "Dwarmore Docks"}, {4 more…};_

 _/ Note: Ruby is Fast!_

Penny's head swivelled as she chased after Zwei—

 _/ Who is a good dog! :o)_

—down the street at a reasonable clip, the pup easily weaving between peoples' legs, while Penny barely brushed shoulders with anyone as she kept both kept pace and did a good job of not disturbing Vale's pedestrians in her haste.

Observers would barely have the time to notice the running girl, only perceiving a flash of orange hair and green before she swept past them, not making a single sound of exertion in her run. It was of extraordinary priority that Penny not make a scene of any sort, so she committed a great amount of her processing power towards reducing whatever interference she could possibly cause.

She noted, with some remorse, that her current mission meant she could not take a more thorough examination of the sights around her.

 _-Save: Location(Current Surroundings[Via Geographical Map])_

 _-Reason: (Sightseeing!)_

Penny rounded a corner, her feet scraping across the concrete footpath as she leaned into the slide, allowing her to immediately kick back into a sprint that left her on the sprinting corgi's tail. A half-a-mile down the street, Zwei came to a sudden stop, Penny skidding to a halt behind him to watch as Ruby shakily picked up several bundles of bouquets.

"I-I'm sorry! S-so s-sorry! I-I wasn't looking!" Ruby whimpered in mortified terror as she placed them on a wheeled trolley, a grouchy looking woman glaring at her.

"Yeah, I _figured that out._ Damn kids rushing around like they own the place!" She huffed as Ruby put the last bundle of flowers on the cart, and sniffled as the woman glared her down. "... Well?! Got anything else to say, girl?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean—"

A quick yap interrupted her, and Zwei appeared between Ruby's legs, growling up at the flower cart woman in warning. She glared between the girl, the dog, and the new girl approaching with an intense stare, and shook her head with a dismissive huff. "Just screw off, girl." The woman ordered, pushing her cart down the street and scowling like the world owed her.

Ruby stood in the middle of the sidewalk, quietly sniffling and leaning down to scratch the top of Zwei's head, the little good boy jumping up to put his front paws on Ruby's knee to lick her face and whine in open worry.

Penny hung back, unsure of her next move.

- _Prioritizing issue: "Rose, Ruby" is Sad_

 _/ :(_

"Ruby?" Penny spoke up, her blinking slowed down to match the lower energy of her friend. Ruby straightened up an inch, and shakily answered.

"S-sorry Penny… I-I'm o-okay. J-just…" Ruby couldn't get the next word out, instead giving a little sob that set off alarm bells in Penny's head.

 _-Issue Prioritized: "Rose, Ruby" is VERY Sad;_

 _-Exploring possible solutions;_

 _-Advanced Psychological assessment and treatment requires more information;_

 _-Creating new directive: MakeRubyHappy_

 _/ :)_

"If you are in distress, it is okay to talk to me. I will listen." Penny bowed her head submissively, approaching to rest a hand on her friend's shoulder. Ruby did not move away from the touch, and when the smaller, pale girl rest her cheek on Penny's knuckles, Penny felt her normally quick mind lag in a confusion of abnormal feelings.

"I-I can't give up on Blake…" Ruby whispered softly, lifting Zwei into her arms to hug the warm, lick-happy pup to her chest. "I-I don't c-care about s-school…" Ruby trailed off, and sniffled harshly. "Okay… th-that's a cruddy l-lie, b-but I care ab-about Blake too. I can't believe th-they'd just… _g-give up…"_ Ruby stressed, and Zwei let loose a low, unhappy whine as Ruby's lips tightened.

This was not a good thing. Penny knew she had to do something, but she had not yet been trained on how to handle this sort of sadness. She kept turning up with blank solutions and an aggressive feeling at her lack of understanding. This feeling had a name, she had heard it before, but the name would not come to her. She wanted to know how to help Ruby, yet the only thing that came up were memories of watching other people...

"Ruby." Penny circled around to Ruby's front, and her cool, delicate fingers held Ruby's cheeks so they could look at one another. Penny's mind raced, calculated, condensed, and sought the words of people who had spoken before her on loss and worry. "One must remember that the darkest night heralds a brighter dawn." Penny raised a fist, and pumped her arm with an utterly serious expression. "Actions speak louder than words, so we must act rather than talk! Don't get your panties in a twist, just think this through! Tomorrow is a new day, so keep your chin up, champ!" Penny delicately pressed her fist to Ruby's chest, right above the heart.

Ruby stared at Penny in silent bewilderment. Penny's gaze never wavered, only a shutter-like blink interrupting her expression's stoniness. Ruby's gentle, stressed laughter started with a cough, then devolved into sad giggling and deep breaths to try and catch herself once more. Penny bore a proud, happy expression, and Ruby nodded, pushing down her sorrow. "I-It's hard… b-but even without them… even if _they gave_ _up,_ s-somebody has to find Blake…"

"Some _bodies!"_ Penny bobbed her head, her pink bow bouncing excitedly, making Ruby smile a little as she reexamined the sketch of Blake on her phone.

"Okay." Ruby sighed thickly, her eyes squeezing shut behind her goggles as she dug deep into herself for the inner push she needed to get past this. Even without Weiss or her sister, she'd continue on. A hunter had to pursue their target to the ends of the Earth if necessary… though Ruby wanted to at least be back in time for Dr. Oobleck's class. "Okay…" She sniffled, and drew herself up. "L-let's keep going."

"I agree! Onward!" Penny smacked Ruby's back, and the girl started forward, pulling her heavy legs forward to continue her search. Penny followed behind both Ruby and Zwei, pleased with herself. However, Ruby did not walk tall and proud. Even with direction in her step, Ruby had a hunched posture unbefitting somebody who was happy. Penny's smile slipped as she evaluated.

 _-Results: Mission Completion?_

 _-"Rose, Ruby" status: "Ruby Rose is in a clear state of emotional distress, non-quantifiable by current means. Requires more emotional input/output to understand."_

 _/ :l_

 _-Recommended solution: Continue observations_

 _-Sending new queries at 40 MB/s: {"Making Friends Happy", "Upgrades to Emotional Capacity Possible?"};_

— _[ERROR 503: Request Unavailable, expansion of databases necessary to complete task]_

 _/ Need Emotional guidance_ now :l

 _-Attempting to define emotion;_

 _-Best Match: "Frustration";_

 _/ I do not like this emotion…_

* * *

The little Grimm girl was apparently quite the busy bee today. There were reports of her movement across various parts of Vale, from the Path to Beacon Road going to the central park, leading straight through several market squares. She had a dog, an orange-haired friend, and was approaching numerous people trying to find somebody…

Roman let out a snort. Every dog-eared dumbass that approached him saying they saw the girl smiled like they were expecting a pat on the head and a stick to play fetch with–Roman needed _new_ information. Cinder wanted to know more about the girl, and he doubted she cared about the brand of sneakers she ran around in… though considering Cinder's tastes in fashion, it may have very well been important.

Freaking stupidly sexy women and their rampant sociopathy… Roman ran through a list of things in his scroll detailing sightings and observations, idly wondering how much would save him from a sharp glare and a mean word, or worse, a ' _you disappoint me'_ speech. That was the last thing Roman needed, to fake feeling bad that he didn't pour this girl's innermost thoughts onto a piece of paper.

He gnawed angrily on a cigar; his nerves were already taut, they were on a strict time limit, and he, of course, had more to do, with an extraordinarily ambiguous end goal concerning a target he knew next to nothing about. Cinder wasn't the forgiving sort, but he'd seen what the girl could do in person. This girl, this… _Ruby_ made his gut bubble. It was one thing seeing Cinder tell Grimm what to do, but watching the damn things flail out of a portal like it was the Night of the Hungry Dead graveyard scene was a whole new level of disturbing, and there wasn't any telling whether she was more dangerous than _that._

He flinched as he felt a gentle weight on his knee, and he looked up into the pink and brown eyes of his little assistant, sitting next to him in the sectioned car they shared. Neopolitan gave him a quiet, concerned look, her head tilting to the side in question. Roman let out a frustrated sigh, and held his cigar out in between two fingers, and a snap of Neo's fingers lit the tip, letting Roman puff and smoke. "The usual. Just a major pain, y'know?"

Neo nodded. She made a few handsigns, then gestured to the front seat, causing Roman to roll his eyes. "You're _always_ cold. Maybe if you weren't such a pipsqueak, the sun would reach you, eh?" He grinned mockingly, and let out a yelp when Neo stomped his foot. "Fine, fine." He pulled the screen separating the front and back seats of the car. "Hey buddy, turn up the heat a li'l." He ordered.

"Yes sir." The goon answered, twisting the knob a few degrees hotter, and Neo held her hands up to the vent with a little smile.

"There, maybe that'll warm that frosty heart of yours." Roman chided, and Neo just put on an austere pout, pretending Roman didn't exist for a moment. "Got the lien?" Roman asked, blowing smoke away from the little lady. Without changing expression, she whipped out an unmarked envelope, jostling the cards inside. "Good. If the Duermoor chief gives you trouble again, don't hesitate to call. I'll dunk him in the goddamned bay if he tries anything funny with you again, the ugly sleaze."

Roman gnawed the end of his cigar aggressively, only stopping when Neo snapped her fingers to cut the tension. "Yes, yes, I _know_ you can take care of yourself, doesn't mean I'm not gonna be pissed if he tries putting his hand up your skirt again." Neo's cheeks swelled up in annoyance, and she lifted her umbrella, bouncing it against her shoulder like a rifle. "No, you can't kill him while he's still useful, we need the docks _clear."_ She shot him a look, and made a motion like she was dropping a rock. "Drowning doesn't have to be fatal! It's a form of torture!" Neo mockingly flapped her fingers like a mouth. "You are _impossible_ today. _Fine,_ I'll let you shank the guy if he tries getting handsy, but if he gets replaced by somebody _competent_ I'm never letting it go."

Neo rolled her eyes as the car came to a stop in front of the police station. She opened the door and stepped out, maintaining eye contact with Roman the entire time. She waved, and Roman smirked, waving back before she shut the door. He watched her head to the station's doors and walk inside, where one of the 'officers' immediately ran up to greet one of their favorite 'customers.' Roman made a motion to the driver, and they were heading off towards the docks.

He exited the car around fifteen minutes later, stepping through the gates of the the Duermoor Docks, adjusting his collar for maximum swagger, to see how the operation was moving along. They were moving a _lot_ of Dust tonight, enough to push them into the next stage of their plan. If having info on the girl didn't make Cinder happy, _this_ would. Roman just needed to make sure it ran smoothly; the last thing he needed was these untrained zoo escapees putting them back three steps by mishandling the cargo.

With the sun setting in the distance, they were just about ready to start what should have been a smooth, easy loading process. Roman strut between the cargo containers awaiting clearance, heading straight towards the center of operations. Dozens of unmasked Faunus sat about, talking, gambling, waiting for the call to begin, and the moment Roman appeared, they stood up to stretch and get ready for a night of hard labor.

"Report." Roman ordered in annoyance as one of the leading Faunus boys raced up to meet him.

He was an older guy, probably in his later thirties, going on forties, with a barrel chest, thick arms, long legs, and the disposition of a gorilla, which was convenient, since the dude had some hairy knuckles. "Got plenty of hands on deck tonight, the ships should be loaded up before daybreak tomorrow." He answered, staring down at Roman with eyes full of distaste and annoyance, but Roman simply smirked.

"Good, _finally,_ this dust theft crap has been a real weight on _my mind."_ Roman shrugged off the Fang officer's disgust, simply pointing his cane out towards the ship. "Make sure we use _actual_ loading procedure this time, I don't want a repeat of November. Inspect everything, load symmetrically, blah blah blah."

"Right." The Faunus huffed, looking left and right, his foot tapping angrily. "Boss, we have something else for you to look at." He grunted, drawing Roman's eye. "Somebody of interest."

Roman paused, staring the Faunus down, eyes narrowing tightly as he took a deep breath. "If one of your idiots caught the girl before we gave the go-ahead, I want them _skinned."_ Roman's faux-jovial voice had dropped into a cruel snarl, and the Faunus didn't meet his eye.

"Not the girl." The Faunus shook his head, starting to walk towards one of the warehouses, Roman following behind him begrudgingly. This was supposed to be just a simple movement night, why in the _hell_ were things already getting complicated? Who in the hell could they possibly have that was so important _he_ needed to take a personal look? Seemed like anybody the White Fang was interested in could have been shipped off to the myopic freak with the horns and the hard-on for human murder.

Roman walked through the open warehouse doors, where several Faunus were going through the rounds of inspecting cargo and Dust fuel, and he was lead past the lot of them towards the back room. He kept a steady grip on his cane, acting calm and collected, but he was on high-alert. He could probably kill twenty of the freaks before they took him down, and he doubted too large a number of them had access to their Aura. He was already planning his escape route in case this turned out to be an ambush...

The Fang officer opened the door for Roman to walk through, listening for the sound of a rustling pocket, the clink of metal, or watching for the flash of rifle barrels…

His eyes focused on the girl sitting in the middle of the room. She met his eyes, her yellow pupils shrinking as she put on a glare, her thick, black hair askew from the troubles she'd gone through, her large cat ears flat on her head in panic and anger. She was heavily bound by rope to a large, metal chair, placed haphazardly under the room's single, hanging light.

Roman stared her down as two Faunus stood up off the walls, smirking in triumph. "Okay." Roman breathed, then turned to the officer. "What the hell am I looking at? What, you caught your boys some roughed up teenager? Am I supposed to be proud of you here?" Roman raised an eyebrow as the officer snarled, and the two other Faunus let out a laugh.

"She ain't just any teen, boss." One of the Faunus said, the bald one with the ram's horns. "Check it out." He held his scroll out to Roman, showing the picture Kevin had taken of Ruby and… this girl. Her _partner._ "We caught you a little bargaining chip."

"What the-what the hell are the three of you doing?!" The girl suddenly spoke up. Her voice was a high, piercing note; it sounded sensible, something Roman appreciated as he nursed his forehead. "Taking orders from _him?!_ He's-he's a _human!"_ She snapped. "The White Fang is supposed to govern itself, _this_ is what you're doing in Vale?! Stealing and taking orders from the likes of _him?!"_ Her eyes settled on Roman with a look of pure _hate,_ and inwardly, Roman was impressed.

"Shut the hell up!" The other Faunus captor ordered, pointed a finger with a long, double-joint on it at her. His hand flew, and the slap made the girl shriek in pain. Judging by the bruises around her cheeks and eyes, this wasn't the first time she'd been disciplined. "We won't take insults from a _traitor,_ even if you _were_ Adam's whore!"

 _Oooooh,_ inter-organization insults were the _best!_ If only Roman had some popcorn! And time. Both of which he did not have. With a sigh, he pushed the Faunus aside, ignoring the tears in the girl's eyes, and the momentary fright that crossed her face as he gripped her chin. She was pale, panicked, and looking properly witless.

Blake stared into the man's eyes, trying to look hateful, but she was failing. She was fucked, so very fucked. The Fang had her, she was likely to be shipped off to Adam, and god knew _what_ Adam would do to her. She had to fight her rising panic and focus on escaping. Even with her Aura in a flux, she could try and escape the bonds and sneak out… with no back-up coming to help her. She squeezed her eyes shut as her face was twisted left and right by the cane-wielding criminal.

"She seems in good condition, a little purple in places, but _juuuuust_ right… toss her in a crate and drop her on the police station's doorstep." Roman ordered, turning away as the three Fang thugs stared at him in shock. "What, did I stutter? We don't have a _use for her,_ you _idiots!"_ His voice suddenly raised, his lips curling back into a toothy snarl. "What part about ' _sit back and observe'_ sounds like ' _kidnap some bitch off the street?!'"_

Blake's eyes opened wide, and she stared at the man in surprise. Was this a joke? A trick?

"Boss, she's the girl's _partner!"_ The Fang officer pointed out angrily, stomping towards Roman with a glare. "You want the little Grimm bitch captured, we have a reason for her to come! Even if we don't have a use for her, Adam will want her back."

Little _Grimm_ bitch…? Yang wasn't a Grimm, what the hell were they talking about?!

"Y'know what, you're right." Roman pointed up at the officer with a smile that was _too_ plastic. "I mean, it's not like we have a missing Beacon student on our hands, it's not like we didn't just put a stick in the hive and rattle it around to summon every hunter in Vale to look for a missing student! Ship her off to Adam, see what happens to your little group when big man Ozpin finds out one of his kids was _kidnapped!"_ Roman all but snarled, now storming around the room with grit teeth. "What in the _hell_ were you even _thinking?!_ Did you think I'd be _happy_ about this?!"

"Boss," the officer spoke up, approaching with a calm stance, hands slightly raised, "hear us out." He asked, and Roman sharply glanced up at him, raising one finger.

"You get _one minute_ before I have you turned into chum." Roman growled threateningly. Blake stared, bewildered. This wasn't about her?... Then what?! _Yang?!_ What did the blonde get _up to_ in her spare time?!

"We get in contact with the girl, and we make a big deal about this chick's survival." The Faunus jerked a thumb towards Blake. "The girl you're tryin'a nab defended a store, barely knew what the hell your pushers were doing on the streets. I get the feeling she ain't too smart, and has a bit of a hero streak in her… we use her partner as a bargaining chip: ' _she's all yours, free of charge, just come down to the docks alone.'_ We'll post sentries and stuff."

"And what, you think you can take down a whole fleet of hunters with a buncha ballsy thugs?" Roman sneered, and the man shook his head.

"No, but we can put a gun to this bitch's head and keep 'em back long enough for us to peel outta here."

"Grand. We come to a stand-off with half of Beacon, fail our mission, lose a mountain of Dust, all over one… little… girl…" Roman trailed off quietly as he thought it out. "This is idiotic."

"It'll be one less problem for us to focus on; we're all sick of looking for this girl, a third of our group is too busy playing ' _I Spy'_ to help out. So let's get this over with, we can throw the girl into one of the cargo containers when she comes down, send this bitch wherever the hell we feel like, and have everything squared away by tomorrow." The officer nodded.

Roman was a gambling man, he knew when to hedge his bets and when to put his cards on the table, but this was different. There were too many unknown factors encircling the girl, too many unknown forces that could close in on them. However, with Cinder breathing down his neck, ranting and raving about the girl, casting around threats because she was so afraid of what would happen if the girl was exposed…

This wasn't simple. This was stupid beyond belief. If what everyone was saying was correct, and if what he'd seen for himself was true, the girl wasn't going to be the brightest bulb in the box. How could Roman play this to his advantage? He could have the whole thing wrapped up nice and tight by tomorrow if the dice rolled in his favor…

And if they didn't? If he _failed?_ It wasn't as if he was useless. Cinder _needed_ him… so unless the girl knew about Cinder, _she_ was safe. Roman was used to being a target for justice, it just came with the territory… this could be done and over with and Roman could reap the rewards. He'd have to play this to the hilt: silver-tongue, gun in every hand, and give his best performance. Then it'd all be over with.

Besides… the good guys hated seeing bad things happen to one of their own. He did indeed have a pretty strong advantage, he just needed to say the right words to the right person… and reaching into his coat, where he kept the hidden aces, he tugged out a small scroll attachment.

Roman turned his head sharply to stare at Blake. Calmly, Roman strode over as she tried to level a glare at him, her head swimming in confusion, her eyes frantically searching his face as his hands pat down her legs, making her flinch and try to kick and headbutt in response, to no avail. She grit her teeth as his fingers tapped the scroll in her pocket, and he dug it out.

He popped it open, stuck the strange device into the USB port, and patiently watched as the password screen fuzzed, faded, then went straight to the details of her scroll. "Give that _back."_ Blake snapped, and Roman simply smirked.

"Or what, kitty-cat, y'gonna be mad? I'm quaking in my boots." He dismissively waved a hand. Blake made an inarticulate noise of anger as he scrolled through her handful of contacts, and pressed a few names. "Ooooh, you know Weiss Schnee?"

The three White Fang brutes glanced up as Roman grinned and showed them all the picture of the familiar, white-haired girl. It looked as if the picture had been sneakily taken, rather than posed for, capturing Weiss in her element at a desk, studying. The Fang glared at Blake poisonously, and Blake began to pant in a growing panic…

"Hoo, and this is a lady I wouldn't mind getting to know! Pity the pretty ones are so young." Roman smirked, looking at Yang's photo, the girl in the middle of weight-lifting, not paying attention to the photo. Blake struggled in her chair, only stopping when one of the Fang stepped closer in warning. The crime boss went through a few more contacts, whistling as he brought up Pyrrha Nikos' information, and then finally settled on one. A young girl, sitting at the edge of a bed, wearing a pair of heavy goggles and reading to herself. "Ruby Rose…" He whispered the name to himself, and Blake stopped squirming. Roman turned, giving the girl a shark-like smile that made her glare. "You seemed nice and protective of this one, how would you feel if I gave her a little call?"

Blake forced herself to snort, tightening her glare in Roman's direction, even as her heart hammered in her chest. "You don't know _anything._ I told her everything about me, she _knows_ I'm a criminal, that I've attacked her people! She'll know better." Blake tried to keep her eyes on him, even as they watered up. Surely Ruby hated her… she had to. What did they even _want_ with Ruby?... _Grimm girl?_

"Hmm, well, let's see about that." Roman smirked.

He hit the call button.

* * *

"I-I think we should split up here." Ruby explained with a forced calmness in her voice, trying to stop herself from jittering so much.

"You will be okay by yourself?" Penny asked, joining Ruby at the curbside of the four-way intersection. They'd been searching for a long while since splitting up from Weiss and Yang, and Penny had spent an equal amount of time looking for Blake Belladonna as she had examining Ruby. Ruby was all nerves, and Penny was learning how it felt to be hopelessly worried for somebody she knew was not well, but had no cure for.

"I should be…" Ruby nodded. Zwei was sitting at her feet, ears down, panting heavily. His master leaned down to stroke his ears and he licked her face, but still exuded exhaustion. "I think Zwei needs to go home, he's had a long day…" Ruby sighed, rubbing his fuzzy body to try and relieve his stress.

"So have you, Ruby." Penny pointed out, making Ruby purse her lips. "Perhaps you should consider trying again tomorrow. I shall still be in Vale, I can help you." The orange-haired girl offered, settling a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, once more getting to feel Ruby's cheek when her friend rest her head on Penny's hand. "It would be best for your mental health."

"... I won't be okay until I know Blake's okay…" Ruby murmured, and Penny politely nodded.

"For your health and safety, we shall explore for two more hours, then I am taking you back to Beacon, even if I have to carry you. Such labor cannot continue for too long, or you will be rendered non-functional." Penny cited, squeezing Ruby's shoulder in a way other people had done for Penny. Ruby was quiet, clearly trying to come up with some excuse, and Penny felt frustration again.

Ruby handed Penny some lien, making the girl blink down at the offered money. "You head down south to Little Menagerie, there's an airbus terminal along the way. Put Zwei on the one t-to Beacon so he can get some rest. I'm going to head north to the docks. W-we can meet up there in two hours, but be careful, Yang says Duermoor can get really rough at night."

"Do not worry, I'm combat ready! But you need to watch out for yourself. I do not wish for my friend to come to any harm." Penny watched Ruby with worry. She also did not like worry, it was a dreadful feeling that only grew worse with time.

"I won't." Ruby nodded tiredly, then looked up to Penny. Though her goggles did not let Penny see what Ruby's eyes were like, she could imagine that they were sad, and pained, and frustrated, and worried, and many things Penny was learning to feel. Penny offered a tender smile. "... Thank you, Penny."

"Of course, Ruby." Penny bobbed her head. She took Zwei's leash, and watched Ruby walk the other way, heading towards Duermoor. She would need to hurry, then. Two hours was a long ways away to see Ruby again, and she idly intended to break that plan just so she could keep an eye on her friend. Her worry demanded she be attentive, and the irrational emotion was in agreement with her logical thinking. Both dictated that Ruby needed to be watched.

 _-Updating Database[Caring for Humanity];_

 _-New Note: "Humans do not always know what is best for them."_

 _-Refer to: [Emergency Actions Against Suicidal Behavior]_

Ruby was tired. She had been a bit tired all day, but it was finally coming down on her as her emotions grew heavy and painful. What had been a motivated, burning engine driving her to continue her hunt was slowly fading, and she wanted to cry as she realized she was starting to feel hopeless.

She couldn't give up… she had to find Blake, that would justify pushing herself, even if she had to go beyond the two hours Penny set. It wasn't like the girl dictated her life, even if she was nice… and weird.

All Ruby wanted was to find her teammate, her _friend…_ she couldn't give up, even if everyone else did. The impossible was only made possible through good, conscious effort, but it was starting to hurt to continue. Ruby trudged up the street, heading towards the Duermoor docks, her feet pulsating with every step. She would want to soak them once Blake was found, and then go lay down for a long time… but _not_ until she had Blake back.

If Blake even wanted to come back…

Ruby's lips twitched gently, and she slowed as she felt her pocket buzzing. Her hand slid in to pull out her scroll, and she quietly glared, wondering who was interrupting her until she opened it up to reveal Blake's name. Her breath caught, her heart hammered, her mind blanked…

"Blake?!" She answered swiftly in a tight, pleading voice.

The voice that responded, however, made her skin turn clammy with fear. _["Hello, little lady."]_ The smooth, man's voice responded cooly.

"Who are you?! Wh-where's Blake?! If you hurt her—!"

 _["Tut-tut young lady! Watch what you say, because I very well could hurt her if you don't do_ exactly _what I tell you to."]_

Ruby stared down the street in silent terror, and she realized her hands were shaking. "D-don't- no, p-please no… C-can I talk to her?" She answered immediately, a crawling, squirming feeling filling her stomach, making her suck in deep breaths as she considered what she could do.

 _["Only if you do what I tell you to."]_ The man spoke calmly. _["This is going to stay between the three of us, so no listeners, no followers, just you, me, and Blake."]_

"U-um…" Ruby swallowed thickly, glancing up and down the darkening street. She quietly retreated into a nearby alleyway, squeezing one of the clasps on her cloak tightly to try and calm herself. "W-what… what do you want?..." Ruby whispered into the phone, finding it nearly impossible to think as waves of revulsion went through her.

 _["I want you to come down to the Duermoor Docks. Alone. By yourself. Nobody with you. I'm going to be keeping an eye out, so if we even_ suspect _you've got backup…"]_ He went silent, and Ruby flinched as she heard what sounded like the clicking of scissors, then… then a girl's pained scream on the other end.

 _["Bastard!"]_ Blake screeched, and Ruby thought her heart stopped.

 _["Now now, I didn't cut anything off, just a little warning snip, you understand? I want you to know I'm serious, but I'll return your little kitty in one piece if you do as I say."]_ The man spoke calmly, despite his cruelty, and Ruby had to pinch herself to not cry.

"O-okay! Okay… d-don't hurt her anymore… if you _do…"_

 _["Ruby!"]_ Blake's voice sprang up from far away. _["Don't listen to him! I'm not worth it, just—"]_ Her voice was cut short by a loud smack, and a gasp of pain.

" _Stop! I said don't hurt her!"_ Ruby shouted into the phone, trembling as an angry purpose filled her, but the man's scolding click of his tongue made her grit her teeth and calm down…

 _["Well if you don't want it to get any worse, you need to make your way down here all by yourself. We're doing a little prisoner exchange, and the last thing we want is for your precious kitty to get hurt any more than she already is! So… deal?"]_ His voice dropped a sinister octave, and Ruby found herself staring into the void as she felt her senses cut out.

There was only one option. She couldn't imagine leaving Blake at this man's mercy… she grit her teeth, and only stopped when something _roared_ in the back of her mind. She wanted _blood,_ but more than that… more than that she wanted Blake.

 _["Ruby… don't… please…"]_ Blake pleaded from the back of the call, and Ruby tightened her fist.

"... I'll be there soon…" Ruby whispered quietly.

 _["Good, be here in twenty minutes or I start trimming ears. And remember… nobody else."]_ The man reminded her, then hung up.

Ruby stared down at her scroll, and her immediate impulse was to call every number she could, to try and plan. But Blake was in trouble. Blake was hurt. The only person who could keep Blake from getting _more_ hurt was Ruby… so she pocketed her scroll, stepped out onto the street, and slowly walked towards the docks, the world moving in a dreamlike haze.

Would she be killed? Would she be hurt? Would they make her use the Grimm…? It didn't matter. If Blake was okay, and they tried to use Ruby, then she'd remove herself before she could be used for anything else. She was a walking timebomb, she knew that well enough… it was better this way. Then nobody got hurt but Ruby, and she knew better than anyone that it was better for Remnant that way.

* * *

The gates to the docks were wide open. That was ominous enough, but the fact that night had fallen and the streets were empty of pedestrians, leaving only a handful of cars parked along the sidewalks, made it even worse. It was like marching herself to her own funeral, and Ruby felt a dozen little things tickle at her emotions at once.

As she had been told, she didn't call anyone, and made sure no one was following her. Her hand itched to pull her scroll out, but she ignored it. It was a strange feeling not knowing what was going to happen to her, or why they even wanted her. Was it her powers? Ruby sincerely hoped it wasn't.

Ruby laced her fingers together as she slowly walked between the shipping containers, blindly searching for whoever was asking for her. She needed to find them before the twenty minutes were up, or Blake would be hurt… she couldn't allow that.

Her mind raced with questions: what had Blake done, what was happening, what would they do with her, was she going to be alright…? Not a single answer, and that made Ruby's stomach curdle. She paused in her walk to stare up at the night sky, and listen to the distant sounds of the city… the Duermoor docks were kind of nice at night. A pity she had to experience it like this.

Slowly, she walked out into a large clearing, where the cranes stood silently, the boxes were locked up tight, and every corner, every surface, and everywhere Ruby looked there were masked, hooded men with a gun trained on her. She froze in place, staring at the few dozen anonymous Fang members staring her down, just waiting for her to make a move other than her slow walk forward. She gasped as a hand closed around her upper arm, and the Fang member pressed something sharp against her back.

"If I even see a hint of your Aura, you're _dead,_ girl." The Fang woman hissed into her ear, and Ruby had to push down her panic to stop her Aura from springing up reflexively. "Move." The woman ordered, jabbing Ruby's back, making her whimper.

She had to stay in control… even surrounded by hostiles, even with everything she was fighting for on the line, she couldn't give into the clicking claws and pleading growls from below. She moved slowly, the utter silence of the docks making her tremble like a leaf as she was taken the middle of the clearing.

She was stopped, and the woman made a motion to one of the other masked Fang members. He moved to the warehouse doors across from where Ruby entered and knocked loudly, three times. The doors rattled open, and Ruby watched silently, trying to keep herself together as a man she recognized stepped out. His white coat, his fancy pants, his stupid hat, his orange hair… she'd tried to chase him the night of the robbery. His eyes narrowed as he saw her, and a thin smile crossed his face.

"Well well well, look at you! You did just what I said, that means you win the big prize, girl!" Roman chuckled as he strode forward, flanked by several much larger Fang members, two of whom were carrying a chair. Ruby looked up at Blake, who watched her with big, golden eyes. She struggled in her seat until she was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. Her face was purple and swollen in some places, her eyes wide, surrounded by thick, tired lines. Her normally wonderful, wavy black hair was heavy and thick, needing a shower and a comb. Blake could only watch as her teeth dug into her bottom lip when Ruby reach out to her.

"B-Blake!" Ruby made a move forward, and stopped at the sound of a gun. The concrete in front of her foot exploded, a small hole left by the discharged bullet. Ruby recoiled, but her eyes never left her teammate.

"You shouldn't have come after me, Ruby!" Blake shouted over the silence, her lips thin, her teeth clenched, all while struggling to lean closer. "These aren't good people! I'm not worth it, I'm just—"

"Shut it!" Roman ordered, clicking a small, delicate pair of trimming scissors in front of Blake's face. Ruby stared at the scissors, then glanced to Blake. One of her black ears had a cut in it; small, but stained with a little wept blood.

The whole dockyard reared when a black puddle appeared, and a furious snarl announced something inhuman, inky claws digging at the pavement until a gun barrel pressed to the back of Blake's head. The noise cut, the motion stopped, and the puddle slowly, regretfully shrank as Ruby shivered in place, her lips peeled back to show teeth.

Blake quietly stared, her eyes wide and watery, her mouth small in confusion and fear. "R-Ruby…?" She whispered, and Ruby silently looked down at the ground, her shoulders hunched in shame.

"Somebody tie Goggles up." Roman ordered, squeezing his wrist in agitation. That little display was more than enough to put him on edge, he needed to keep this problem contained.

Ruby gasped as something smacked the back of her knee and her arms were wrenched back. She stared at the ground, a tiny, black spot appearing as her emotions roared in protest, but she clenched with her tummy muscles until the spot disappeared. Rough rope was wrapped around her wrists, and she was forced back to her feet. She began to pant like a wounded animal, her feet barely pushing her forward as she was guided to Roman.

She could get him. She could _**kill him now.**_ No... no, she needed to protect Blake, _**killing them**_ wouldn't help. She shook her head, panting, sweating, a million impulses seeping into her mind, her heart, her soul, each of them begging for bloody retribution. No… she needed to keep control.

Blake was released from the chair, her limbs still tied up, and she was shoved forward. "Toss her in a crate and ship her to the police, li'l Red'll be long gone by the time they unbox her." Roman directed with a lazy wave of his hand. A wooden crate was dragged into view, and Blake felt her skin crawl as claustrophobia gnawed at her. Her eyes swivelled, however, when she passed by Ruby, and she came to a halt to stare, while Ruby's head hung low, her shoulders shaking.

"Move!" Her escort ordered sternly.

" _Fuck you."_ Blake hissed back. She tipped forward as he roughly slugged the back of her head, her vision turning to spots and stars from the pain, and she was snapped by to her senses by a sudden shrieking. She snapped her head back to stare, her mind going blank, her expression falling flat.

Her escort was suspended in the air by black talons jutting from a black puddle in the floor, his arms trapped against his side as he wailed for help. Ruby stared up at him, her teeth grinding together as her knife-wielding captor drew her arm back, only to scream as a clawed hand thrust from the pool into her stomach, driving her back as blood dripped from her wounds.

Roman facepalmed, snatching a pistol from his nearby guard as the other Fang took aim, fingers on the trigger, confusion, shock, and fear leaving them unsure of what to shoot, when the commotion was stopped by a single gunshot. Blake screamed, her shoulder exploding in pain, blood running down her arm and her back. It hurt, it _hurt!_ Ruby turned to Roman, her feral expression deepening until he put the barrel to the back of Blake's head.

"Put the pets away, Red." Roman ordered gravely. Ruby stopped, the lines of her face turning soft, her shoulders narrowing as she went slack. The claws, the hands, the pool, it all shrank away with only an agitated moan escaping it at the last moment.

Blake fought through the pain, and turned to Ruby with tears running down her cheeks, the pain making it hard enough to _think…_ "Ruby, I-I'm not worth this. It doesn't matter what happens to me, _you_ have to go on! I'm a criminal, I'm a killer, I—"

"I love you." Was Ruby's gentle response. Blake froze, staring blankly at this girl she barely knew, whose eyes and abilities put every nerve on edge, and she cleared away the chaff and terror to stare at the girl she came to know with heartbroken eyes… "Y-you're my friend… you're W-Weiss's and Yang's friend too. W-we all l-love you…" Ruby looked down at the floor, sniffing loudly. "Th-they need you, _R-Remnant_ needs you. Y-you saw me, wh-what I can do, wh-what I _a-am…_ i-it's okay if I-I go away. We-we're all b-be-better off th-that w-way, I-I'd just h-hurt them all. T-tell Y-Yang I love her, please? And m-my dad too, okay?"

Blake barely managed to get to her feet, her face red, her shoulder pulsating with agony as a hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back as she tried desperately to reach Ruby. " _No!_ No goddamnit that's not okay! _I deserve this, you don't!_ I don't _care_ what you think, you're _Ruby_ you stupid bitch! Stop acting like this! Stop _loving_ me and _save yourself!"_ Blake shouted, struggling through the pain as Ruby turned away from her, refusing to meet her eyes, shoulders shivering as she was roughly pushed towards the warehouse.

Blake's eyes flashed, her stomach and her chest burned, her scream reached a pitch foreign to her as she lunged, begging her Aura to protect her, to save Ruby, but something cracked against the back of her skull, and she hit the floor as everything went black.

Ruby glanced over her shoulder at the sound, and stopped to turn back, to go tend to Blake, but the butt of a rifle struck her lower back, making her gasp in pain and lurch forward a step.

"Keep moving." The masked man ordered, replacing the nearly-gored woman as her escort. "You try any of that claw shit again…" He growled, leaving Ruby shivering as she kept walking, swallowing thickly.

"Sh-she'll be okay, right?" Ruby whimpered, staring at the ground, a million possibilities now racing through her head as she was pushed into the warehouse.

"Mind your own fate, girl." The man ordered sternly, and Ruby stopped walking. "I said _mo—"_ He was interrupted when Ruby turned back towards him, a sharpened black claw emerging from underneath her cloak to grab his rifle and _squeeze,_ the cry of steel leaving him and the rest of her escorts backing away and pointing their guns at her in feeble defense.

"She _will_ be okay." Ruby whispered furiously, the order compounded by the crash of the gun to the floor as it was torn from the man's hands.

"Just shoot her, damnit!" The man shouted, but the order was followed by the ominous, echoing snarl of a pack of Beowolves, rebounding from the darkened corners of the warehouse, and it took the sharp tap of Roman's cane to bring silence once more.

"What is the goddamned _holdup?!_ Do I have to do _everything?!_ We had a deal, girl, you march right into your little box and—"

" _Will Blake be okay?!"_ Ruby shouted, her teeth grinding again, the sound of claws scraping against the concrete making the Fang around her unsteady and nervous, staring around wildly for the source of the sound.

Roman bit his inner lip to mask his own growing anxiety as he strode towards the girl with a one-eyed glare, leaning down to get face to face with her. The head of his cane bumped her chin, but if it hurt her, she hid it well. "She _won't_ be if you don't do what I tell you to do. I have enough guns here to turn that bitch into swiss cheese, and believe me, she is _not_ worth wasting bullets on. _You,_ on the other hand, need to get in that damn crate _or_ _else."_

The girl did not shrink from his glare. For a tiny terror with a stutter, she had some balls on her. Roman could have appreciated that if he wasn't already at his wit's end this early in the night. However, with a final, grudging huff, Ruby did as he ordered, walking until she was standing in front of a massive, thick, steel cage. More like an isolation chamber than anything, it was meant to contain large, captured Grimm for transport for various labs to study live specimen, Roman never thought he'd ever get to use it for _anything;_ he almost smirked when he shoved the girl through the open door, then slammed it shut.

"Finally." He wanted to laugh. He figured this would have been harder! Cinder made such a massive fuss about the girl, he'd seen what she was capable of, but she was as weak as every heroic wannabe! Put one innocent loved one in danger and watch all that power fall apart. He shook his head… he'd have so much _fun_ telling Cinder and her kids about this; all these plans for a fight, for an ambush, and all they needed was one damn cat girl.

The Fang members closed the big, metal slats over the featureless door, and secured every section of it, ensuring the plating was firm as could be. Roman sighed thickly. He'd be surprised if the girl survived the journey to Mt. Glenn, since there wasn't any food or water, but who knew? She'd at least be weak enough for Cinder to handle.

Roman turned away with a happy hum, pointing towards two of the masked Faunus. "You and you, keep an eye on this thing. Anybody comes in saying they're here to inspect it, shoot them dead. I want this to be the first thing on the boat, I want it _buried_ under the rest of the cargo. Everybody else? Let's get to work!" Once he was alone, Roman allowed himself a private, congratulatory fistpump.

* * *

In all of Ruby's life, she'd never been in this sort of darkness. Even the basement had a crack between the little doors, allowing some light in… here, there was nothing, nobody, no clear sounds, nothing to align herself to; it was a solid metal room, pitch-black, with only the muffled noise of distant machinery…

Ruby blinked quietly. Here she was, in a cage, alone. She rested her hand on the wall and leaned against it, trying to find some comfort in all this. Blake would be okay, stupid-hat man said she would be. Ruby had to believe him, or this would all be for naught. Her sister and Weiss were okay too, they were probably back in the dorm room in their warm beds, after a nice, hot meal, worrying about Blake and class tomorrow.

That's right… Ruby wouldn't get to make it to class. Her second month at Beacon would be spent here… in this box. Alone. In the dark.

Ruby surprised herself with a sudden, nervous intake of breath, the sharp sound cutting through the empty air in such a way that Ruby began to tremble, as if something else was here. She was in a Grimm cage. That made sense, where else would they put her?

Ruby wandered forward a few steps, and pausing as she heard rumbling outside the cage. Her weight shifted, and she fell on her back, gasping loudly for breath as the cage around her began to shift, shake, and lift. She was being moved, that much was clear… but where though? The movement was surprisingly smooth, and she scrambled to press her back against a wall. The movement stopped, and she heard a scraping noise up above.

She stared at the dark ceiling as the cage was lifted, and it rocked, sending her tumbling on her side. Was it being carried by a crane? Ruby scrambled to get her bearings again as the rocking continued, but she slid about heedlessly, her stomach churning as her panic built, her breaths becoming tighter and faster until she, and the cage she was locked in, hit the floor of… something.

The sudden crash caused her to splay out, then she push herself up on her arms. She looked left and right, but was met only with darkness. Things went quiet. Quiet. More quiet. Not a sound to be heard other than herself. Every now and then it felt like the cage rocked the tiniest bit, as if being lapped at my waves… was she on a ship? Would she be sent out to sea like this? Ruby shivered in place, unable to even see her own, trembling hands.

She was alone. In the dark. In silence. She coughed as a wave of revulsion hit her, and the noise was so loud, so brief, it just made her feel lonelier.

Blake would be okay… she had to be. Weiss and Yang were okay too. And dad, and Zwei, and Jaune, and Nora, and Pyrrha, and Ren, and Penny too, and even Sun, they were all okay! They could live their lives, they could go on without her! They'd learn, and laugh, and find love, and have kids, and live in big houses, and Ruby wasn't aware of why her cheeks itched, but when she pulled her goggles off to scratch, a splash of liquid on the cage floor made her pause.

Her cheeks were hot, her eyes flickering with wetness. She shouldn't be crying, she shouldn't be sad, she chose this, didn't she? To save Blake, so she could keep going. A hunter gave their everything for the lives of others, that's what it meant to be a hunter…

Ruby's breath wasn't steady. She could hardly keep the air in her lungs, and her hands were so _cold_ all of a sudden. By what right did she have to feel bad? She chose this for herself, so she could save Blake, even if she'd never seen her again! She was nothing more than a weapon, it's what she always knew she was. She was never meant to experience love, or friendship, they were just byproducts of knowing good people.

She could never have been anything more than a weapon, or a natural disaster. She knew this. She was a monster, deep down, summoning the Grimm, terrorizing people with her eyes…

Maybe this would be better. She wouldn't develop these friendships and then tear them apart when she inevitably lost control. Yes, better to be stowed away, or dead, where she couldn't hurt people.

Ruby lifted her head and strained her eyes and ears… even without her goggles, even with all her focus, she couldn't see or hear anything. She was blind and deaf, except to her own body. She could hear her own heartbeat, and the noise hurt… the steady thump, thump, thump… unending. She couldn't cover her ears and make it go away, it kept going, it kept rising, it kept getting worse…

It seemed like it was getting louder. Ruby backed herself into a corner, her breathing wretched and ragged, her lungs beginning to burn. Her stomach was growing heavy, the acid bubbling, making her hurt and want to vomit. The sounds of her breath and her heart intermingling with the gurgle of her stomach was getting louder and louder, making her thoughts indefinite and simple.

She… needed to escape… but… she did this herself… but she couldn't stay… but she couldn't go… but Ruby… but Blake… but Ruby… but _Blake…_

Where was she? Where was left and right? Her head was swimming. The darkness was too dark to focus on anything, she couldn't anchor herself, everything was revolving faster and faster as the noises grew louder and louder and she couldn't control her shaking it just kept going and growing and shivering and it got worse and _worse_ and she couldn't stop it wouldn't stop it couldn't stop it _wouldn't stop she had to_ _ **GET OUT.**_

Everything stopped. Her breath, her heartbeat, her stomach, the spinning, the questions, the answers, the Rubys and the Blakes, all at once they came to a standstill, because Ruby found something to stare at.

In the back wall, red eyes peered at her. Red, sharp, serious, feral. Just one set. Then two sets. Tilting and swirling, watching her. Three sets, writhing, staring, shaking, blinking. Four, five, six, seven sets, all watching her from the far wall. A noise, a purr, a growl, a howl, a chuckle, their teeth and claws clicking mirthfully. Eight, then nine, then ten, then twelve, then fifteen, no longer on the far wall, on the walls nearer to her, coming closer…

Sixteen… seventeen… twenty… thirty… forty-five…

Staring, growling, hissing… whispering... _**get out.**_

 **Get out.**

 _ **GET OUT.**_


	21. Jailbreak

Reality reasserted itself with the dank, musty smell of old hay and fresh blood.

Then came the pain.

" _Ah!"_ Blake lurched up, blinking to try and stop the water building in her eyes, but the motion sent a bolt of pain down her right arm, and another across the length of her back. She panted in confusion, using her other hand to hold her wounded shoulder, each touch or movement sending rivulets of agony through her body.

Her head hurt, her ear hurt, her face hurt, her shoulder hurt, her stomach was none-too-pleased as well. Her teeth clenched together, and while she did her best to keep herself from crying, she failed. The humiliation didn't make the pain any better; the realization that this was all her fault only made it worse.

" _Oh_ god _this sucks…"_ She whispered to herself. The talking helped relieve the tension in her stomach, but breathing made her nausea swell, and left her tense and trembling as she resisted the urge to vomit.

She was made aware of her surroundings when an unceremonious rocking knocked her unwounded shoulder against a wall. She opened her eyes to try and figure out where she was. She could tell she was in a wooden crate thanks to the thin beams of light peeking through the cracks in its walls, but even worse, it showed her her own sorry, crumpled form–her knees just a few inches from smacking her own chin–and the pile of dirty straw she sat on top of.

They _actually_ put her in a goddamned box. She thought it was just a euphemism, but nope, here she was, a piece of _pathetic fucking cargo._ Amidst the nausea and ache in her arm, Blake felt the sudden, rising urge to murder someone. Hell, not just anyone, she'd dip into Adam's playbook and grab a human, but _no,_ not just any human, they had to have a dumb hat, orange hair, a shitty taste in clothing, a smug grin…

… and Ruby captive…

" _Ruby."_ Blake whispered, trying to push herself into a better sitting position, only pausing when her arm sent a warning tremor through the rest of her body. _Deep breaths._ She sucked in air and tried to push the ache in her belly down, then leaned towards the largest split in the side of the box, pressing her eye to it; she could just barely make out passing cargo containers, so she was still at the docks. With how smoothly they were moving, she guessed she was loaded on some sort of trolley.

She pressed her fingertips to the top of the box and pushed gently, strengthening until she felt give. Her fingers strained, the lid did not, an obstructing weight coming from the edges of her container. Bastards nailed it shut, more than likely, just her luck…

She squirmed into a lower position, giving her legs more feeling as she held her shoulder. She brushed against the crate's wall and winced, then hesitantly checked her hand. Her eyes quivered at the sight of the smooth, red stain spreading across her palm, sinking into the shallow wrinkles of her hand. She hadn't seen so much of her own blood outside of her body in forever, not since she'd fallen off her parents' rooftop and into a bramble bush as a kid.

The memory made Blake chuckle weakly. She'd shrugged _that_ off, and it had hurt like a chainsaw-toothed bitch; she could do the same for a gunshot wound, right? Blake looked back up at the box lid, sucked in a deep breath, and tried to concentrate on what mattered the most: escaping. What would help her most was getting her Aura back, so she needed to concentrate...

What were the things that made _her? Who_ was Blake? _Why_ was Blake? A Faunus: just another Faunus in the world, that was her race. The White Fang: she'd escaped them, they weren't her people anymore. The things they'd once represented had been distorted, but she had not bent and twisted with them, her ideals remained strong… so why was her Aura not coming to her? Why could she not feel her soul?

… Had it been that badly wounded? The soul was an immortal thing, ceaseless and consumed by passion, sorrow, fear, and rage. It was a thing the science world of Remnant had barely scratched the surface of; people only knew it existed because everybody else said it existed. It was a word, a concept, with no scientifically understood mechanism, but nothing else could explain Aura and Semblance, which was strengthened and affected by its wielder's resolve, and as they affected the physical world, _could_ be measured. It was known, however, that it could be wounded.

Not cut, or bruised, or sprained, but a sudden, dramatic shift in one's mood and morals could cause the soul to grow weak and despondent; like it was angry, or depressed with its host, preventing them from calling their inner strength. But what had Blake _done?_ Had she truly given up all that much by leaving Beacon?! By leaving her _team?!_ She had a _mission!_ She had to protect her team and everyone else from the White Fang! Those girls didn't matter nearly as much as her mission!

And, in that moment, Blake found herself caught in a lie. Those stupid girls, treating her like a friend, making the world seem safe, and warm, and _comfortable,_ daring to make her see them as friends, causing her to care about humans… she missed them. She missed them so fucking bad; she wanted to be in her bunk, listening to their snoring and late-night grumbling.

She wanted to be woken up by Ruby and Yang's alarm so they could go run laps, she wanted to go get breakfast with Weiss, she wanted to come back and invite team JNPR to their room to just sit around and talk about homework… she was so sick of the White Fang. She was sick of and sickened by their anti-human indoctrination, that wasn't what she'd joined for, or why her father started it. They'd dared to lay a finger on Weiss, and Blake allowed her own guilt and outrage to turn her into an idiot on a suicidal quest for revenge.

In that moment of pain and purpose, Blake saw all of her problems and decisions with a new perspective. She laid there, quiet and abysmal; every seemingly insurmountable problem with her life at Beacon had an easy fix ready and waiting to be acted on, but her own stubbornness and paranoia had brought her here, in a box with a bullet in her shoulder. She'd been so wound up about secrets and feeling aloof and in charge that getting shot at seemed easier than admitting she'd been a liar. What would her parents say if they learned their kitten was stupid enough to land herself in a packing crate over her own bloated self-importance?

And selfish enough to get Ruby captured.

Blake dug her fingernails into the wood of the box, wincing as a stray splinter jabbed into her fingertip. She lifted the hand of her wounded arm to her face, and stared at the tiny piece of wood embedded in her flesh. She sucked in a hiss. Ruby, a girl who Blake claimed didn't trust her, was sacrificing herself for Blake's freedom. Her little leader, so full of potential, kidnapped. She had summoned what seemed like Grimm, she had the most frightening eyes, but she'd done everything she could for Blake to protect her, even if it all seemed horribly contrived.

The hero, sacrificing herself to save the innocent friend even when logic dictated it would be better to just fight or run. Blake thought she had been doing the same thing, but Ruby had only surrendered when there was a literal gun to Blake's head… Blake's ' _sacrifice'_ had been more about her own cowardice. She hadn't been solving a problem, she'd just created new ones to avoid old ones. Now… now she had a problem she had to fix, or Ruby's family would never see her again, and it would be Blake's fault.

Her teeth ground together and she trembled a moment as something deep in her core informed her that she didn't have what it took to live with herself knowing she'd ruined Yang and Tai's life by stealing their family. Even if they managed the herculean feat of forgiving her, she would never forgive herself.

She needed to save Ruby, get Ruby back home to her team and loved ones… and… and she didn't know what to do from there… she wasn't likely to be forgiven, all she'd done was hurt them. But… still, she owed her leader. She couldn't simply abandon her, not after trading herself as a hostage without hesitation.

Blake firmed her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut. What little energy she had left needed to be given purpose, she _needed_ to get Ruby back at all costs.

Something stung her nose, making her eyes open wide in surprise as she watched the splinter spin through the air before falling to the floor. Her surprise was replaced with a hideous pain as heat poured from her gunshot wound, fresh blood spurting from the hole, drawing a strangled cry of pain as the lead intruder drooled out of her shoulder on a fresh stream of red. The little pains she'd accumulated through the previous day waned, and heat pulsated across her quaking arm from her wound until it lessened into a gentle ache.

When she wiped the moisture from her eyes, she testingly rotated her arm in its socket, phantom pains escaping her shoulder, but nothing worse. "Oh, _now_ you're back?" She grunted, creating a fist and flexing her muscles. A surge of Aura echoed across her body like black lightning, the familiar feeling of her most valued shield engulfing her.

She pulled her knee back to her breast and testingly tapped the box lid with the ball of her foot. Then, her foot drove through the wood, splitting the wooden ceiling around it.

"What the _hell?!"_ A voice cried from outside the box.

Blake whipped her foot back, ignoring the lid when the two halves captured her ankle, and tore the wood inwards. She heard the tinkling of weaponry, and Blake threw herself towards the open air, her hand closing around a shredded wood panel. All around her were metal cargo containers, open night sky, and three masked White Fang members drawing swords, a pistol, and a cat o' nine tails.

Feeling indignant, Blake whipped her hand at the latter, the man shrieking as the sharp tip of a big, wooden splinter tore his cheek open. It wasn't Gambol Shroud, but god _damn_ did it feel good to have a weapon in hand, and she was quick to grab the next dagger-sized sliver of wood.

Blake gasped as an arm wrapped around her neck, the assaulter's other hand holding a cutlass to her breast, but Blake swung her fist up, pushing his sword-arm out, and she lifted her legs and kicked the pistol-holder square in her chest, shooting her back into a cargo crate with an audible ' _bang!'_

The man tightened his arm around her neck to cut the blood flow to her brain, but let out a pained squeal as Blake's splinter lodged itself deep into his hip. The back of her skull crushed his nose, and he stumbled back, hitting the floor and holding his leg in agony.

Blake grabbed the next piece of wood out of the box and threw it like a kunai at the recovering whip-wielder, drawing a long line of blood across his upper arm as the Aura-sharpened splinter planted into the metal hide of a container. What little satisfaction Blake felt was quickly replaced by annoyance; okay, maybe Yang wasn't lying about her stupid popsicle stick.

She couldn't help but sneer as she quickly sprinted at him, tackling him with the force of a pouncing tiger into the wall behind him, leaving a deep dent in the container's side. He hit the floor roughly, twitching in flickering consciousness.

A gunshot sounded, Blake jerked as sympathetic pain spread across her back, and she whirled on the gun-wielding girl, who levelled the weapon on Blake in shaking arms, her lips peeled back in fright. "T-traitor! Turning to the _hunters!"_ The girl spat, trying to draw up her rage, but Blake simply glared. A second gunshot, and Blake's form wavered and faded, the box she was being hauled in splintering as the real Blake held up a plank like a club. "Y-you don't have anything to _say,_ traitor?! Casting your lot to the humans?! How can you turn your back on us?!"

"Velli." Blake spoke, making the girl back up a step as the cat girl advanced, seemingly unperturbed by the weapon pointed at her.

The masked girl, Velli, fired another shot, but the bullet was intercepted by the Aura-coated plank, leaving Blake unharmed. "Th-that's right! It's _me!_ You taught m-me everything! How to run, how to h-hide, how to shoot! Guess you were saving the A-Aura stuff for when you ran like a _coward!"_

The plank pressed to Velli's chin, and she found herself staring into Blake's steely, yellow eyes. Velli pushed the barrel of the smoking gun against Blake's heart, but the trigger wouldn't pull, Blake's pinky stopping it. Velli sucked in hard gasps, and Blake glanced to the left, then the right. "You can still leave, Velli." Blake whispered softly. "The Fang aren't what they used to be; this isn't who they are, what they _do._ You can go, _now,_ and save yourself a life of regret!"

Velli stopped shivering, her lips softening in confusion. Her mask hid her eyes, but Blake read enough in her jaw to understand… but then, her lips tightened. "I swore an _oath._ Live f-free, or _die_ free. I'll never be a _thing_ for the humans to use."

"Then what are you doing _right now?!"_ Blake snapped, causing Velli to grit her teeth as they both thought about that _man._

"... Distracting _you."_ Velli answered bitterly.

Blake's ears perked as she heard the gentle pitter-patter of feet on metal all around her, the White Fang's ' _an odd night for rain'_ stealthy movement technique. _Blake's_ technique. All around her, Fang members stood on top of the crates, pulling swords and guns on her, smirking in confidence or snarling in rage.

Okay. She was in trouble. She sucked in a breath to think, and flinched as Velli tried to punch her jaw. "Just shoot her!" Velli cried out. "Live free, or die free, my brothers! _Shoot her!"_ The masked girl grabbed Blake's arm, teeth grit in determination to keep her old mentor still as Blake pulled away from her, swiftly throwing her out of the firing line.

Before the first bullet could loose, each gun was cleanly sliced in twain by a flying sword. Blake's eyes widened as the surrounding Fang stared at their weaponry in shock, quickly followed by a loud pair of battlecries as twin, golden-fascimiles of Sun threw themselves onto the nearby guards.

The White Fang flew aside as, one by one, they were knocked senseless by the clones' staves. One Fang swung his broken rifle to banish one into empty air, but the other was protected by a pair of swirling blades deflecting bullets and swords, before driving the attackers away. The standing Fang swiftly made themselves scarce, racing back to the docks with comrades over their shoulders, and Blake stood silently amidst the row of cargo containers, searching for signs of her rescuers.

"Blake!" A familiar voice called. Blake barely turned in time to find herself caught in Sun's strong arms, his warm, unfamiliar grip causing Blake to tense, then go slack as she finally recognized the boy. "Are you okay?!" Sun backed up, holding Blake's shoulders.

Bewildered, the black-haired girl stared at him. Around one of his eyes was a fading bruise, and his face was flushed with worry. Blake shook her head, and finally spoke up, "I-I'm okay. Sorta." She instinctively rolled her bloodied shoulder, drawing Sun's eye. "Are _you_ okay?"

"That hooved bitch kicked me when I saw those assholes grab you! Your shoulder! Your _face!_ Your ear?!" Sun said, his eyes roaming Blake's tired, abused body, and Blake simply looked downcast. "Blake?"

"... I—" Blake started, but was interrupted by a furious cry. Both she and Sun flinched away from Velli as she sprinted at them with a discarded spear, aiming for Blake's chest, and suddenly crashed into the container by her side. She twitched, moaned in pain, and glared at Blake as the duo of black and green swords punched through her clothing, keeping her firmly pinned without harming her. "H-huh?"

"Blake Belladonna, are you okay?" Blake glanced up at the voice's origin, staring at the strange, unfamiliar girl. Whoever she was, she swept her orange hair back, fastidiously adjusted her pink bow, and hopped down to dig a finger into Velli's neck. The Fang girl cried out and struggled for two seconds before falling unconscious, allowing the unknown girl to make a gesture and pull her swords free of the container.

"... Uh… who…?" Blake glanced from the girl, to Sun, who simply shrugged.

"Sal-u-tations Blake Belladonna! My name is Penny Polendina, I am a friend of Ruby's and her accomplice in finding you! She will be oh-so-pleased to know that you are safe!" Penny's smile was unnaturally calm considering their current circumstances, and Blake turned back to Sun, her eyes demanding an answer.

"I ran into her–kinda sorta _literally_ –coming here. I figured this was where they'd bring you, and she told me she was helping Ruby look for you, I figured… y'know, if she could fight…" Sun scratched the back of his head as Penny's expression remained completely unchanged. "I mean, I guess she _can…"_

"My combat readiness aside, we must call Ruby to tell her the good news." Penny whipped her scroll out of her pocket, only pausing when Blake turned an unhealthy shade of pale. "... Are you distressed, Blake?"

Blake swallowed thickly, and her eyes went to the floor as a tremble ran through her. "They have her…" Blake whispered. Sun and Penny glanced to each other in confusion.

" _They_ have her?" Penny repeated.

" _Yes!"_ Blake shouted furiously grabbing at her own hair as her teeth clamped together tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a wheeze. "The White-goddamned-Fang have Ruby! I don't know what they _want_ with her, but she traded herself for _me._ She's somewhere in there, I don't know _where_ the hell she is, or _what_ they're doing, but I will _rip their tongues out their assholes if they lay a single fucking hand on—"_

"Whoa whoa _whoa,_ holy shit…" Sun shook Blake's shoulders, rattling the girl back to her senses, leaving her with a grieved expression. "These guys have Ruby?" Penny had gone silent, her expression stony and… displeased.

"I _just_ said that." Blake snapped, making Sun raise his hands defensively. "And I'm going after them."

"I will assist you." Penny offered, her voice surprisingly calm considering the seriousness of her expression. "I very much wish to help find Ruby, though I am somewhat concerned that I left a majority of my weaponry behind." She touched the twin, oddly curved swords that floated near her shoulders. "I have only brought two for self-defense."

"That's fine, anything more than nothing is a help." Blake nodded, but Sun settled a heavy hand on both girls' shoulders.

"Look, hunters or not, we're just three people. Let's call the police! Let's call Beacon! Let's _get back-up;_ if you get hurt, or we get captured, or… y'know, that's it! Nobody _else_ knows, alright? We'll get Ruby out of here, I _promise,_ but not without a plan!" His expression with dead serious, and Blake could only stare in quiet fascination. He'd mentioned he was a team leader, only now was she inclined to believe him.

"... Fine, okay. Give me your scroll." Blake held her hand out, and Sun handed it over. Blake began to type rapidly, and put the scroll to her ear as it rang. "C'mon Yang… _c'mon…"_ Blake murmured to herself. Penny leapt up to a nearby container with extraordinary ease, watching silently as Blake made a tight fist, then slowly lifting her gaze and scanning the room for any new hostiles. "She didn't pick up!" Blake snarled, considering putting the number in again. "... Weiss." She punched in her next teammate's number.

"Call the _police!"_ Sun insisted in exasperation, "Or call Beacon or _something!"_

"I am _very_ sure the police are working with these guys considering they've done crap all to stop these guys already!" Blake growled, listening to each ring with increasing anxiousness. "And Beacon is not a freaking police force!"

 _["Hello–"]_

" _Weiss!"_ Blake gasped in excitement. "Listen Weiss—"

 _["–you have reached the scroll of Weiss Schnee, please leave a message—"]_

" _DAMMIT!"_ Blake made a motion as if to throw Sun's scroll to the floor, much to the boy's horror, but then she stopped. Who did she know who would be naive or oblivious enough to answer an unknown number in the middle of a school night...? She typed a new number quickly, and waited with baited breath as it rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times…

 _["Hello?"]_ A sleepy voice answered.

"Jaune!" Blake fought tears of relief as she heard his voice.

* * *

"Blake?" Jaune asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in his bed. He heard Pyrrha stirring in the next bed over, and he motioned for her to stay quiet. "Blake, is that you…? Do you know that you're missing?"

 _["Yes, listen,_ please. _I need you to go get Weiss and Yang for me, okay?_ Immediately. _Scream if you have to wake them up. It's_ —" _]_

"Blake, Weiss and Yang left right before curfew." Jaune yawned, checking the time with a crinkle of his nose. "They're out looking for _you._ Whose scroll are you using? Why did you _leave?"_

 _["They're_ out?! _God-fucking-damnit! Of all the times for_ —" _]_

" _Settle down."_ Jaune raised his voice. Jaune stared hard across the room while, in the beds to his left and right, Pyrrha and Ren gave him questioning looks, slowly sitting up. "Blake, what's going on? Why do you need them? _Where are you?_ Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were out all day yesterday looking for you, you need to—"

 _["Ruby's been kidnapped."]_ Blake's voice cut him short.

"... Kidnapped?" Jaune asked, his fingertips spasming at the word.

 _["Jaune… Ruby's been kidnapped. It's my fault, I know, I need to get her back, but I don't think the police'll be any help, I need Weiss and Yang. If we work together…"]_

Jaune's sheets flew off his body, and his feet hit the floor. He went straight for the closet, tossing his armor out, and soon following with Crocea Mors at his hip. "Where are you?" He asked gravely. No clarification was given to his team, but Ren leapt out of bed, watching Jaune with a tense expression.

 _["It's the White Fang, if you get involved_ —" _]_

"Blake, I need the where _right now."_ Jaune interrupted, pulling fresh jeans and a shirt out of his dresser. Pyrrha scampered around the room to gather her clothing as Ren shook Nora awake, indicating for her to be quiet as she gave him a questioning stare.

 _["Duermoor Docks; Jaune, this is dangerous! You don't have to get involved."]_

"Yes I do." Jaune dressed, pulling his armor on as Pyrrha typed on her scroll pad to prepare their lockers. Nora and Ren were throwing their clothing on, while Jaune squeezed Mors' handle tightly. "Blake, you and Ruby are my friends." Blake did not respond, but Jaune heard her quietly gulp. "I'm coming to help." He looked around and saw his team pulling on their gear, meeting his heated expression with determined scowls. Pride filled his chest and voice as he nodded silent thanks to his partners. " _We're_ coming."

 _["... Thank you. We're going to move in deeper to try and get some trace of where Ruby went. Please hurry, I'm afraid of what they'll do if we take too long."]_

"We're on our way. Stay safe." Jaune ordered, then hung up. He stared at his scroll for a minute longer… "We?" he mumbled. Did Blake have friends with her? If so, good, two people could handle more threats than one. He swallowed thickly, his grip threatening to crush his scroll, a feeling of fright coming and going as he realized what he'd agreed to… but then he closed his eyes, looked down at the floor, and squeezed Mors once more.

Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha lined up in front of him, worried expressions on their faces. Pyrrha finally broke the silence as Jaune passed between them to head for the door. "Jaune, what's happening?" Pyrrha asked, hurrying after him. "Is Blake alright?"

"No, she's not, or I don't think so at least… and the White Fang's kidnapped Ruby, and they have her at the Duermoor Docks." The room seemed to go stagnant at the statement, the three other members of his team only able to stare as they digested the information. "Ren, I need you on map duty, I have no clue where that is." The silent young man offered a crisp nod and reached for his scroll to find a path immediately.

"Hold up hold up hold up…" Nora raised her hands, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as everyone paused to watch her. "Did you just say that a bunch of _dead men_ touched my girlfriend?" Nora's jaw twitched, while Ren rubbed her shoulder encouragingly.

"Yeah, so we gotta—"

"— _we gotta go break some legs."_ Nora growled, popping her knuckles as Ren opened his scroll to input the given name. He stoic expression edged closer to a frown as he tried to suppress the violent impulse to break something with the need to read the map clearly, his pink eyes darting across the screen quickly.

"Hm. It's far, but we can possibly be there in an hour's time if we take a latenight airbus to the southern Vale terminal and acquired a taxi from there." He spoke as Pyrrha straightened up.

"That's… a long time, is there any other way…?" Jaune gripped his chin and grit his teeth as Pyrrha dug through her things.

"How long would it be by car?" Pyrrha asked, opening her jewelry case.

"Um, twenty-five minutes, considering the low-expected traffic…" Ren watched his red-headed teammate curiously. Pyrrha stood, turning with a keyring around one finger, a black car key dangling from it with ' _Καιω'_ inscribed in the tag. "... Well then."

"I was going to save the surprise until we each had the weekend off. However, desperate times call for more practical measures." Pyrrha nodded her head. She looked to Jaune with a small smile, and his daring grin filled her with confidence.

With a nod of his head, Jaune threw the door open. "Team JNPR, let's roll out!"

* * *

" _Three_ hunters?"

"Yeah, young ones too."

"There's six dozen of us, what are we going to do against three _hunters?"_

"They're _young,_ the hell can they do?"

"It doesn't matter how old they are _you idiot;_ they have personal shields, twice our strength, and have _super powers._ And, may I _remind you,_ one of them is _Blake."_

"Yeah, loada good it did her."

"Report said she kicked the crap out of three of ours. Whatever was holding her back before might be gone."

"You saw the way she and that… that _thing_ freaked out at each other. Maybe she's hit her upper limit, going full desperation mode."

"Yeah, well, in hunter terms, that means she's unstoppable until one wrong move kills her…"

"Well, we've got plenty of weaponry; plus, the anti-hunter guys are already here for just this problem. We got nothin' to worry about as long as we keep our heads down and let the guys with Aura handle this."

The two Fang continued their chatter as Blake leaned against a crate, focusing her Aura to her ears to act as better sensory agents. It was a more strenuous task than she would have liked: the two weren't _wrong;_ she was running on fumes, her soul granting whatever it could to her, but it was still weak. Her mind, body, and soul were each equally abused and in a poor state by the last twenty-four hours, but she had a _mission…_

She heard the two sets of footsteps loom closer as they turned to patrol the alley nearest Blake. They passed between the rows of containers, and Blake's eyes followed them as they mindlessly passed by her hiding place, not even _trying_ to be more observant. She grit her teeth, ashamed; that was _not_ how they were taught to establish a perimeter. As a pair of swords flew past her face and nailed the two men to the opposite wall, Blake couldn't dredge up the pity.

" _Fuck!"_

"Wh _-what the hell?!"_ They both bleated in terror, grabbing at the blades punching through their shirt collars, and they both went white as a sheet as Blake turned towards them, flanked by Sun and Penny, none of them looking happy. "Oh _shit._ I told you!" One with mouth tusks told the other.

"If it i-isn't the _traitor…"_ The other started, only to be silenced by a glare that could have made steel bow. A pair of twin swords scavenged off of one of their fallen brethren hung at her sides, glinting ominously with each step.

Sun strode forward, laying a reminding hand on Blake's shoulder as he spoke first. "Listen boys, we don't wanna hurt you, we just want to know a few things. Then, you can go on your way and pretend we never talked."

"Save the speech, chump!" The non-tusked Faunus snapped, while his partner struggled with the sword keeping him trapped. The instant their hands went to their waists to grab weapons, they found themselves at the end of a pair of shotgun barrels aimed between their eyes. Sun swallowed, trying to not shiver as he realized what he was doing.

"The girl." Blake spoke, arms crossed, her tired eyes not even blinking at Sun's overt threat. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, so don't play dumb. Where is she?"

"Go screw yourself, Blake!" The tusked Fang bared his teeth, his jaw quivering as, behind the mask, he kept glancing towards the pistol barrel in his face. "Or better yet, let the humans do it for you! We _needed_ you _!_ _Adam_ needed you! You think you'll get anything more than a spit in the eye from this girl?! You saw what she did, you know—"

"No, I _don't know."_ Blake cut in while showing her teeth in a grim sneer. "I don't know a damn thing about her apparently, and somehow, I don't think either of you know anything more. What I do know is that she's a better person than I am, and better than the bowler hat you two are being ordered around by."

The two Faunus went silent, their furious expressions faltering for a second, but then one pushed forward. "We're using _him_ as much as he's using _us."_

"Sure, and I bet, once this is all over and done with, he'll be happy to give you two a cushy room next to his office." Blake huffed, making them both wince as she made a hand gesture. Rather than having Sun platter their skulls across the wall, the red-headed girl strode forward and dug one finger each into their necks, making them both flinch in pain, then fall limp. She retrieved her swords with a quick flick of her finger, beckoning them to float passively behind her like a pair of small, folded wings. "This is how far we've fallen, huh?" Blake mumbled, watching Sun haul them into the shaded alleyways.

"Miss Belladonna," Penny spoke up, eyeing the cat-eared girl closely, "based on context clues, I can assume you were once a member of the White Fang?" Her question was painfully clinical, and it annoyed Blake more than it normally would have, but she restrained her fury for the moment.

"Yes." Blake answered bluntly, moving towards the end of the alleyway to poke an eye out and see what lay ahead. She made a typical hunter's gesture–' _secure'_ –and snuck forward with Penny and Sun shadowing behind her.

"When this is all over with, might I ask the reasons and events that lead up to both your joining and dissolution with the White Fang?" Something in Penny's voice was genuinely curious, and Blake paused at the edge of another container.

"... _If,_ sure." Blake closed her eyes and focused on her ears once more.

At first, there appeared to be nothing, and she signalled Penny and Sun as such. The open valley between the rows of shipping containers was wide enough for heavy machinery to roll to and from the twin warehouse doors that stood at one end, far too open for Blake's liking, but one had to work with the terrain they tread through.

She was the first to break across the seemingly empty road, her body low, her feet swift, her toe tips relaxed as she sprinted to the other side swiftly enough that a casual observer may have mistaken her for a trick of the eyes. With her back against the other container, she signalled for the other two to wait as she strained her ears, then beckoned them over.

Penny moved more quickly than Blake, but just as silently. Blake stared at the girl now by her side in placid-faced surprise, then watched Sun. He was swift, but clearly unused to stealth, despite his best efforts, and she winced at the sound of his heavy footfalls until he was with the girls.

Blake once more swivelled her ears about, and heard nothing but the distant dockwork, and even further, the sounds of the city. She released an uneasy breath. This didn't seem right; where were the White Fang? They should have been swarmed with enforcers by now, this whole area should have been rotten with patrols!

They couldn't have been slacking this much while she was out… she smelled a trap, and she had the unhappy feeling that she was just a few steps away from having her head snapped off her shoulders.

"Don't let your guard down, don't move too quickly." Blake ordered, moving past the two of them as they nodded.

"We will stick to your behind, Blake." Penny whispered.

"I'll keep it in my sights!" Sun added, making Blake roll her eyes. She could practically _feel_ his wink.

They walked along the breadth of the containers, when Blake held her hand up to halt them. Penny and Sun leaned past her to stare at the empty pathway, only for Penny's eyes to flutter, and Sun's spine straightened.

"The hell is that? He asked.

Blake stared at the odd reflections of moonlight, glinting sporadically in front of her eyes like a kaleidoscope. She focused on the strands, and found her pursing her lips at what appeared to be _webbing;_ thicker than a spider's, but just as nigh-invisible, strung between the two crates they were passing between. That uneasy, gut feeling of being trapped sunk lower.

"Sticky web of some sort." Blake murmured, unsheathing one of the curved blades she'd taken. She pressed the blade against one of the web strands and pressed, and found her nostril twitching in annoyance as all it did was bend and distort, and it took a sharp tug to free her blade. The webstrands shimmered and shook almost mirthfully at having won the test of strength, and Blake grunted. "We're going over."

Penny and Sun nodded, and the three took a sharp step back as the web suddenly strained, as if something was pulling it back, and with little warning, the two ends of the containers sharply slammed together, filling the night air with a resounding ' _bang!'_ as their pathway was closed.

Blake felt her eyebrow twitch as she glanced to the other end of the containers, confirming there was no web… so what the hell was the plan?!

"Over, _now."_ Sun ordered sharply, only to be interrupted by a low, mirthful little chuckle.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I was you."

Twin scimitars, a spinning staff, and two blades pointed to the other end of the now closed alley, where a large figure stepped into view of the three teens. He wasn't a mountain of a man like Yatsuhashi was, but his broad, looming figure cast a long shadow over the three of them. He was adorned in a sleeveless, high-collar jacket and a full-faced, bone-white mask that left his closely shorn black hair visible. What was visible of his left arm before it disappeared into a pair of gloves was a number of tattoos of familiar White Fang symbology, closely associated with the spiritual incarnation of vengeance.

Blake was initially confused; she had never seen this man before, and the White Fang had few enough Anti-Hunters for her to grow familiar with the ones stationed throughout Vale… but when her eyes dipped down to his weapon, her teeth grit.

"What the _fuuuuuuu—..."_ Sun trailed off, staring in open disgust at the weapon as Penny's face went taut.

The Fang's right hand was closed around something like a sword hilt, with a trigger that melded into a massive box housing a revolver barrel, and what was more than likely an engine for the elongated chainsaw guide bar, the chain designed with small hooks placed every inch for maximum cutting power. His left hand was closed around a handle that was suspended a third of the way up the blade, allowing him to more easily guide the blade.

His hands tightened, and with a sudden, grinding _howl,_ the chainsaw came to life, the chain spinning threateningly as he took a confident step towards the hunters, the noise quieting as his hands relaxed. "Blake Belladonna…" He all but purred, his thick biceps flexing in silent warning.

"Edward Almost." Blake's voice came out as a low hiss, her ears flattening, her eyes sharpening, and the chainsaw roared to life once more, the noise making her lips tighten in quiet fright as Sun glanced her way, then back towards the man as he silenced his weapon again. "Who the hell busted _you_ out of prison?!"

"Who do you think?" The man's head tilted as Blake's chin dipped downwards in a preparatory snarl. "Adam's an easy guy to follow; springs a guy outta jail, rearms him, gives him license to do whatever he wants to the enemies of the Fang…" He let out another laugh, deep and full of joy, but it wasn't the sort you joined in with to share the fun.

"Just who the hell is this guy?!" Sun demanded, and when the masked man took a step closer, Sun edged in front of Blake, focusing his eyes on the larger man's eyeholes.

"Edward James Almost." Penny recited in a low, calm voice, making Blake's eyes sharpen angrily, her posturing turning rigid as her swords swirled in front of her defensively. "A criminal formerly unaffiliated with the White Fang, a serial killer who terrorized the towns in southern Vale, identifiable by his Faunus tattoos and personal weapon: a hunter-tuned chainsaw named ' _Scalper.'_ Murder count: thirty-seven people, including six hunters, all human, no discrimination between age, occupation, or gender."

"A man Adam and I agreed would _never_ be allowed to join the Fang!" Blake snapped, and Edward's laughter mocked her as he focused his full attention on Blake. "He's nothing more than a goddamned _monster;_ we needed _patriots,_ not _murderers."_

"And I was a good enough murderer to _earn_ myself a little jailbreak. Adam needed himself some muscle, and turns out that a good rap sheet's also a good job application for killin' _humans."_ He almost spat the word, his head turning from Blake to Penny, and Scalper snarled hungrily in his hand as he stared, the redheaded girl meeting his eyes with an uncertain frown. "Blake, you 'n the boy get it easy tonight, I ain't interested in hurtin' ya too bad before I send the remains back ta Adam. But her…" He straightened up, his body tense as Penny's eyes widened. "We're gonna take this _slow."_

His head tilted backwards as the end of Sun's staff cracked against the burnt amber Aura encasing the front of his mask, the lower half of the staff breaking off into his off hand to flip and press against the man's stomach before spitting a hot slug directly into the Fang's stomach, causing only a small twitch of pain.

"All ya got, kid?" Edward asked in a voice full of deviant amusement.

" _Fuck you, dude!"_ His staff separated into a pair of nunchucks, and what would have been a threatening, jaw-dropping display of skill as he twirled the twin weapons around his body to repeatedly strike Edward was left neutered by the bored man's complete lack of reaction.

Even through the sympathetic pain of his Aura he completely shrugged off each blow with nothing more than a twitch, a growl, and eventually, a hard front kick to Sun's chest that sent him flying back onto his feet, stroking his chest in pain as he stared at the big man in uncertainty.

"Good try kid; now, be good and die _screaming."_ Scalper was held aloft over his head, its grinding howl filling the night air, leaving the teens to take a step back towards the closed exit.

The big Fang charged the three with his head held low and his chainsaw held high, it's thunderous buzzing drowning out all rational thought and courage as the three shivered with uncertainty as they filled with the need to fight or flee, and then he was in their face, swinging through empty air, a growl escaping his throat as he glanced up to watch the three take to the tops of the surrounding crates to sprint away.

Blake ran ahead of the pack, sheer desperation and adrenaline easing the exhaustion in her limbs as she leapt across the crates filling the yard. The sound of the killer Fang's weapon was fading, replaced by the sounds of six footsteps slapping heavily against the metal containers.

This had very quickly gotten out of control, and she couldn't stop herself from grinding her teeth angrily; Adam had released a _serial killer_ to enforce for the White Fang, a goddamned _serial killer?!_ Of all the things Blake had argued against, this was one that Adam had shown great reluctance towards; even during his downward spiral, he had always tried to keep the moral high ground, saying he wouldn't employ ' _butchers'_ like the humans did, even as they were all being trained to kill…

… even that line had been crossed, and Blake felt her mind simmer with anger.

And then, in the distance far behind them, she heard a quick, distinct ' _pap.'_

There was no time to think; something struck the square of Penny's back and caused her foot to crumple against the next crate, her eyes widened with confusion as the back of her Aura exploded into an emerald green. Sun and Blake skid to an immediate halt allowing the momentum to carry them into the enclosed space between two containers, following Penny to the ground.

"Are you alright?!" Sun asked, crouched low, his expression quickly turning white as they heard the chainsaw grumbling closer and closer.

She took his extended hand, and Penny pulled herself to her feet without so much as a wince on her face, the Aura across her back fading away as a neutral frown crossed her face. "I am fine, though I believe there is a sniper."

"A sniper on the warehouse." Blake confirmed, her ears falling flat, as if the shooter would be able to see them through the crates. "A chainsaw-wielding madman on the ground…"

"Can this get _worse?"_ Sun asked, and as if on cue, Edward slid into view at the far end of the alley, his expression hidden behind the stoic mask, and Scalper cut a long, deep cut through the concrete. In a singular moment, his entire body tensed like a spring, Scalper held before him, the long blade held to bear against the three teens before he launched towards them, the sound of his weapon leading his charge like the braying of an angered bull.

"... Follow my lead." Blake ordered, drawing her stolen swords as a plan–an admittedly risky, possibly even idiotic plan–crossed her mind. Sun and Penny drew their weaponry, watching Blake charge the murderous man with hesitation.

Blake cut to the left, then cut to the right, making Edward adjust and slow as his eyes tracked her charge against him, and he all but laughed as Scalper's tip suddenly dipped to the ground and swung upwards.

He snarled in satisfaction as he saw the surprised in Blake's yellow eyes, as he saw her bring her swords up to catch the strike, watched the metal slicers get rent in half under the spinning blades of his weapon, then dig into Blake's ribs.

Sun called out as, for a brief moment, the sound of crushing bones and a spray of blood filled the air, and Edward held Scalper high, staring down in waning delight as Blake's halved corpsed fell to the ground in two, pitch-black pieces.

… That wasn't usually how that went.

Stinging pain filled his back, and he stumbled forward a step before turning sharply to swing the base of his weapon into Blake's face, making her leap back to avoid the blow. "Fucking _cat."_ The man snapped, lurching forward with Scalper held high as Blake backpedalled quickly, stepping ever closer towards the open sightlines of the sniper, only to grunt as he felt more bursts of pain across his back.

Scalper bit through the air, teasing the tips of Sun's hair as he slid beneath it, his nunchucks–Ryujibang and Jingubang–swinging inwards to snap at his Aura'd knee in a pincer that would have crippled an unprepared combatant. At the same time, Penny spun overhead, both her heels planting into his unprotected chest to force him to lurch back, off-kilter from the sudden shove and the pain in his knee.

Two more quick strikes across his back made him thrust his chest forward in pain, and the redheaded human's swords flew into his chest as her fingers twitched like a marionette master's, drawing them back before he could grab them in his hand.

Edward rasped for a moment in pain, and he sensed the three closing in, but his Aura was not broken… far from it.

He spun on his heel, his backhand crossing Blake's cheek and sending her slamming into a nearby wall with a surprised cry, and as the other two closed in from behind, Edward whipped back around, the spinning chain passing centimeters from Sun's nose tip as he ducked backwards, bent at the knees.

The bar guide, instead, caught Penny in the midsection as she flew in with her swords at her shoulders, and with a yelp she was forced into a cargo container. Scalper's roaring reached its peak as Edward gunned the engine, the chain ripping into her emerald Aura violently as the girl grasped at his wrists and tried to force his overpowering arms away, hardly making a noise of pain, her blades shaking and flailing at his masked face uselessly as he finally trapped one of them.

A sudden kick to the bottoms of his wrist made the murderous man's hand spasm and loosen on the saw's trigger, the blades quickly slowing as Sun threw his full weight into Edward's torso, driving him away from Penny to let the girl fall to her knees with a grunt.

Edward pushed back against Sun, laughing softly at his weak attempt to drive him away, and his hand lashed out to catch the boy by the throat. The twin Bangs smacked at the Fang's stomach, unloading round after round of shotgun, and then Sun was airborne.

The throw sent the monkey boy to the far end of the alley, the heels of his shoes sliding against the ground to try and slow his momentum and let him recover, but he gasped as he found himself caught. He bounced against the webbing that had blocked their escape before, and found himself suspended.

He kicked his legs and pulled with his arms as hard as he could, but the webbing remained strong, clinging to his Aura and preventing him from getting away despite how hard he pulled. He grit his teeth, he shouted in exertion, and with a gasp, he found a massive hand closing around his face.

"There we go, all strung up like a good kid should be. Time ta juice up…" Sun jerked as he watched the hand squeezing his Aura'd face glow with Edward's umber orange Aura, while Sun's Aura glowed an equally bright gold. However, as Edward squeezed, Sun's golden glow began to turn orange, fluctuating and wavering as it was sucked into Edward's, and the man gave a low, pleased growl as Sun felt himself weakening. "And once you're all out, it's lights out." He sounded satisfied with the not-rhyme as Sun howled into his palm, trying to dig his teeth into a thumb or something, but finding no purchase.

With a sudden yelp, Edward lurched forward, his grip loosening, his focus wavering, and Blake snarled as she tried with all her might to push both blades through his Aura and up his ass.

"Fucking _cat!"_ Edward shouted again, not losing his grip as he swung his hand out in an unfocused punch that went through Blake's face as she dissipated into shadow. Edward immediately glanced down the alley where the redhead was charging him from behind, and the arm sucking at Sun's Aura exploded into pain as Blake fell into it heels first, making it bend, weaken, and fall as she stood between him and Sun. " _Wrong move."_ He warned, his grip returning to Scalper to raise the buzzing weapon above his head, only to find he couldn't swing it down.

He glanced up in surprised, staring at thin, almost unnoticeable wires wrapped around his wrists, ending in the oddly-shaped blades Penny commanded. He pulled, but Penny pulled back, leaning away with her hands wrapped tightly around the wires for as much control of his movement as she could manage, and then a pair of blades sliced across Edward's belly.

The flash of pain drew a roar of anger, and Scalper flew from his hands into Penny's grip as she retracted the wires. Edward stared at Blake in wordless fury, bringing a meaty fist down onto her head to send her to the ground with a pained cry, but before he could draw his boot up to stomp her skull into paste, Sun grit his teeth and let himself go slack in his bindings to focus everything on his weakened Aura, and a pair of golden clones threw themselves onto the man.

He stepped back, his arms flailing as the two golden copies of the monkey boy crawled around his body and threw weak fists at his head and stomach, but the moment his palms touched the copies, they disappeared, their gold coloration swirling into the deep orange of his Aura.

"I'm gettin' _pissed."_ He snapped, only to roar in agony as his own chainsaw cut into the broad of his back, making him awkwardly turn and throw out a quick slap that knocked Scalper away, and he met Penny's eyes as she glared up at him… then blew a raspberry that sent a deep, unthinking hatred into his gut. "Give. That. _Back. Bitch."_

"I know what I am, but what do you approximate yourself to be?" Penny asked in a mocking tone, spun on her heel, and charged the other direction, waving the chainsaw above her head maniacally as Edward bellowed and chased after her, both turning left at the end of the alleyway, a ' _pap'_ chasing after them as Blake tiredly peeled herself off the ground, staring in quiet disbelief.

"... What a night, huh?" Sun asked, sounding out of sorts, leaving Blake to grunt in agreement. "So, uh, I'm kinda busy hanging out, you wanna be the one to tell her that's not how you say… _that?"_

"No, I'm going to leave that to you." Blake stared at his webbed bindings, giving them a scowl as her mind ticked. "Somebody's leaving behind these webs, and I think I have an idea of who it is; not the sniper, and definitely not the jackass with the chainsaw. I'm going to find them." She brought a sword down sharply on the web, only to wince when it popped out of her hand and stuck to the sticky strands with only a mocking shiver.

"Maybe there's Dust in the containers? Some fire would _probably_ clear this up… or roast me alive." Sun shrugged.

Blake glanced at the second blade, then at the surrounding containers, and pursed her lips.

A broken lock and half a fire Dust crystal later, the webbing lit up like tissue paper, letting Sun pull free with barely a flicker of distress from his golden Aura. "Man am I glad that I was wrong about that second thing I said…" He rolled his shoulders to loosen his arms, and was nearly knocked onto his ass when Blake threw a case into his arms.

"I took half the crystals in there, you and Penny keep Almost distracted." Blake ordered, depositing the red crystals across her outfit as Sun blinked.

"You seriously want to go looking for the web-layer _alone?"_

"I've trained all my life for this sorta stuff; recon, identification, incapacitation? That's what I'm good at." Blake frowned, twirling the swords in her hands nervously. "I'll be better back up picking off the people helping kill-happy out there. You? You're a leader, you're team-oriented, you and Penny aren't gonna die to him."

"Mmph, I love it when a girl butters me up." Sun winked, and Blake let out a low, annoyed chuckle. "You're that confident in us?"

"Bad things shouldn't happen to good people, so I'm going to make sure everybody not on my shit list gets a happy ending tonight." Blake cocked an ear as she heard a distant roar, a crash… and girlish mocking in the distance. "So, get going."

"Fine." Sun strode over to squeeze her upper arm comfortingly, and to Blake's credit, she resisted the impulse to pull away. "But you gotta walk away from all of this in one piece too, alright? If Ruby traded herself for you, imagine how she'd feel if you…?"

Blake swallowed thickly; Sun had a damn fine point.

* * *

 _-Primary Objective: Distraction In Progress(Almost, Edward James)_

 _-Almost, Edward James Status: [Serial Killer, White Fang, Unknown fluctuations to Aura level causing errors to strength calculations; { suggested course of action: avoid at all costs}]_

 _/ I must remain a distraction so that the others may recover._

 _-Sending new queries at 35 MB/s: {Providing a distraction against a human-hating serial killer.}_

 _-Downloading: ["The Art of Psychological Sabotage" {T.R.R. Miller}]_

 _-Suggestion: Enraging target(Almost, Edward James) will provide allies with escape opportunity in addition to disrupting rational thought; recommended method: insults._

 _-Run: (program:sickburn)_

" _Reliably honest members of your social circle have informed me of your inadequate genitalia!"_

Penny's head dipped below a fist that slammed into the metal hide of a cargo crate like a cannonball, then ripped the tough metal apart as Edward dragged his fist towards Penny's face as she backpedalled away.

Scalper clumsily swung to block his arm, but he bore the saw's bite to lunge forward and push into Penny with an arm swinging out to constrict her, but she swiftly ducked beneath his arm and sprinted past his side with Scalper still roaring overhead.

" _Your mother was able to confirm these statements after I copulated with her morbidly obese buttocks!"_

" _SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"_ Edward roared, the two sprinting across the open thoroughfare where the sniper was keeping watch. Penny threw herself into a sudden, rolling dive, the sound of the cement behind her cracking, followed by the distant ' _pap'_ of the silence rifle telling her the stunt had been necessary.

 _-Set New Status(Almost, Edward James): Burned._

 _-Almost, Edward James Status: [Serial Killer, White Fang, Unknown fluctuations to Aura level causing errors to strength calculations, Burned]_

 _/_ _ **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH**_

She tossed a glance over her shoulder, and though her gasp of surprise was entirely voluntary, it felt appropriate.

She turned on her heel and fell backwards, holding the chainsaw between herself and the massive Faunus as he lunged at her with both hands extended towards her throat. He was far faster than he'd appeared, kicking his Aura-enhancement into overdrive to keep up, but he collapsed on top of Penny, ignoring how his Aura burned a hot orange as his own weapon tried to chew into his chest, and Penny struggled to move her head out of the way of his swinging hands, up until one latched onto her face.

She felt her Aura begin to wane as the emerald green shield began to turn umber, but a swift knee to his groin made him grunt and shift, just enough for her to slide a leg between them, and kick him off of her.

She had no need to pant, but she had an understanding of the feeling of ' _tired.'_ She had taken a number of rough blows by now, and her Aura was requiring more of her processing power in order to continue operating at one-hundred percent power.

Her Remnet feed of the pop culture pages of several social media sites had to be deactivated, as did, much to her regret, the twenty-four-seven livecam she was tuned into to watch puppies and kittens at a local animal shelter. That, in and of itself, was nearly as unforgivable as the capture of Ruby Rose.

The teen and the killer stood up almost as one, Penny holding Scalper defensively as Edward stared at her, his head tilting forward in a fashion that indicated aggression. Penny shut off a number of other small routines and programs that she had been using to study human behavior, as well as appeal to that odd desire of both comfort and excitement that humans deemed ' _joy.'_

Edward was staring at her, his body tensing and relaxing as he sucked in deep breaths, as if his mind was so deeply occupied with his emotions that he couldn't plan; good, that was what Penny wanted. If he was stupid, he could be distracted more easily.

He leaned forward and took a heavy step, his boot hitting the concrete floor heavily, the loud ' _thump'_ sending Penny back a single step. He was prepared to charge her at any given moment, that much was clear, and he was trying to psyche her out with the timing; she was flattered that he assumed she was so human, but also felt the beginnings of annoyance that he was only convinced to fulfill his desire to _murder._

Another step, and Penny took two back, awaiting for his sudden spring into action… perhaps the Sniper was getting into a better location? Doubtful, the terrain would not allow for such expedient relocation and set up at a reasonable range. She did not blink as he took his third step, and Penny took her fourth and her fifth.

Then, he leapt forward, and Penny sprung backwards, twisting on her heels, instantly prepared to escape, and immediately finding herself suspended in the air.

Her mind raced as she tried to consider what sort of phenomenon she was experiencing as she found herself unable to move, stuck in mid-jump. Her eyes twitched in their sockets to absorb as much information as she could, and then she realized: the same glimmer as before, the invisible, sticky webstrands from before…

Oh. She was trapped.

 _/ Help!_

She tried to turn her head to face the slowly approaching, heavy footfalls of Edward, but the webbing against her cheek wouldn't break, nor allow her to do much more than a slight turn.

She threw a jab at the large man's chest, the motion throwing one of her swords at him, but he merely snickered as his Aura absorbed it, and his meaty fingers closed around the chainsaw stuck in her other hand.

He pulled it out despite her tight grip, and Penny had to reevaluate how strong a person could be compared to her… the impulse to gulp dramatically hit her, but she knew that was just copied behavior, she had no reason to, but the uncomfortable feelings in her chest wouldn't _leave…_

Scalper made a low growl as it was primed, and Penny felt something new as Edward's masked face leaned in close to hers: _revulsion._

"You did a damn fine job pissing me off, girl." His voice was filled with a soft eagerness, his excitement just barely constrained by the knowledge that he had as much time as he wanted. "It's all you humans are good for, making everyone angry, making them _suffer."_ Scalper's blade settled against the knee of her trapped leg, and when she tried to flail her hand, he thrust her arm back to stick it to the web. "This is all for the family I lost to your _people,_ girl. You're gonna scream nice 'n loud, 'til all'a Heaven can hear ya, understood? So try 'n hang on 'til the very last _limb."_

The chainsaw's triggers were pressed, the chain began to whirl, and Penny felt her Aura rise to push as hard as it could against the spinning blade, and with little warning, all she saw was _fire._

The explosion, the sudden swelling of heat, the blinding red and orange, and she actually let a scream escape her as Edward roared in surprise. With little warning, Penny hit the floor, the web gone, her mobility back, and she wasted no time driving a heel directly into the murderous man's ankle.

Edward hit the floor with a yelp of surprise, and Penny threw herself away from him, a gaping feeling in her chest that she couldn't explain; vast, empty, cold, and unhappy. She did not shiver, but the nervousness crawled across her body like insects.

" _Hey! Eddy!"_ A male voice shouted towards the pair, and the empty hole in Penny's chest closed with relief as she saw Sun approaching with a red crystal in his hand. "Hands off the girls; it ain't cool, bro!"

Edward stood, slowly, furiously, his head pointed towards Penny with what she could only imagine was an expression of outrage, and a low, ominous rumble escaped his throat. "I fucking _hate_ kids…" He snarled.

"Yeah, well, sentiments are returned, buddy, I think you're a big goddamned _tool."_ Sun snapped at him, and the man snarled at the boy.

"You _really_ wanna risk your life for her?!" Edward demanded, Scalper's roar punctuating his question as Sun flinched the tiniest bit, then snapped Ryujibang and Jingubang into a solid staff and glared. "She's a _human!_ We've been nothing but their stepping stones; they've slaughtered our people, enslaved us, and despite _everything_ they've promised, we're still not equal!"

"Oh, yeah, totally man." Sun bent his knees in a ready stance, his nostrils flaring angrily at bull of a Fang. "And you must feel _soooo_ good sinking to their level!" At that, Edward stomped forward a step, straining his neck as if daring Sun to repeat himself. "Y'know, I've known the redhead down there for maybe, like, twenty minutes longer than I've known you, and you know what she's got that you don't, big guy? An actual set of morals! … And really nice legs."

"Thank you, Sun! Your legs are neat, too!"

"Thanks, Penny!" Sun called back as Edward tensed up, and Sun shook his head. "I ain't gonna say I totally get what you White Fang guys are after, but, uh, you're kind of a fucking psychopath and need to be thrown into some nice little cell where you aren't gonna kill people."

"I'll make you regret _ever_ siding with that girl." Edward snapped, Sun's words doing little more than to enrage the killer further. "Only thing I can't stand more than a human is a human- _lover."_

"Hey man, all I did was double the number of women I have a chance with." Sun winked, and Edward charged with a roar.

* * *

This felt more familiar than Blake would have liked to have admitted.

The dockyard was covered in deep shadows thanks to the prevalence of its outdoor lighting, giving Blake ample opportunities to move in her prefered element.

It was natural to her even as exhaustion gnawed at the back of her mind. Her Aura still worked, her muscle memory was still intact, it just became a matter of keeping focus.

Blake listened to the distant sounds of silenced gunfire and the chainsaw, and her mind inevitably went to Ruby. She slipped from the edges of the crates, one-by-one, trying to make herself _focus,_ even as a dreadful feeling washed over her. What was Ruby suffering every second she wasted here?

What were the Fang doing to her?

The thought settled around her coherent thoughts like a dark cloud, and she had to grit her teeth to keep herself from abandoning Sun and Penny to go reap vengeance.

She was a team… with hunters. Human hunters. Human hunters and Faunus hunters, and she was no longer fighting on the side that had been consumed by vengeance and bloodthirst, she wasn't an accessory to their evils anymore… Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Sun, and Penny each fought for the betterment of Remnant, _all_ of Remnant.

Six of them were wanting to fight for just one little girl against overbearing odds that would chew them up and spit them out without remorse… the other two, Blake clung to the belief that they hadn't abandoned their fight in anger. She regretted leaving them behind, she sincerely wanted to fix things, but right now, she needed to focus, and she hoped they had the clarity to do so as well.

From one hiding spot to the next, Blake was the wind. She knew how to hide, knew how to skulk, knew how to trick the ears of people and animals that boasted being able to hear the fall of a leaf in a rainstorm; Blake knew what she was best at.

She leaned her head out from behind a container and focused her ears, and heard a gentle ' _tick tick'_ that stuck out as familiar… and exactly what she was looking for. Quick as a mouse, and just as silent, she shot across the open space into another alleyway and waited as the ' _tick tick'_ paused, then continued, and she stuck her head out to stare.

Kneeling behind a series of crates was a Fang in pure black clothing, including their mask; it was against the White Fang's standard philosophy of wearing Grimm masks, but this was a special case, the Fang relied on Jinqo being unseen at all times, and the woman was nearly as good as Blake in that regard.

Nearly.

The black-adorned woman had her left hand tightly held around a katar that hung limply by her thigh, while her right hand inserted a small vial full of clear liquid into a box worn at the front of her waist like a fanny pack. Two long, spindly, chitinous spider limbs extended from beneath her human arms, and both clicked and ticked together over the front of the box, where a long, nigh-invisible string was being produced.

Jinqo checked her flanks, then down the next alley, straining her ear… then raising her right hand to a communicator in her other ear. She spoke low, but Blake had a view of her lips: ' _Am I safe?'_ Jinqo asked. After a half minute of listening, she suddenly sprung from where she crouched, and those additional limbs of her began stringing the web between the crates rapidly, refusing to let any other part of her body touch the sticky material as those legs moved in quick, jabbing motions, not really trying to be precise, but quickly forming a barrier that would capture anyone unlucky enough to bungle into it.

Blake took a deep breath; Jinqo was the White Fang's most dedicated trapper. She knew from experience the woman was rotten in a fight, but stumbling across her in the field had been luck… luck she intended to capitalize on.

Jinqo took a cautious glance around, slipping into the shadows where she melded in with her pitch-black clothing, and moving quietly away. Blake slipped out of her own hiding spot, watching her mark carefully as the woman slunk in the darkness of an alleyway, peeked her head out to watch for where the battle was taking place, then knelt down to bring her fingers to her ear.

"I haven't seen her… no, if she's going after anyone, it's _you."_ Jinqo whispered as Blake crept closer, her ears perked. "They're probably going to lead him out into the open if she jumps you. I doubt the idiot's smart enough to realize what's going on… Yeah, I don't know who he's trying to impress staying off comms… I'll be right there, there's not too many ways up, I'll trap the entire thing."

She brought her fingers down, and shot up like she'd been electrocuted when a soft hand passed over her ear, and she turned back to stare as Blake tucked Jinqo's communicator into her pocket. Jinqo raised her katar, and was kicked hard enough in the side to send her slamming into a nearby container, causing her to pitch forward onto her hands and knees.

Two blades came down on the back of her neck, making her screech in pain, and she forced herself to rise, swinging her katar up into the dissipating, shadowy figure of Blake's clone.

" _Belladonna."_ Jinqo hissed, whirling around on her heels, sweat forming on her brow as she was overtaken by nervousness, the suddenness of direct combat making her mind tremble. She was a backline support, keeping people nice and wrapped up so she could inflict the final blow at her leisure, or leave them to the rest of the Fang, she wasn't supposed to be caught out like this! " _Why_ are you attacking us?!"

Jinqo spun, throwing an arm out, her katar slicing through empty air as she backed her way down the alley, towards the shadows… but darkness was where Blake was most at home; Jinqo used them to hide, Blake used them to ambush, and there was no way she wasn't exposing herself rushing into _Blake's_ territory. She began heading for the open road, where the sniper would have an open sightline.

"We were your family, weren't we?!" Jinqo pleaded, turning left, then right, at the end of her wits as she tried to find where the girl had disappeared to, trying to predict where the next strike would come from, practically feeling the kiss of steel on the back of her neck. "We need you, Blake!" She called out, her eyes swivelling behind her black mask, left and right, up and down. " _Adam_ needs you! Look at what we're doing! We have the humans scared, they're starting to realize they can't mess with us anymore!"

She stepped out into the open, her arms raised up, her eyes glancing up towards the roof where Rien was stationed with his rifle. Her walking out into the open would have been enough of a warning to her partner that something was amiss; Rien was sharp, he'd know something was going on, so she was safe.

Right?

This was only Blake, not Blake leading an entire contingent of Fang infiltrators, and Blake never killed, just incapacitated… but choking someone out was different from getting beaten until your Aura broke. Jinqo took deep breaths as she held her blade up protectively; she did _not_ like being part of the fight… she thought herself a tactician, and the bloodthirsty gorilla they got assigned to treated her ideas as little more than nuisances.

He wanted a _fight,_ not a tactically sound ambush. _Fuck,_ why did her assignment have to be under some _human?_ With some _psychopath?_ She'd have rather been out in the woods hunting her own meals than putting up with the shitheels she'd been forced to share _air_ with…

And of course, now she was squaring off against _Blake Belladonna,_ the girl who taught her how to sneak, hide, steal, and observe… but _not_ how to fight. Jinqo wanted to throw a tantrum in frustration, but it was ice-cold _fear_ that kept her from shouting out loud… losing her mind would lead to her getting ambushed, she'd have to goad the girl… or maybe, hopefully, tempt her back to the right side.

"We can still use your help!" She called out, her voice only greeted by the roaring of the fight happening in the distance. "The White Fang is doing more than ever before. As soon as we're all wrapped up here, we're even ditching the asshole in the suit!" She heard nothing, she saw nothing, and she curled her spider legs towards her web maker.

She turned her head up towards the warehouse roof, where she saw an obscured, black shape against the night blue sky peeking over the edge. The long barrel of Rien's rifle was turning slowly to scan the area, and then Jinqo heard a shout from above.

The rifle was swiftly taken away from the roof's edge, and Jinqo felt her limbs tremble as she quickly raced towards the building. She heard the clash of weaponry as her web-tipped spider-limbs dug into the building's side, and she swiftly crawled her way up, her booted toes finding footholds along the way.

Her ambush was a distraction?! Jinqo grit her teeth; of course, it was the sort of stuff Blake had been famous for in the Fang. She loved those ballsy, assaults-masking-assaults sort of moves; alarming Jinqo and stealing her communicator meant that Rien had been left on the offense, his back unprepared…

Jinqo leapt up to the rooftop, katar drawn, just in time to catch Rien as the black-clothed sniper was thrown into her, making her screech as they were both sent off the roof.

The whip of wind in her ears quickly turned into a meaty ' _crash'_ as her back hit the concrete ground below, Rien unconscious and Auraless on top of her, her own Aura flickering violently to try and stay up as Blake stood over them at the edge of the roof, her descent swift until her normally gracious figure loomed over them threateningly.

The sharpened ends of Jinqo's spider legs thrust up at Blake's golden eyes, only to be caught in the catgirl's hands, the web-dipped points held out to the sides of her heads as the girl leveled a surprisingly gentle glare down at Jinqo.

" _You really are nothing but a traitor!"_ Jinqo spat at the girl, trembling angrily as she pushed Rien off her body and tried to pull her extra legs back. " _I thought you were something special! Somebody to look up to!_ I learned how to _be_ a White Fang from you, I respected you! Why are you doing this?!"

Rather than respond, Blake raised a leg up, and drove it down onto Jinqo's face, her Aura popping with a fizzle and a groan from the pained girl, and Blake tossed her limbs aside. She glared at Jinqo as the spider girl's consciousness faded, and the trapper could barely bite back a snarl.

"The last thing I wanted was to become like the worst of the humans; now that I've met the best of them, I'm doing my own thing."

Jinqo grit her teeth, trying to grab her weapon, only weakly able to palm it, and barely doing much more than a lazy swing that got caught and pushed aside with little more than a twitch of Blake's hand. "Selfish _bitch."_

Blake shook her head, and a quick hilt to the temple knocked Jinqo unconscious, possibly concussing her, but Blake had other things to worry about. Yeah, she was selfish… she always was, she was starting to realize, but she wasn't going to suffer those bitter words from the White Fang.

She would, almost inevitably, hear them from her former team when she crawled back to them to apologize… it would hurt, it would _sting,_ but she was selfish, and she wanted to be part of them again. She needed to rescue Ruby from whatever fate the Fang had in store for her, or she couldn't dare ever meet Weiss' and Yang's eyes again.

* * *

The big bastard just wouldn't go _down._

Sun really had to give props to Penny; whatever plan or move he went in with, she was right there capitalizing on whatever openings he made, or assisting in freeing him when a mistake was made.

That being said, those opportunities were few and far between; it repeatedly took Sun throwing his full weight and strength into his attacks to make Eddy even flinch, so it was impossible to get into a rhythm with his nunchucks. His opponents were usually left being driven back on the defensive as he gained momentum, letting him control the flow of battle, but getting shrugged off like _this_ was just plain disheartening.

He had to throw himself backwards when Scalper threatened to grind straight through his chin, and catching himself on his feet, he had to stop himself from dropping to his knees as they trembled. He'd come in tonight with a full batch of Aura, and this jackass kept hammering away at it, or worse, taking it for his _own._

Penny was hard to judge, but Sun always gave her a quick glance, watching in quiet worry as spun away from the Fang's weapon, her weapons lancing out and getting knocked aside. She didn't seem overly tired, but that didn't mean she wasn't feeling it. He couldn't lean on her too heavily, or else she was going to break under the strain.

Sun forced himself into a full-tilt charge at the open back of the Fang, and as he turned with a jaw-breaking haymaker to meet Sun's charge, the monkey boy ducked into a slide that could have stolen home plate. His foot collided with Edward's ankle, and the man's foot went out wide, sending him pitching onto his face as Sun recouped with Penny.

"Are you alright?!" He asked quickly, only to yelp when Eddy threw himself up as quickly as he could, arms outstretched to grab the two. Sun dove between his legs instinctively, and turned to see Penny pirouette out of Eddy's first attempt, but he barreled through the blades slicing at his chest to grab her around the neck and lift.

Sun charged, Ryujingubang a solid staff in his hand, while Penny's hands held Almost's wrists, and the tips of her blades tried to force themselves into his mask's eye sockets, glowing bright green and dispensing a blinding plasma that made the man howl and fling Penny behind him, the girl colliding with Sun mid-charge, the two bowling backwards with twin groans of pain.

Penny lifted herself off of Sun's torso, and Sun had the urge to stay on the ground and just enjoy not standing for a moment… and appreciate that he already had a pretty lady on top of him. He would have placed her a foot lower, but that could wait…

"To answer your question: I have been better." Penny answered, her voice filled with a nervous uncertainty, but there was still _energy._ Sun smirked at her, nodding his head as they both pushed themselves to their feet, watching as Edward buried his face into his hands and thrashed about, his bucking torso looking as dangerous as his fists.

His hands fell, and he stared at the two as best as he could through the spots in his eyes, and a low rumble escaped him. "I'm going to skin you _both alive,_ and use your _fucking skulls to drink human blood!"_ He shouted, and Sun's nostrils flared.

"I think we're hurting his brain more than his body at this point." Sun grunted, edging backwards as the massive man grabbed his weapon off the ground and revved it, roaring to the night sky like a monster.

"What he said sounded very… _extra?"_ Penny inquired, tilting her head in confusion as she joined Sun in backing away slowly.

"Yeah, that was pretty extra." Sun confirmed. "Like, I'm all for a good threat, I've heard a million of 'em, but he should've stopped at skinning us alive."

"Also, I believe the act of drinking blood is both unsanitary and unhealthy, regardless of who it comes from." Penny added, making Sun nod rapidly.

"I mean, probably, cannibalism's pretty— _oh shi—!"_ The two teens reared as Edward bullrushed them without any form of caution or constraint, his weapon on his back, his arms thrown out wide, and they could practically see the hate pouring out of his mask's eye holes.

Sun's brain was more sluggish with his tiredness, and his body could only respond by trying to fall as the man was suddenly _on them,_ one hand grabbing around Sun's throat, the other moving too quickly for even Penny as he grabbed her out of the air, continuing his charge out into the open thoroughfare, into the sniper's sightlines, and taking a great leap to slam the two into the hard, stone ground.

Twin gasps of pain escaped them as they struggled with his bulky wrists, and they could almost hear the grinding of his teeth behind his mask as their gold and green Auras began to turn orange.

" _Gotcha."_ He snapped, his hands like steel vices, threatening to crush their windpipes as he squeezed ever tighter, ignoring the way his own fingers sent warning pains that he was squeezing too hard.

Then, a new pain.

His hand loosened around Sun's neck as a painful shot exploded across his shoulder, a distant ' _pap'_ accompanying the pain. He lifted his head to glare with killing intent at the distant figure, standing with a rifle aimed at the three, and he barked out a furious: " _Watch your fucking fire!"_

And just like that, he was blind again.

The pain that spread across his face from the sniper bullet colliding with his Aura knocked him onto his back, his hands loosening from his two victims as he grabbed his face. His enraged snapping and snarling was joined by his violent thrashings on the ground as he kicked and bucked at imaginary foes, not paying attention as Penny and Sun quickly raced to cover to stare at the man as he forced himself onto his feet, his head turning to level a stare at the sniper.

" _I'll kill you!"_ He shouted in warning, but rather than be greeted by Rien smuggly informing him they were betraying him, his anger only grew as he stared at Blake Belladonna. " _I'LL KILL YOU!"_ He repeated louder, angrier, his entire body shaking as he pulled Scalper off his back.

Blake said nothing, making no noise other than calmly ejecting the rifle's magazine to slap in a new one, and take aim with a huff. Edward charged her, holding Scalper in front of his face to deflect a bullet, then suffered a shot to knee that nearly made him stumble.

He was forcing his Aura to bulk up so much in front of him, Blake briefly grieved the opportunity to strike his back, but still, she had to stick with her plan to take the heat off of Sun and Penny.

She couldn't reliably hit his legs, so she aimed for his center-mass; even with as much of a defense as he'd put up, every little bit of Aura she took helped. She kept pulling the trigger, and kept hoping one of the ones hitting his stomach or his hands would stop him, but his zealous rage may have kept him going.

He was simply too furious, and probably too used to being unstoppable to doubt his ability to kill the three of them, even with his backup gone. Luckily for her, even if she couldn't stop his charge, she had something to do it for her.

He charged ever closer to the large, clear puddle that was spread before Blake's feet, the web-making box broken and discarded behind some crates, and Blake backpedalled in a false show of fear to encourage his blind charge, working perfectly as his foot planted in the sticky liquid.

Edward's other foot hit the ground, and he tried to haul himself forward, but his feet were stuck in the pool. Blake couldn't resist a cocky smile as she heard his wavering gasp of realization, then the way he stared murderously her direction. She recalled the details of how he'd originally gotten caught: two teams of four hunters constantly assailed him and retreated further and further into the wilderness, letting him wear himself out on a rampage through Grimm and multiple traps, ultimately getting caught when he was tangled up in a web of Auratic wires that kept him from pulling free.

Against a small handful of opponents trying to batter and beat him, the man was perfectly unstoppable; far more Aura than normal, the ability to take others' for his own, a weapon designed to cleave through Aura and flesh, and a complete disregard for his personal safety when he could tank artillery shells… but his complete reliance on fury and Aura made him vulnerable.

… Or so Blake thought.

His eyes locked onto hers, and as she dared to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw his umber Aura fall, his thin shield dissipating and leaving him vulnerable, allowing his boots to sink into the webbing fluid, and letting him bend his knees and jump straight out of his own footwear.

Blake's eyes widened, the world moving in slow motion as she lifted the rifle once more and pulled the trigger as Edward flew towards her with a triumphant laugh. His left shoulder exploded with blood and bone before his Aura wrapped around him again, and his chainsaw came down on the rifle as Blake held it out defensively.

She dropped the rifle as Scalper cut straight through it, the weapon cutting into Blake's chest Aura, and the both of them fell to the ground. Scalper's bite left Blake cringing, yelping in pain, and rolling away from Edward as she instinctively held her chest. She tried to push herself to her knee, watching as Edward threw himself to his bare feet, one hand gripping his shoulder as his Aura reignited to heal it.

Blake scrambled back, and Eddy lurched towards her, growling between his grit teeth. "When Adam gets your head in a box, I'll make sure he knows you went down protecting _humans._ That'll save him a few tears." He rumbled threateningly.

She threw herself to her feet, but a big boot slammed her back into the door of the warehouse, and a big hand grabbed her face. She let loose of cry of rage and indignation as she felt his Aura latch onto hers like a thirsty leech, and her knuckles slammed ineffectually into his wrist as she felt her Aura wane around her.

" _Never. Going. Back!"_ She snapped, trying to sink her teeth into his thumb, but he ignored it as he fed off her strength.

"Heh, and I ain't asking you, _Belladonna."_ Almost growled as he squeezed her face, making her gasp in pain as he tried to cave in her skull through her Aura. "Only thing I want is you and everyone you care for skinned _alive."_

Edward chuckled with sadistic mirth, his left arm hanging limp by his side as he sucked up her strength. She kicked, she punched, she bit, but the brute of a man was too strong for her to take alone, and her Aura was quickly dissipating around her.

" _Damnit…"_ She hissed, her entire body shaking, her limbs weakening, her vision going blurry…

A crunch, so loud that she thought she was hearing her own skull breaking under his fingers, reached her ears. Her eyes widened in an instant, fear overtaking her as she tried to feel anything amiss in her own head, but when her eyes focused, it was on something far different.

A golden hope filled Blake's vision. Her eyes glowed with a ferocious red, her teeth grit with an offended anger, her fist crashed into the side of the Fang man's head, his orange Aura glowing brightly as he was hit with meteoric force, and Edward flew away from Yang, his grip on Blake completely gone, and Blake stood there in shock and awe as Yang squared her shoulders, puffed out her hefty chest, and bellowed.

" _That is_ my _cat you're fucking with, asshole!"_ Yang thundered, heat pouring off her in waves that left Blake feeling sweaty but… _happy_ to see her partner. Wait, _her_ cat…? Blake stared at Yang, who glanced back at her; that furious expression flickered, her lips showing a hint of remorse, maybe even relief, but Yang faced forward as Edward snarled in anger, and charged the blonde with his right arm held up in a tight coil, his left arm barely managing to curl.

She weaved to the side, avoiding his fist, and when he leaned into her with his shoulder to knock her off her feet, she threw her own into his, their Auras colliding, his momentum slowing, and they stared one another angrily in the eye as he, step-by-step, pushed her back with his superior strength.

His fist slammed into her gut, but she just snorted indignantly, and her leg swept behind his with a swift movement, her palm struck his chest, and he was shoved onto his back like a rank amateur.

When he got up again, he was swinging his fists wildly, each one strong enough to knock a year off of Yang's life, but the girl was a trained boxer, and her body naturally flowed between his strikes while peppering his stomach and face with lightning fast jabs. Every time he went in to grab her, she was suddenly by his side, rocking his ribs with a fist that could have dented steel; his Aura was far stronger than metal, yet he was making no progress in pursuing her.

Blake grabbed her twin blades at her hips, and leapt in as she saw his arms raise for a downward strike that Yang was already prepared to dodge. Edward's swing faltered as a cross-strike across his open back made him roar, which was cut short when a fist sank into his gut.

He swept a hand out, driving Yang away, then spun in place to throw a sloppy punch at Blake, who caught it face-first, then turned into darkness. He grunted ferociously, more like an angry animal than a man, and with his back exposed to Yang, a series of precise, hard strikes to his back and kidneys made him stumble forward.

When he turned his attention back to Yang, trying his damndest to use his weight and strength to cow her into a more submissive position, he found her weaving away, keeping herself from being cornered. With a quick strike and a bit of luck he managed to snag the tail-end of her hair and drag her head back into range for a savage knee to her face, but she only grunted, growled, and grew _hotter,_ her hair suddenly taking on the appearance of liquid gold as his grip tightened and he chambered another thrust of his knee.

Her yellow Aura began to turn orange, and the second knee to her face was answered with a punch to his stomach, and the third knee fell short as he found he couldn't move it.

A quick glance down at his foot saw it coated in a layer of hard, blue ice, which was crawling up his leg and towards the arm eating Yang's Aura, and he shifted and pulled, ripping himself free, and frantically smashing at his arm to break the ice. Hair slipped out of his grip in his lapse in attention, and Edward saw stars as a vicious uppercut rocked his chin.

He stumbled backwards, and a pair of cuts to the backs of his legs sent him to his knees, and his attempt to stand up was impeded by a haymaker to the face. He kept his balance on his hands, his left barely able to hold his weight, his breathing deep and labored, his Aura still there, but… would it carry him through to the end? Who the fuck was this girl that showed up, why wasn't his shoulder healing, where had the ice come from, _why was nobody dead?!_

He forced himself to his feet with a growl, swatting away Yang's next punch and lunging at her, but she dodged, _of course._ He turned with a wild swing of his arm, trying to knock Blake's head off, but she was well out of range, and the damned, fiery blonde was charging him. He charged back, lowering his head to meet hers, but he felt a blow to his stomach.

He'd _felt_ it.

He ceased his charge with a stumble. Where was Scalper? Why did he agree to this?! All the other hunters tried to chase him into his tunnels, it was easier to kill them where they were lost and blind in the darkness, where no matter what they poured down, he'd survived… was he losing?

The realization sent alarming tremors down his body as he stared up at Blake and Yang, the two girls glaring at him, both looking so damned _confident._ One a human, who he just wanted to hear scream, the other a human-lover, looking so natural next to the blonde, who needed to _suffer._

And behind them, standing beside a yellow motorcycle, flanked by the redheaded girl and the blonde monkey, was somebody who made his breath catch.

The girl stared at him with arctic blue eyes, her hair white and pure, like freshly fallen snow. Her skin was immaculate and pale aside from the identifiable scar over her eye, her expression cold and analytical, her outfit recognizable both on and off the stage, and her weapon pointed at him threateningly.

It was her.

It was a _Schnee._

Something bubbled up within Edward: excitement, rage, a hatred he had long clung to while nursing a grudge over the things he'd lost… a Schnee. A _Schnee,_ right in front of him, staring at him hatefully, just as he stared at her back.

Winning, losing, living, dying, it didn't matter anymore.

His outraged scream made the five teens stand ramrod straight, staring in shock at his sudden change in demeanor, his body tense, his emotions alight, everything about him shifted into something beyond his original, semi-controlled rage. He blew past Blake and Yang, despite preparing for his charge, and his hands scooped up Scalper as he flew towards Weiss with his weapon howling above his head.

His senseless, enraged charge bowled Sun over, and ignored Penny's blades as they dug into his chest; he was going to have his revenge, _he was going to kill a SCHNEE!_

He took one step into her range, his chainsaw swinging down towards the center of her head, and he could already picture it splitting in half and spilling Schnee blood everywhere, but Myrtenaster flicked up, a the cracking sound of a pulse going off where their weapons connected, and Edward found himself frozen in confusion as Scalper suddenly flew to his left, his strength blown back by a simple Aura technique, his chainsaw flying out of his hands as a painful jolt went down his left arm.

The tip of the Schnee's sword plunged towards his chest, the sharp feeling of her blade biting into him making his teeth grit, but a charcoal black glyph appeared at the tip, and all at once, he was flying against his will.

He slid across the ground, skipping across it like a rock across the still lake, and finally rolled onto his back, staring at the sky, a number of emotions clawing at his mind, his desires at war as he found his need to kill them all suddenly fighting against _fright._ He… needed to run.

They were going to kill him.

 _NO._

He forced himself to his feet, his limbs heavy, his stomach hungry, his mind aching, his Aura coming to life. He had to _kill the Schnee._ He had to _kill them all._

His vision was blurred, and he saw a mixture of yellows, blacks, whites, and greens swimming somewhere ahead of him. It was _them,_ he saw _them,_ the _humans_ and the _human-lovers_ and they all needed to _die!_

He took one heavy step forward, and the yellow suddenly flew into his vision, and then, all he saw was black as his heavy body his the concrete ground, and his umber Aura popped and faded like an old light.

Yang stood over the fallen Fang, her fists raised, her eyes inspecting his movements closely. Without his Aura, his wounded shoulder began to bleed again.

"Holy shit…" Sun spoke under his breath, his eyes firmly on the burning blonde standing victoriously over her opponent. Weiss and Penny were both watching carefully as well, but not for the same reasons… "Her… now _she_ is a ten-outta-ten." Sun murmured, and Weiss gave him a brief, scandalized look. "She single?" He asked Weiss, who gave him a narrow glare.

" _Not in your lifetime."_ Weiss snapped, and Sun held his hands up, knowing when he'd been rebuked, even by proxy.

Yang began to carefully kneel, her fingers reaching out for his his neck artery to feel for a pulse, but a hand took her wrist and pulled it aside. She looked up at Blake sharply as her–possibly no longer?–partner tilted her large ears down at the brute.

"Don't bother, I can hear him breathing; it's shallow, but he's alive." Blake said, extending an arm across Yang's chest, using her elbow to push the blonde off the man's body.

"Blake, what the _fuck?_ I'm fine doing this myself!" Yang snapped, her body still wound like a spring as Blake reached into her back pouch.

She pulled out a zip tie, standard among White Fang operatives looking to capture. Considering Almost had gone without a communicator, Blake bet he didn't have any of his own on him, but Jinqo and Rien were well-trained and far more interested in the White Fang's cause than some hired killer was.

"Because if he wakes up and _dares_ touch you…" Blake growled. Yang would be fine, she knew she would have, but the thought of Almost touching her hair, or grabbing her partner's face made her hackles rise; she'd already been responsible for the loss of one Xiao Long, she wasn't going to let anything hurt the other.

"He'd get his face beaten in, _then_ handed to the police, assuming the brain damage doesn't kill him." Yang said dryly. As soon as Edward's hands were bound together, with zero motion other than the steady, slow rise of his breast, Blake stood, turned, and nearly fell over the man as an open palm struck across her cheek.

The stinging pain beckoned tears from her eyes, and Blake stared down at the floor, touching the reddened skin unable to move as the red, raw pain opened up that pit of shame. She trembled; she had been slapped before, and she half-expected to look up and see Adam glaring at her before his face inevitably fell in a combination of self-doubt and guilt.

Instead, what she saw was a deep, dark, and warm breadth of cleavage as she was, rather unceremoniously, hugged into Yang's chest, a hand resting on the back of her scalp, the other around her shoulders as Yang took deep, calming breaths. Blake found the water in her eyes receding as she found the comfort of Yang's body to be perfect for her beaten, tired body. Yang smelled of sweat, engine Dust, and a tingle of cinnamon that Blake had never noticed before, more than likely a charming little spray she zapped her breasts with after cleaning up daily.

Blake wondered why she'd never smelled it before… more than likely because Yang's shampoo overpowered the smell, and Blake had never gotten a faceful of her partner's chest. It was a nice smell, and a pleasant place to be… she didn't realize she had her arms around the blonde as she spent so long musing how she could get this kind of embrace in the future.

When she finally came up for some fresh air, Yang's worried eyes rest on Blake's calm, quiet ones. Their arms loosened, and Yang sized Blake up as the Faunus girl wiped the streaks off her cheeks, sniffled pathetically for a few moments, and then spoke aloud.

"How did you find us?" She asked, glancing from Yang to Weiss as the debutante approached them, flanked by Sun and Penny, the former of whom was staring at Weiss in wide-eyed recognition.

"Yang learned that the Duermoor Docks are where a lot of White Fang activity was happening." Weiss stated.

"Yeah, and then we heard the rifle shots riding down the street; silencers ain't that silent." Yang added on with a roll of her shoulders as she, with little prompt and no questions, began to curiously fiddle with Blake's ears, making the Faunus girl wince and pout as Yang kneaded. "That, and the chainsaw."

"The chainsaw _and_ the screaming about murder and skinning." Weiss rubbed her temple in obvious stress, Myrtenaster still tight in her grip as she stared at the cuffed man on the ground. "... I would normally say something petty, but considering present company, I will assume he is an outlier, not the norm among the White Fang." She and Blake looked into one another's eyes, and though there was judgement in Weiss' eyes, Blake still tried to look somewhat thankful.

Yang grunted. "Aura-absorption and a chainsaw? I think I saw this guy on TV a couple-a years back. Some serial killer, right?"

"Edward James Almost." Penny supplied, standing up straight as she spoke. "A criminal formerly unaffiliated with the White Fang, a serial killer who terrorized the towns in southern Vale, identifiable by his personal weapon—"

" _Right."_ Yang cut her off, her serious expression silencing Penny and making the odd girl pout. Yang rounded on Blake once more, and Blake struggled to meet her eyes, her shoulders dipping as her partner's harsh stare threatened to dismiss her. "Blake," the blonde began, "you are the biggest goddamned idiot, but we're taking you home."

"And don't think you have escaped _any_ punishment for this _idiocy_ you have pulled." Weiss told her with a glare that was mostly forced, there was still too much relief in her eyes to frighten Blake. "There are a _number_ of things we have to discuss, not the least of which is you _running away_ in the _dead of night_ and leaving us all to run around pell-mell looking for you!"

That wasn't what Blake had been expecting Weiss to be angry about… but she couldn't focus on the current absurdity of their relationship; her lips tightened as she softly rebuffed them both."We can't." Blake still refused to meet their eyes, but she saw Yang's shoulder rise, arms cross, and she made an attempt to speak, but Blake forced herself to stand up upright and speak. "The White Fang grabbed me off the street and used me as a hostage to bait Ruby here. They kidnapped her, they have her _here."_ Blake tried to keep her voice even as it threatened to break from fear.

Staring into Yang's eyes, Blake watched the girl's annoyance and relief disappear. The blonde didn't say anything at first, but she saw the girl's calmness get swallowed up as the edges of her eyes formed wrinkles, and the her cheeks grew taut. Her eyes flashed red, and Blake heard her knuckles crack.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and her cheek throbbed in anticipation of her partner's fist, but she felt a pair of stiff hands settle on her shoulders and squeeze tightly. "Where did they take her?" Yang asked in a voice that was forcing itself to be neutral, but was so strained that Blake could sense something deep and furious boiling to the surface.

"I don't know." Blake whispered in quiet fright.

"Why do they want her?!" Weiss asked, her expression turning a much more sickly pallor as she bustled towards Blake. "Don't tell me they're going to try and make an example of her!"

"I don't _know."_ Blake said again more forcefully, more _bitterly._ "They captured me _specifically_ to get to her, they used my scroll to call _her_ specifically, they want _her_ and I don't know why and… and…" Her voice lowered, so low that Penny and Sun couldn't hear her as she tried to meet her teammates' eyes. "... is it because of the Grimm…?"

Neither girl said a word. They wrestled to keep their expressions neutral, but when she saw Weiss glance away, her throat bobbing in distress, it was all the confirmation Blake needed. That was the big secret, that was the story behind those eyes, that's what was kept from Blake…

"It doesn't change anything." Yang said, and to the blonde's surprise, Blake nodded.

"It's like you said, she's still Ruby." Blake squeezed her hands together. "She still sold herself out for me… I don't actually care about her goggles or her semblance anymore, I just want to get her back to safety."

"Hey." The small team huddle turned as Sun approached them, his staff twirling in his hand. "Look, I don't know what you girls are mumbling about over here, but we need to focus. The heartfelt reunion can wait until everybody's safe."

"Ruby is still captive in an unknown location, more than likely still on this dock, and at least one member of the White Fang is bound to know why they want her, and where she is." Penny brought up, and despite the number of lingering questions and feelings, the remainders of team RWBY collectively forced their heads into the game and nodded.

"We need a plan." Weiss stated, only for Yang's nose to crinkle angrily.

"We've already wasted way more time than we needed to getting touchy-feely with each other after kicking this guy's ass, we need to get moving _now_ before they do _anything_ to Ruby." Yang took a full step in the direction of the docks, only for Weiss' slender hand to grab as tightly as it could around her bicep.

"No, _we need a plan!"_ Weiss huffed. "There's who knows how many more Fang running around, with who knows how many more chainsaw-wielding maniacs like this one; we need a place to fall back to, roles for everyone to play, to pool our resources and decide—"

"To let them hurt Ruby any more than they already have?!" Yang demanded, her Aura flaring up hotly around her, making Weiss quickly let go and give her a frustrated stare.

"I agree with Yang." Blake stated calmly, making Weiss blanche. "This is my fault, we _need_ to free Ruby as soon as possible and get her home. If we had more time, I'd say we should plan, but—"

" _I'm scared for her too."_ Weiss jabbed a finger at Blake's shoulder, making the girl wince, the heiress' expression one of anger and worry. "Don't you dare assume I'm not, but I will not–and I repeat, will _not_ allow the lot of us to be subject to similar horrors because we decided speed was more important than safety."

"And while we're drawing lines in the sand, _my sister is having I don't know what happen to her!"_ Yang threw her arms up in the air. "Sh-she might be…" Yang sucked in her lips, her expression darkening. "I can't _let them."_

"I am also quite fearful for our friend," Penny butt in with a gentle voice, her head turning rapidly between the other four, "but I am in agreement that we need a plan. Surely we waste more time arguing than coming up with some rudimentary plan of action?"

"Hey, speaking as a team leader here," Sun chimed in with his hands on his hips, pushing his chest out with authority, "I'm with Weiss."

"And just who are _you?!"_ Yang demanded hotly, and whereas Weiss looked thankful, Blake simply groaned.

"I'm Sun Wukong, leader of team SSSN, and any plan is better than no plan, so let's chill out and take a moment to come up with _something."_ Sun bobbed his head, while Yang's expression tightened angrily.

"I'm _going."_ The bruiser turned on her heel to head deeper into the docks, and Sun's tail stood on end.

"Hold your horses, gorgeous, can we please just take a step back and talk a _little?_ Like, we need a buddy system, we need to know who can do what and—"

"Excuse me?" Penny spoke up as Yang snarled at the boy touching her shoulder. "Would you be more open to the idea of a plan to combat whoever is approaching us?" The other four teens turned to stare at Penny as she pointed towards the far end of the open warehouse road, where the sound of a powerful engine roared through the night.

Skidding around a corner, a deep, autumn red high-end sports car peeled into view, burning rubber before righting itself and charging straight for the five hunters. The five teens immediately went into defensive stances before it braked, squealing as it slid into the turn to present its broadside, drawing expressions of apprehension and confusion.

The front passenger door opened, and Jaune threw himself out of the vehicle onto his hands and knees, dripping sweat all over the cement. "Sweet ground, sweet _safe ground!_ How did we survive?!" He whimpered, the five observers watching in quiet shock as Pyrrha stepped out of the driver's seat, car key in hand, looking no worse for the wear.

"I thought you'd asked me to drive fast?" Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion, while Nora threw open one of the backdoors and hopped out, arms in the air.

" _That-was-awesome-let's-do-it-again!"_ She squeaked, Ren shakily stepping out of the other side. Though he voiced nothing, the bewildered stare he tossed Pyrrha said plenty.

"I said _drive fast,_ not _ignore every red light and sign on the road!"_ Jaune gasped, before glancing up at the staring crowd. "... Hey."

"Nice entrance, dude." Sun smirked. "Is this your back up, Blake?" He asked the bewildered catgirl, who finally recalled the phone call she'd made.

" _Yes._ Jaune!" Blake raced forward as team JNPR went around to the back of the car and popped open the trunk. Blake slowed as weapons were distributed to their owners, and she glanced down in surprise as Gambol Shroud was tossed into her hands; Pyrrha's embarrassed expression told her that they may have had to cause some property damage in order to get their hands on her weapon. The other two members of team RWBY looked between each other, then back to their school friends with a worried glance.

"Wait, are you four _sure_ you want to get involved?" Weiss asked, while Blake simply let out a reassured breath as she tossed aside the stolen swords, Shroud's grips as calming and comforting as ever.

"It's what a hunter does, right?" Jaune asked, testingly swinging his sword, his stare sure and unbroken by the looming threat. "Besides, Ruby's our friend." His eyes were tight and serious, a number of dangerous ideas rolling through his head of what he'd do to the people assaulting somebody that reminded him so much of his little sisters.

"It would be unbecoming of us to call ourselves your allies and ignore this threat." Ren confirmed, Storm Flower twirling in his hands restlessly, his brow tightening as he mentally prepared himself for the coming fight. His eyes flicked towards the top of Blake's head, noting her normal bow was missing.

"Besides, they hurt my girlfriend, I'ma _hurt 'em back."_ Nora rest Magnhild over her shoulders, her feral grin promising both glorious violence and broken kneecaps in the near future.

"Let us waste no time." Pyrrha said, sliding her sword and shield into place on her back as she approached the rest of them. "Are we all well? Does anybody need a snack?" She opened her hip pack, and was surprised at how quickly her granola bars disappeared into Sun's and Blake's hands.

"Goddamn, now I know why everybody makes such a big deal about the cavalry." Sun spoke through a mouthful of food, sighing as he felt his belly fill, the reassurance of food giving his spirit the boost it needed to keep his Aura going.

"I believe we are now more than well-equipped to handle whatever dangers we come across this night; are we more open to the idea of a plan?" Penny asked, her twin blades twirling behind her in anxious preparation.

Eight heads turned towards Yang, who stood quietly, and though her expression was only a little tight, it was the rosiness of her cheeks that gave an unspoken thanks and appreciation for their gathered friends. "Fine." She said, her nervous agitation alleviating with their presence.

Weiss sighed in relief, and spoke up with a pleased smile. "I'd do best out of the main fray. I may simply be too enticing a target for the Fang, so I'll find someplace high to work from. We should work out some sort of signal in case you need my attention."

"I'll do reconnaissance," Blake piped up immediately after, "I'm in no real state to keep going into combat anyways. I should stick to looking for Ruby and calling out ambushes."

"If Weiss is going to be bombarding them, we should assign somebody to keep her safe." Jaune stated, glancing among the rest of them, and Sun raised his hand.

"I still need some time to recover, so I don't mind playing bodyguard." He offered, drawing a nod.

"Good, then with Blake on recon, everybody else should split into pairs. Pyrrha and me, Nora and Ren, and, uh…" Jaune gestured to Penny, who bowed her head politely, and smiled brightly.

"My name is Penny Polendina, it's a pleasure to meet all of you!"

"Hi Penny, what can you do?"

"I am a skilled combatant, untrained in either stealth or sabotage." Penny answered honestly, to Jaune's blinking confusion. "I'd be best suited to a front-lines position where I may beat up the bad guys!"

"... Alright, you go with Yang. You'll both serve as the hard-hitting distraction in the center of it all, everyone else is going to take a separate corner of their center of operations and work their way inwards." Jaune touched his chin in thought, and nodded to himself. "Even if there's, like, a-hundred of them, if we spread them out, they won't be able to give each other much back up."

"And I can point out the buildings they most likely keep their weapons stored." Blake offered. "Spread them thin, keep them disarmed, and considering most of them won't have Aura…? Well, this'll be a cakewalk." It was her experience talking, and was the same strategy she liked to deploy on human encampments back in the day…

Directions were given, points of entry were decided, and with a quick confirmation of how they'd keep in touch, they broke apart.

Jaune lead Pyrrha along the west side, watching Blake disappear on top of the warehouse roofs and blend in against the dark night sky. As he and Pyrrha hustled from cover to cover, keeping an eye open for patrols, he mumbled to his partner.

"So… is it just me, or did Blake have cat ears?"

"I didn't want to be the one to bring it up." Pyrrha chuckled softly.

"Those are new, right?"

"I believe so, yes."

"... Explains the bow."

"Mhmm."

* * *

' _It's dark…'_

' _ **cant see cant see cant SEE'**_

' _I-I'm scared… help… wh-where's Yang…?!'_

' _ **need Yang need Yang need YANG'**_

' _Sh-she'll help… she always does… help… please… I-I'm drowning…'_

' _ **cant breath cant breath cant BREATH'**_

' _I-I'm sorry Blake… I'm sorry… I thought I could take your place… I'm so scared, please… save me…'_

' _ **so scared so scared so SCARED'**_

' _I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I c-can't anymore… they're so loud… I'm so scared… I have to get out…'_

' _ **GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT'**_

All around her she felt her cage.

Metal walls with no cracks to slip through, so tight and tiny that she felt crushed. She did not feel the walls with her hands or her feet, she did not feel the floor with her back, she felt them all at once through something she could not describe, an extension of herself that was indescribable, completely different from the tips of her fingers or the embrace of her Aura.

She felt like she was floating in water, but it wasn't water, it was pitch black, and filled with a presence that made her curl into a fetal ball and want to cry into her own knees. She could hear their clicking teeth and their snarling voices, she could feel them tugging at her limbs and clothing, she felt them wrapped around her, whispering…

' _ **GET OUT'**_

But she couldn't… she couldn't because she was trapped somewhere she didn't know. There was no _out,_ there was nowhere to go, there was just this endless expanse of darkness that squeezed her body and swam into her mouth, filled her ears, and grasped at her limbs, trying to open her up and exposed her stomach.

' _Yang…'_

' _ **YANG YANG YANG HELP YANG YANG YANG HELP'**_

Yang wasn't there; there was nobody to help her, there was nothing to latch onto. There was the tightness of her body, which was so tense that everything _hurt._ Her limbs hurt, her innards hurt, she wanted to stretch out and hurl, but she was scared to move even a little as the mocking growls of the Grimm filled her head.

Was she dead?

Was this _Hell?_

The thought made the swallowing darkness around her shift, and tighten as it curled and undulated of its own own accord, pulsating with the beat of her heart, tightening with each attempt at a ragged breath through the black murk, shaking around her as she trembled.

She was dead, it was the only explanation.

Her entire life built up in fear of her own power, with one month of hope and hard work at the school she'd always dreamed of, and now she was devoured and dead in the belly of a Grimm that had wrenched itself free of her grip.

' _It's not fair…'_

' _ **not fair not fair not fair'**_

' _Why me…?'_

' _ **why why why why why why why'**_

' _M-make it stop… make it stop! Please! It hurts!'_

' _ **save me help me it hurts it hurts it hurts!'**_

She'd just wanted to live a normal life. She'd just wanted to be a huntress. She'd just wanted to walk outside and see the world in its bright colors, to feel the wind around her eyes, to be able to cry and grow angry without being afraid of her own shadow. She wanted to make friends, she wanted to make rivals, she wanted to be a wife someday, she wanted to help people, she wanted to be a hero, she wanted to be human, she wanted to be Faunus, she wanted to be anything other than _Ruby Rose._

… But she had made friends.

She had had Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, team CFVY, Penny, Sun, and her other classmates.

And she'd had a family who loved her… her father, her dog, her uncle, Yang… _Yang._ She'd had _Yang,_ and now… now she didn't have Yang. Where was Yang?

' _ **YANG PLEASE YANG PLEASE YANG PLEASE'**_

She needed her big sister. She was too weak by herself, too shy, too _awful…_ She grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut as tears floated away, and were swallowed by the Grimmstuff swirling around her, trying to break into her head and her stomach as she barely held onto the last semblance of herself with her Aura.

Was it better this way?

The question made the pain in her body, and the tightening Grimm soften.

Was it better that she was dead? She had adored her friends, but what a curse it was to know Ruby Rose, who, without warning, could have devoured them all, killed them under a tide of violence, all while she pleaded for it all to stop. Knowing her, loving her, and staying close to her could have only ended in one way…

If she was dead in the bowels of a Grimm, then the Grimm could be defeated, and she couldn't hurt the world or the people she loved. That was okay then, right? She just had to let go, let herself expire, let her final moment be one of heroism in making sure nothing hurt her friends and family anymore.

' _ **hat man'**_

Her mind ground to a halt.

She heard his voice in her head, making oh so idle threats towards Blake, pulling the trigger, the bark of the gun, Blake's scream as her shoulder was suddenly covered in blood.

He would still hurt them.

' _ **kill him'**_

She… couldn't. She was in Hell, there wasn't a way to escape, to find him, to reach him, to _**kill him.**_ She was trapped, and her heart clenched as she realized he could hurt them _more._ Yang would come looking for her, Yang would try to find the man with the hat, and she… she… she was strong. But… but if he touched her… if he _hurt her…_

' _ **KILL HIM'**_

She so desperately _wanted to._ She wanted to sink her hands into his belly and pull everything out, she wanted to listen to his dying, gurgling pleas for mercy after having so brutally assaulted Blake, a thrill ran up her spine as she imagined the light in his eyes going out with her hands around his _throat._

' _ **KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL HAT MAN'**_

But she couldn't _escape._

' _ **ESCAPE ESCAPE PUSH BEND BREAK DESTROY KILL ESCAPE'**_

Ruby made a fist, and squeezed it tightly, her teeth gritting as she felt the walls around her, and she pushed. Not with her arms or her legs, no, but with everything, all around her, loosening its grip on her body as she _pushed,_ and she felt the walls, yet they did not _give._

She grit her teeth, imagining herself wailing on the walls around her, imagining hitting the walls with all she had, feeling them warp and distort as she pushed, and pushed, and _pushed._

She imagined claws and teeth sinking into the walls, she imagined burning breath and dripping acid scarring them, she imagined an endless horde of herself pushing and beating and punching and kicking and bashing and crashing and breaking and bending the walls around her.

Hell would not hold her.

She pictured the smug look on hat man's face in her mind as he held a pistol to Blake's head, and without warning, her thoughts were colored red, her heart and lungs swamped with a tight feeling as rage swelled within her.

He hurt Blake. He would hurt Yang. He would hurt Weiss. He would hurt everyone if Ruby didn't escape. She had to escape, she had to _**kill. Him.**_

She simply had to keep pushing, to keep scratching, she had to uncurl her body and flex her muscles and throw her _everything_ into the walls until she heard them begin to groan in distress.

They would break, the man would die.

And Ruby… Ruby breathed deep, and filled her lungs.


	22. Outrage

Ren and Nora quietly squatted in the shadows outside of a warehouse, watching unseen as the White Fang, fully alert by this point, raced to move cargo onto the large ship. Three bullheads hovered up above ominously, patrolling the area with searchlights peering through the alleyways between crates, containers, and buildings.

Stomping about were three industrial use powerloaders. They were crude, boxy, and bright yellow, beeping and flashing whenever they backed up. They had long, elbowed arms, whose limited mobility allowed them to do their job without fuss, and sturdy, slow, plodding legs with well-protected stabilizers and big feet, all wrapped around a central, windowed cockpit. Their magnetic claws lifted the crates and carried them to the loading bay for the crane, their lumbering forms still accomplishing the task with greater speed than the mix of trucks and smaller cranes it would otherwise take to move the large containers around the sprawling yard. While Ren didn't immediately see any danger in their make, he took note of their sturdy build and plodding motions; Nora would more than likely have a field day with them if given the opportunity.

Ren heard a slight buzz and turned his ear towards Nora as she checked her scroll. His grinning girlfriend flashed him a thumbs-up, and Ren glanced across the grounds, looking up at a distant crane, currently inoperable, but placed nice and high, and far away from the criminal operation happening at the pier. Barely perceptible against the night sky, Ren could make out two small, squatting shadows.

A second buzz, and Ren's looked to Nora curiously as she held up two fingers, then another thumbs up. Of the many White Fang, the second buzz confirmed that three sentries were taken out, and that Blake, Yang, Penny, Jaune, and Pyrrha were on the move from the opposite side. Ren tossed an idle look at the dumpster he and Nora had used to hide the three faunus unfortunate enough to be guarding this were still unconscious, and with a quick motion of his arm, a small rock impacted the plastic lid and caused it to fall shut at the exact moment a powerloader placed down it's burden, the brief wail of steel impacting concrete completely concealing the duller thud of the lid slamming shut to hide their victims. Nora covered her mouth and tried not to giggle in amusement, though the delight in her eyes made Ren crack the thinnest of pleased smiles.

Ren returned his focus to the main yard and he watched, listened, and waited. He was not unfamiliar with fighting other people, as he and Nora had periodically clashed with roving bandits wanting to take their supplies or take them hostage. This was a little more structured however, with far more people on both sides, and something very valuable for the two to recover.

Ruby… he let out a small, calming breath, making sure his semblance was still on the cusp of activating, acknowledging his emotions without letting them run wild. Of the many things Ren valued, there was a certain _innocence_ in Ruby's demeanor that he found as endearing as it was enviable. It was something that had been stolen from Ren as a boy some seven years ago. The death of his family, the loss of his village, the feeling of being hunted for days before rescue came, having to fend for himself and Nora both… it was a difficult situation that Ren, to this day, could not decide was ultimately a good thing or a bad thing. Hundreds of lives perished, a sanctuary in the wilds gone, Ren's childhood destroyed…

His fingers slid back, carefully taking Nora's hand to feel her. Nora squeezed, he squeezed back, and he let out a small breath. The price of his love had been his innocence, and Ren dared not weigh them against each other, lest he come to resent the events that transpired. He was glad there was no way he could be forced to choose between regaining what he'd lost or keeping what he'd found, as the choice would surely drive him mad… but the peace he'd made for himself was not what everyone would find. No one should have to face such pain to attain their joy, especially not someone as _good_ as Ruby, and the family that clearly took the effort to raise her with compassion and warmth in abundance.

He would not allow it to happen again; not to somebody who had a full life ahead of her, a good family, good friends, all the opportunities in the world to improve the lives of Remnant with her charity and skill…

Coming to Beacon was making it clear how much stronger he could become, and while he was perhaps not as prepared for battle as he'd thought in the wilds, he was no longer the scared young boy cowering from darkness.

Ren's eyes narrowed at the masked thugs hurrying to complete their mission, their every step thoughtlessly ruining lives–Ruby's or those they've stolen from and driven to destitution, without a shred of remorse. Not as malicious as the Grimm, they had their reasons even if he didn't entirely agree with them, but no less damaging for it. They would be shown the error of their ways. By force, if necessary.

A third buzz interrupted his thoughts. Nora glanced at her scroll, nodded, held up three fingers, then a thumbs up. Ren drummed his fingers against the wall, and another buzz made his muscles tighten. Nora checked, four fingers, thumbs up, ' _okay'_ sign: the last of them were in position. Ren nodded, and Nora quickly typed back.

Four quick buzzes, and Ren heard Nora's satchel open, a glass vial crack, and the familiar, comforting buzz of lightning behind him, quickly drowned out by a maniacal giggle.

And as fate would have it, the sound and the light got attention.

"Hey!" A Fang member shouted, pointing up at Ren and Nora as they rose to their full heights. " _Hey! You two! Stay right there!"_ The man lifted a hammer off his belt, racing towards them as other Fang turned to look. Ren ducked low and felt a wave of violent energy pass over his head as Nora took point right over the edge of their section of roof. The Fang member, whoever he was, whatever he was doing, whatever he _thought_ he was accomplishing, ceased to matter as a single blow knocked him skyward, Nora's laughter booming across the dockyard as she rounded on a pair of Fang, wearing a maddened grin.

" _Intruder!"_ The cry rang across the yard, and a pair of patrolling riflemen lined up side by side to take aim at Nora, only to empty their clips up in the empty air as Ren passively stood between them, holding their rifle barrels to the sky as they stared dumbly at the boy in green they hadn't even seen move from his perch.

"I would apologize," Ren began, then tossed their weapons aside to free his hands so he could send a series of Aura-jabs into their temples, necks, and groins, causing the two to collapse without fuss, their bodies limp and numb, "but it would be wasted." Ren shook his head.

The dock was quickly taken over by shouting voices and gunfire, and Ren raced towards the nearest Fang as they sprang for weaponry, only for a series of rapid finger strikes to leave them grasping at deadened limbs, or swooning as a painful haze overtook them. Ren swirled in place, Storm Flower filling his hands as he blocked a staff strike from a more well-trained Fang, and he slid back a step when they leaned into him, trying to bring their greater size and weight into play.

The action took a brief pause as a complication arose: a constant, loud humming filled the air as the three bullheads dropped down from their higher patrol altitudes to strafe menacingly overhead. The humming VTOLs quickly turned their spotlights to the action below, highlighting the scattering Fang like ants under a magnifying glass before they focused on the young hammer maiden and the martial artist accompanying her. Both scrambled for cover as minigun fire rained down from above, the three VTOLs working together to keep the two in sight to give the rest of the White Fang time to arm themselves and hunt.

However, the skies above turned cold as a large, white snowflake-like emblem appeared above them. Two of them drove away in a panic, flying towards safer skies, and the remaining one found itself stuck in a frigid white mist, its twin engines quickly sputtering and dying as the abnormal cold froze the delicate mechanisms within. The bullhead fell out of sight, landing with a loud scrape and shriek of metal being shredded.

By this time, White Fang would be heading for the warehouse a large portion of the cargo was coming out of, just as predicted. Ren hid some inward satisfaction as he heard the combat within from across the yard, knowing Yang, Penny, Jaune, and Pyrrha were keeping them too occupied to grab their weaponry.

Nora and Ren, in the meantime, had bigger problems. The three power loaders had their high beams on, sweeping across the yard on the hunt for the intruders, while the two remaining VTOLs regained their bearings and searched for the source of the icy mist. That meant the couple had the element of surprise once more.

That was where they would win: strike quickly from every angle, before anyone had a chance to prepare an organized counter. Whatever was happening here would slow to a crawl as panicked people spent more time looking over their shoulders than doing their jobs; the operation was all but over.

He watched quietly as one of the three power loaders pivoted slowly to track Nora as she ran a circle around it while shouting mockingly, and one of its arms shakily rose and quickly fired rivets after her as if it was a machine gun. Ren highly doubted it was supposed to be able to fire building materials like that, but nothing could come easily from this sort of situation.

Not without some help of course.

Nora charged, each movement accompanied by a quick flash of electricity, her glowing arms raised in triumph, but a torrent of bullets from up above sent her diving for cover as the VTOLs locked onto her. Ren sneered a bit. He didn't have much of a chance of breaking through their armor from below…

He broke out into a sprint, racing for Nora as he heard the gunfire racing behind him, chips of cement splashing his ankles before he dove for cover behind the containers, the rapid ' _thrum'_ of bullets rattling metal following him. He weaved between containers and slid to a halt, quickly scrambling to get by Nora's side as searchlights swept the maze of cargo around them.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked. Nora turned to give him a big, toothy smile, and the boy simply shook his head. "Having the time of your life, aren't you?"

"When we get Ruby back, this weekend'll be _one-hundred percent awesome!"_ Nora giggled, and Ren shook his head.

* * *

So… this was where his night was going, huh?

The roaring coming from the communicator in Roman's ear was periodically punctuated by shrieks of pain, cries of distress, and demands to know where the humans had come from. Otherwise, it could have been summed up as: " _Kill the humans!", "Protect the cargo!", "The White Fang will prevail!", "Anger snarl growl humans suck"_ and blah blah blah.

It _could_ have been funny—really, it _could_ have been. Roman liked seeing the sanctimonious sorts step into the slick, cold dog droppings of reality and the looks on their faces as they realized that burning conviction was no substitute for having anything resembling a plan, talents, or skills.

If Roman had been nothing more than an outside observer with nothing at stake here, he would have watched the White Fang racing around to grab weapons and scream about humans with his hands on his stomach and his head thrown back; considering how little he wanted to do with this whole operation, it would have been some glorious stress relief.

But no.

No, Roman was seething. He was seething at not just the hunters who were barreling down on his position, he was seething at not just the White Fang for forcing him to taken on a murderous maniac as a guard, he was seething, more than anything else, at himself.

Because he'd taken a gamble, one which he knew he'd lost.

" _Go, go, go!"_ A Fang officer roared, pulling open sealed wooden crates to let passing Fang grab rifles and swords and race to meet the fight outside, but Roman was heading for the back of the warehouse, his hand itching as he tried to think of a solution to fix this madness, or get _out._

A sudden explosion rocked the building, and Roman quickly hid behind a loader as he heard shouts and screaming, and a wave of heat washed through the building. The low, feminine _roar_ was certainly new, and as the gunmen opened fire, he heard the Fang going down with what sounded like some vicious, blunt strikes.

One peek over the loader, and he saw some blonde bombshell he'd recognized off of the Belladonna girl's phone, and who was currently glowing like a golden flame. His cheek twitched; of _course._

This entire operation was about to go belly up in the very last leg of the race; mountains of Dust, procured in a variety of ways, was about to get reabsorbed by the city. Half a year's worth of work was going to go up in ash because he got impatient. He was _better_ than this, he hadn't clawed out his empire by being a risky _jackass._

And yet, he'd allowed sheer stress and tension to make him play the wrong hand. He'd spent months under the heel of that firecracker of a _bitch,_ being forced into risky operations and alliances he didn't care for. He was all for Dust theft, the shit sold easily enough and for good money, but the sheer amount she demanded in such a short period of time was a pain.

That had only gotten worse once Goggle-girl came into the picture. Suddenly, the woman had grown one hell of a temper, and god forbid anybody question her about it! She acted like the kid was an old flame she wanted to snuff out…

Roman avoided the wrath of the raging blonde by sneaking towards the back door, his mind racing.

Assuming the hunters succeeded, he would both lose all of the Dust _and_ the goggled girl… two operations failed in a single night, one of which took months to cultivate, the other which would put everyone associated with the girl on high alert, and that meant things would take _more_ time, _more_ energy, and _more_ snooping about, all of which Cinder didn't have a single goddamned understanding of! She wanted it all _then_ and _there,_ which was just un-fucking-likely with the feds around!

And Roman was about to earn all of her ire with this fuck-up.

Fuck _that._

He would happily leave behind the whole zoo at this point. He pulled the door open and slipped out the back, his teeth grinding as he stepped out into the cool, fresh air, and evaluated his options.

… There was always _lying._

Would Cinder buy that a sting operation performed by a bunch of vigilante teen hunters interrupted their operations? It certainly wasn't the _weirdest_ of things that had ever happened to Roman, but Cinder wasn't exactly the most trusting or in-touch-with-absurdity of individuals.

He just needed to slip out during the chaos and…

His eyes settled on the boat. He didn't know where Cinder found her technology, but he bet she would hunt his ass down to the ends of the planet for fucking up this badly. He could get to Mistral, but there wasn't a security team alive that wouldn't be out for his blood the moment he tried to hop a ship of any sort. Vacuo, well… it would be a good place if there was any sense of organization, or there weren't drug barons that were quick to put potential upstarts in a sand bath… hmm, it would have been a fun challenge if he had the right resources in place, but no.

There was also Atlas, if he felt like shooting himself in the foot and then headbutting a coat rack.

He did, however, have at least one out. One that could potentially save his bacon with Cinder, _and_ get him out of Vale for the night.

* * *

" _We can't get through her!"_

" _Unload everything you got! Shoot her 'til she's down!"_

" _We_ can't! _She's invincible!"_

"Nothing's invincible, quit making excus—" The officer's words were cut short when a burning crate flew just over his ears, and an enraged, feminine _roar_ sounded over the gunfire and shouting. He ran a hand over his scalp just to make sure everything was still there, then peeked over the flipped over desk he was barricaded behind.

Faunus tried to find cover from the mighty huntress's tantrum, but anything within arm's reach was a near-lethal projectile just waiting to brain someone. Her yellow cuffs launched a mixture of high-impact shotgun pellets and anti-Grimm missiles, and machine gun fire only seemed to make her angrier.

Burning red eyes swept across the room before she burst into motion, tackling some poor Fang through a wall, followed by an enraged bellow that left all who heard it trembling. Anybody who tried to race back to where she'd come from to procure more weapons quickly found a second obstacle, just as the officer did.

"Sorry about my friend's temper, but we _are_ looking for her sister." Pyrrha _-Goddamned-_ Nikos met the officer's eyes with a deep frown before entering a battle ready stance.

The tall-eared officer threw a grenade at her without so much as a waste of breath, but she quickly battered it right back at him, sending him and his followers diving for cover as it skipped across the floor to detonate in some unoccupied part of the warehouse. "The hell are you two even doing here?! You hate the Faunus _that much?!"_ The officer shouted, only to cringe when something outside _exploded._

"Hey pal, let's make no mistake," a voice from above got his attention. A blonde boy stood on one of the catwalks, glaring at the officer before throwing a switch, lifting the crate he was hiding behind with the warehouse crane, "we don't care what you're doing here," Pyrrha Nikos' rifle barked, sending the man diving to the floor for cover, and Pyrrha once more aimed around the man, not _at_ him, "I mean, yeah, I'm _kinda_ concerned since it's pretty illegal stuff, but you nabbed one of our friends, and that ain't okay."

Jaune and Pyrrha both hid behind their shields as gunfire was quickly, and inaccurately, pumped their way. The officer snarled as he went for more cover. Where was their ' _boss?'_ Where were their anti-hunters?!

Four Fang unsheathed their swords, axes, hammers, whatever they had on hand and charged Pyrrha, and as quickly as the officer blinked, they were on the floor, the gladiator standing tall and strong like a war goddess in the flesh. Her calm frown sent shivers down his spine; something about that expression was more unsettling than the fury of the blonde huntress.

Up above, Jaune came to a realization: _it didn't hurt,_ that was the thing that surprised Jaune the most about getting shot at. Sure, it stung a little, but it didn't _hurt;_ not that deep, throbbing hurt that made you want to take a break, but instead, it was a minor pain you shook off with a pout and a glare at the universe for attempting to annoy you. The advantage of having a personal forcefield, he supposed; he _really_ owed Pyrrha for unlocking his Aura.

A single month of training behind him, and Jaune already felt stronger, faster, and more alive than ever. It could have just been the adrenaline talking, but Jaune wanted to believe that he was accomplishing more than he'd thought possible. The danger around him seemed… less. Sure, gunfire still made him wince, but the bullets were little more than pebbles, and his Aura, and by the same token, he himself, felt strong.

It was unfair, clearly, for hunters to be fighting unshielded individuals, but these guys weren't exactly playing fair either.

He sprinted across the catwalks, almost giddy at the chance to pull more levers and give Pyrrha and Yang more chaos to play with down below, but he slid to a halt as he spotted a door marked ' _Security.'_ He tried the doorknob and found it locked, so he lined the tip of his sword up with the lock and plunged it through, his Aura-enhanced strength allowing him to crush wood and metal in one easy motion.

Another aspect of Aura he liked: the physical strength. Sure, he wasn't at Yang's level, who dusted walls and crushed her opposition with such ruthless power that Jaune honestly feared getting on her bad side, but they had a common goal. He kicked the door open with the heel of his foot and strode in, stopping short when a bullet lodged itself in the wall behind his head.

Jaune whirled towards the origin of the bullet, his shield held up to his nose, his eyes narrowed, Crocea Mors at the ready, but hesitated to move forward.

His attacker was… young. He wore the mask and the hood, the layer of fur around his neck highly visible, the pistol in his hands shaking as he tried to level a shot at Jaune's head, but his lips were peeled back with fear. He stood a good foot shorter than Jaune, his limbs long and gangly, and a layer of baby fat around his cheeks.

"I-I'm warning you, b-bitch!" He shouted, standing on the other side of a series of desks, their monitors swept to the floor, their chairs haphazardly tossed aside. "Stay back, m-moth-motherfucker! I'll blow your goddamned h-head off!" His voice was strained and cracked in places, his footsteps away from Jaune unsteady, more than once bumping into a chair on his unsure retreat.

Jaune's mind stilled as he took the boy's demeanor in. He was hardly a teenager, the older White Fang weren't much of a match for the team of hunter students, what could the kid do? Why was he even _here?_ "This is no place for a guy your age, man." Jaune raised his voice in warning, walking in a few steps. The kid fired, the bullet going high over Jaune's head, but Jaune shuffled forward slowly. "Look, put the gun down and find a way out."

"N-no way, asshole! Son of a b-b-bi-bitch!" The kid's jaw was shivering, and his back hit a desk. He panicked, quickly looking over his shoulder while his gun barrel went to the side, and he glanced back quickly, making Jaune pause a few feet from him. "F-fuck no! Fuck off! I-I gotta keep this place safe from y-you h-hu-humans!" He was panting heavily, and Jaune quietly took Crocea Mors, and carefully laid the blade on the table nearby.

"Just walk away." Jaune ordered him. Keeping his shield up, forcing the kid to focus on his eyes, it let him hide his dry mouth and numb tongue. He had expected to run into White Fang opposition, but not a _kid._ Not a kid Janine's age… thinking about it, she had just started to get liberal with her vocabulary too, right before Jaune left. Not when mom or dad were around, obviously, but she had the same filthy mouth when she thought she could get away with it. "Put the gun down and walk away, you won't get hurt."

"I-I'm part of a cause, m-motherfucker! Live free or die free!" The boy repeated in a strangled voice, shooting again, the bullet deflected off of Jaune's leg, only to skid across the ground and settle in a corner of the room harmlessly.

"I won't do anything to you, I promise, c'mon man—"

"No! No and fuck off! _Fuck off!"_ The kid hastily scooched away from the desk, trying to keep Jaune at a distance. "I-I know what you'll d-do! My granddad told m-me all the stories, f-fucker!"

"No, damnit kid!" Jaune lurched forward a step, a bullet pinging off his scalp, and he lunged. He suffered a stinging pain or two before he grabbed the boy's wrist and held the gun up towards the ceiling, letting it discharge until all that was left was impotent clicking and a shivering boy. Jaune pulled the gun from his hand and flung it towards the door, keeping his eyes on him. "Nobody's going to blame you if you just get the hell out. Nobody's going to hurt you if you just _get_ the hell out. Me and my friends are hunters, and we're here to get back _our friend._ We'll overlook it if you guys escape, I _promise,_ just _please_ leave, I don't want to hurt you."

The boy pulled at his arm, trying to break Jaune's strong grip, but even without his Aura Jaune was still a farm boy, who had plenty of exercise to back up his conviction. "I-I don't trust you, asshole!"

"I'm not asking you to, but you got a choice: get out and save your own hide, or stick around and get hurt. We don't want this to get messy."

"Then why are you even _here?!"_ The boy demanded. He gasped as he was grabbed by the collar and lifted up, pressed against the office's wall with Jaune staring into his eyes furiously.

"I just told you, you little _dick,_ the White Fang kidnapped _my friend,_ and I am _not leaving_ until I have her, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm _not_ going to play nice while _Ruby's in danger,_ so you either help me or get out!" Jaune snarled, lethal intent leaking into his voice as he thought of Ruby, tied up and alone, stuck in some dark room for who knows what reason…

"M-Monitor eight!" The kid gasped, squeezing Jaune's wrists tightly as he wheezed for air. "I swear, man! Monitor eight!"

Jaune glanced back at the control panels and the monitors above them, and set the kid down. He tossed a nod to the boy and quickly strode over, examining the screens. He didn't have much of a mind for technology, unless it was like a tractor engine, but he could read the labels on the security screens. Each of them displayed a grainy image of the chaos happening around the dock, with White Fang running to or from the danger the hunters posed, but monitor eight was peaceful in contrast. It showed the boat docked nearby, full of cargo… no Ruby. Jaune's eyes narrowed, looking for some sign, and saw a figure at the helm of the ship. Through the windows, just barely visible, bright jacket, bright hair, dark hat…

He picked up his scroll and called Yang's number. "Blake here." Came the answer. It had been surmised that Yang wouldn't have much need for her scroll, not nearly as much as Blake would need one.

"Blake, the dude who kidnapped you and Ruby? He's on the boat, at the steering part up top." He spoke, and he heard the girl's breath hitch in anticipation.

"For sure? For _sure_ for sure?" Blake's voice was labored, and Jaune could hear her footsteps increase as she changed direction.

"He's got a cane." Jaune added hopefully, and heard a nervous swallow at the other end of the call.

"Thanks. Back-up when you can provide it."

"Got it." Jaune hung up the call when Blake did. He pocketed his scroll and turned, stumbling back when the Faunus boy flew at him with a fearful warcry and a knife in his hand. Jaune narrowed his eyes, his instincts being to panic, but he wrested control back and grit his teeth. The dagger tip struck his clavicle, bouncing off his shimmering golden Aura, and Jaune reared a leg back and kicked.

The boy flew back, letting out a pained cry as his back hit an office desk. He scrambled up, knife in hand, the will to fight still within him, but as he raised his hand to charge Jaune, the hunter-in-training grabbed his sword.

Crocea Mors flashed, and the dagger hit the floor, along with the tips of the boy's fore and middle fingers. Jaune pulled his sword back, ready for another swing, but the young teen in front of him was frozen, holding his wrist and staring at the two, bloody stumps left of his digits.

With a pained gasp, the kid stumbled to the side, away from Jaune, and barreled out the door while leaving a trail of blood behind him. Jaune stared after him, his chest still tight and his face slack, soon growing pale. "W-wait…" Jaune started, but the kid was long gone by the time the violent haze lifted.

Jaune stared down at the floor where the knife lay. The two fingers, both cleanly cut through and creating little red puddles, sat nearby, discarded like bullet casings. The unease didn't hit Jaune until he looked at Crocea Mors, which had two, tiny red streaks across the blade.

His stomach clenched in revulsion, and Jaune could only obey his instincts. His fingers dug into his pocket, taking out his handkerchief–still slightly yellowed from washing Ruby's boots a month ago–to wipe down his sword.

That was… not a good feeling. Not at all. No, he did _not_ like this... Crocea Mors was made to fight for justice, not… not cut up some kid!

Jaune scrubbed thoroughly, only pausing when his eyes went up to the monitors by his side. He had to clean… but he also had to make sure his friends were okay.

* * *

"So, I don't wanna make this weird…" The monkey boy spoke calmly, even as he battered a White Fang right back down the ladder she'd been climbing up. "But I'm a fan."

"That's nice." Weiss answered, her brows knitting as she focused on the tumult and chaos down below. Yang's appearance on the dock from the warehouse sent the already frantic fight into full overdrive, and Weiss was having a tough time concentrating on where to focus her efforts.

"Like, everybody talks about how groundbreaking and trendsetting ' _I Burn'_ was, but personally, I liked your slower songs better. I liked ' _Mirror Mirror'_ 'cuz it was all emotional and powerful, but kinda _too_ sad, y'know? It just felt like there was a lot going on in your life, and I felt awkward listening to something so personal. Oh _dude,"_ Sun spoke up, and Weiss resisted the urge to look, "this guy coming up has a _bitchin'_ tail! _Dude!_ I like your tail!"

"I won't take compliments from a _race traitor!"_ Came the response.

"Your loss!" Sun shouted back as his shotgun fired, drawing a yelp of pain. Weiss quietly stood, whipping her rapier out to summon an immense, black glyph. The two VTOLs had to quickly dive out of the way as the sudden increase in gravity threatened to throw them to the ground, though Penny quickly took advantage. Two swords latched onto one of the fleeing VTOLs, and the odd girl stood in the gravity field to ground herself and pull the VTOL back, allowing Nora to hammer it with grenades.

Weiss held the glyph for a few seconds longer, then released it when the VTOL smoked and puttered away, awkwardly turning to sweep a large portion of the dock with gunfire. The heiress knelt down, recovering her strength with several deep breaths; summoning glyphs that large took a lot out of her, but nothing that couldn't be recovered. If she tried summoning them back to back, she would quickly fall unconscious from the loss of strength, not to mention rapidly run out of Dust in the very start of the raid, but as long as she picked her targets carefully, and gave herself the time to sit back and give the White Fang time to wonder if it was over...

"So, like, I don't mean to imply you can't _do_ rock, but your voice is really, _really_ powerful by itself, I feel like it's competing with all the guitars and drums on ' _I Burn',_ but with a piano it's like it's trying to up _lift_ your voice, not fight you for control, y'know?" Sun prattled on, while Weiss simply rolled her eyes.

"The point of ' _I Burn'_ wasn't to show off my vocal strength, it was to make a statement. The most important feature was the lyrics, everything else was supplementing them." Weiss pointed out with a huff, wondering where the damn monkey got the implication it was the right time to criticize her music career.

"And it did!" Sun spoke up, trying to be reassuring, "The lyrics were rockin', the instruments and stuff all helped back it up, _you_ singing it made it that much better, but it's something I can't really listen to on repeat, if that makes sense?"

"It doesn't." Weiss sighed, tightening her grip on Myrtenaster as she watched Yang get thrown clear across the dock by one of the powerloaders. The blonde ran through a storm of stinging rivets to deliver a knee-crumpling punch, her roaring audible from on high this far away… "The thing that concerns _me_ is that you're a Faunus, why do _you_ care so much about _my_ music?"

"Hey, I've got nothing against you, and good music is good music." Sun's tone of voice carried a disarming shrug to it, and Weiss rolled her eyes. "I mean, I get your family was behind some real crap, but I don't hear a lot of bad about _you._ Besides, I'm not too hot on the White Fang; like, they were cool once, but now they're a bunch of kidnappers pretending like they know what's best for the rest of us. No offense."

"Huh?" Weiss looked back as Sun used his staff to choke out a Fang who had flown in on a pair of wings, then drop him on the next Fang scrambling up the ladder. "... Not that I'm not grateful for your honesty, but is now really the time to be discussing music? Or race politics? We're in the middle of a fight!"

"Yeah, it's great!" Sun all but giggled in delight as he kept an eye out for more assailants. "I've been here for two days and this is _way_ more fun than I ever thought Vale could be."

Weiss looked over her shoulder to give the boy a stunned look. "... _You got chased by a chainsaw murderer!"_ She pointed out petulantly, making Sun shrug.

"I've been through worse."

" _...WHAT?!"_

"So, I know it's one of those super cheesy songs that never hit the radio, but I also kinda liked ' _Wings.'"_ Sun said with a pleasant tone, and Weiss's eye twitched.

"You are _infuriating."_ Weiss huffed.

"Oh _there's_ a word I've never been called before. I kinda like it, makes me sound smarter than I am!"

"I- _you—_... Yes." Weiss simply shook her head, stood, and summoned an explosion in mid-air, knocking a VTOL away from the action, away from her team.

"So what was the inspiration behind ' _I May Fall?'"_

"An old Atlesian tale of a huntress who discovered her partner betrayed her to the old Mistral mafia, then found herself caught between a horde of Grimm and her pursuers. At the last minute, her guilty partner swept in to help her, and died from her wounds while the huntress survived."

"Sounds radical."

* * *

"Look, I know this wasn't part of the plan but I don't have a choice… yes, yes, I _know_ you could just bust me out of jail, but I'm half-convinced that if I let them capture me, I'll end up dead." Roman sighed thickly, and signaled to a White Fang to begin departure.

Switches flipped, the engine rumbled, the boat shuddered as Roman observed the action on the dock. He could stamp out a few rats that climbed aboard if they didn't have their sea legs, but he was _not_ about to be their captive.

" _Yes,_ Neo, they are _very angry with me;_ you should _see_ the blonde one, she's practically _on fire._ I'm _not_ over exaggerating. Hey, I don't like the tone you're taking with me! Oh, that is _it,_ when I get back to Vale, I am taking away your scroll! _And your plushies!"_

The White Fang member at the controls monitored the gauges and checked his surroundings, and suddenly found his throat closed tight. He tried to make a sound while grasping at the ribbon around his neck, only to black out and be laid on the floor.

"Wh–oh don't–you're a big girl, you shouldn't be–know what? _Y'know what?!_ Fine! You can keep the plushies, but _no scroll!_ And you can't go see ' _Behold Schnee'_ during the next play season. I _know_ you already have the tickets, it's a _punishment!_ Look, it's either your stupid musical or your plushies, pick one! _You can't pick neither!_ Fine, I'll pick for you, and I pick the musical, because if I take away your stupid stuffed toys, you're just going to—" The edge of a black blade pressed against his exposed throat, an arm wrapped around his stomach to keep him still, and Roman felt his fingers spasm in irritation. "I'm gonna have to call you back. Make sure your hamsters get fed. No, no, it's serious– _I have a sword at my throat, Neo!_ One sec." Before the blade could pass any closer to his skin, Roman's wine-red Aura sent sparks across the glass window. The back of his fist hammered his attempted captor's thigh, sending them back a step, and quick as a flash, he grabbed his cane and whirled, trying to take the girl's head off.

The black-haired cat girl twirled in the air above Roman, both her sword and her sheath lashing out at him, only to be deflected by quick, deft movements of his cane. Roman's mouth twisted in annoyance as he recognized the furious girl, then grew a small smirk as he stared at the cut in her ear.

"Well look who it is, little kitty came crawling back for another beating! I shoulda had you skinned, it _figures_ this'd happen." Roman snarled, his cane jabbing at her head, but left, right, she dodged and ducked, only to get cracked in the ankle and send her on her back. "No, no Neo, not _you,_ would you please let this go? I'll decide on your punishment when I—" Roman almost vomited the next word as twin heels buried into his stomach, driving him backwards.

Blake twirled after him, spinning like a blender, each strike was measured to hit a vital location, but were quickly parried by rapid cane strikes. A jab to the cat girl's shoulder knocked her off-balance, followed by a crack across her head. She hit the floor with a groan, and Roman popped the end of his cane, pressing it to the back of her skull through the mussed mop of black hair.

"Okay, seriously? Gonna let you go. Feed those damn hamsters… yes, I love you too, I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye." Roman hung up, and Blake groaned on the floor. Her fists curled as Roman fingered the trigger of his cane, a cruel smile on his lips. "You really should have run, kitty cat. I'm a really, _really_ bad man, and trust me, I've been in my fair share of scrapes. Considering what you went through today, you really had no chance. So, y'know, _die."_ A burst of flame consumed her head, her body vanishing into a shadow, and Roman sighed.

Yeah, okay, of course.

He smashed against the glass viewing port of the helm, an arm pressing to Blake's chest to keep her back as her sword split the glass by his head, her sheath an inch from his ribs. "So what's your damage, cat? My boys told me that you're a runner, a coward, a traitor…"

"I don't have to justify myself to _you."_ Blake snapped, pushing harder, and Roman felt the glass behind him soften as she pushed, her eyes glowing with a yellow anger. "All I care about is _Ruby."_

"Ruby?" Roman tried to push himself onto even footing, but the girl's strength and his current position gave him little room to maneuver. "Ooooh, oh right, _Goggles,_ the cutie-pie who summons _Grimm."_

" _That doesn't change anything!"_ Blake twisted Gambol Shroud's sword, the cracks in the glass spreading ominously, and Roman hid his nervousness behind a chuckle.

"It doesn't?" Roman spoke jovially, even as he subtly moved his fingers around his cane to get ready. "Your little hero friend summons Grimm! Isn't that a little back-asswards for a hunter? If you ask me, she sounds like a liability, like you're gonna have a nice pal-around with her that ends with you a bloody corpse and her being hunted across Remnant for being a _monster."_ Roman leaned forward, making Blake flinch in disgust as he dared to get face-to-face with her. "Really, we're doing a favor exterminating that little monster."

With a furious yowl, Blake pushed Roman with all her might, the glass behind him splintering and falling to pieces as he fell through towards the cargo deck. His free hand quickly grabbed Blake's shoulder, pulling her out with him as she roared. He pointed his cane to the roof of the ship and fired the hook, the head wrapping around one of the thick antennae on top as Blake tumbled with the glass below.

Before Roman could feel satisfaction, something tied around his ankle. He glanced down in surprise, grabbing his cane with both hands as his weight suddenly increased, and he watched Blake shooting up her own ribbon to reach him with teeth bared. Roman let out a defeated sigh.

Time for another gamble.

He let the cane go, and fell to the deck, the girl falling beneath him, and with a burning grin countering her shocked stare, he slammed her into the boat below. His foot buried itself into her chest, her Aura faded away to leave her vulnerable and exposed. Even still, she weakly grabbed his leg, staring up at him with tears in her eyes and teeth ready to dig into his throat.

"Stupid cat." Roman sighed, raising a fist. The cat girl's grip loosened as he slugged her across the jaw, a gasp of pain escaping her. The next hit threw her face the other way, her fingers splaying and tightening to try and escape, but Roman pushed his foot down into her chest and hit her again, and again, and again. "You think. You can take me. _Alone?!"_ He asked between each blow, unable to control his grin as her arms went slack, her face beginning to purple and swell. "I've lived a harder. Longer. _Colder_ life than you ever have!" Roman snarled, pausing to roll up the sleeves of his jacket. "Unlike you, I'm a survivor. Maybe you went to a camp with a couple of other kitties and maybe you ran a heist or two, but I've lived my whole life in the hornet's nest!" He knelt on top of her, his hands sliding around her pale, supple neck, his thumbs digging into her esophagus to make her cough, to stop her breath. "I'm tougher and meaner than you could ever be, kitty kitty, so don't take it personally. The world's probably better off without you anyways."

Blake grabbed at his wrists and choked for air, her grip loosening, her eyes rolling upwards, her pretty little face turning more and more pale as he clenched his thumbs. He was so wrapped up in his imminent success that he barely noticed a growing shadow forming beneath the back of the girl's head, and only realized something was off when it suddenly felt like his pant legs were soaked through.

In an instant, too sudden for Roman to comprehend, the deck below and the sky above disappeared as everything went black. He only realized what was going on when his buoyancy caught up with what he only just realized was a sudden fall, his hands still around the Faunus girl's throat, but he went rigid, his hackles rising instantaneously as he found himself submerged in some sort of lightless liquid.

The gears in his mind squealed in a panic, and he opened his mouth to shout, only for it to fill with the unseen, viscous fluid, which somehow managed to be both entirely tasteless, yet carry an aftertaste of sulfur. He coughed it up, his hands pulling from Blake's now invisible throat, and he stared around in a panic, until the pressure around him began to increase.

It pushed against his eyes, it tried to squirm its way into his ears, it tried to push up his nose, but a quick flare of his Aura forced it out to clear his skull of the writhing substance, and then, denied entry, it _screamed._

Deafening, loud, horrendous wailing from every which way, forcing him to mash his ears closed as the darkness around him tightened further and further, and little by little he became aware the screaming had turned to snarling, the pressure had turned to teeth and claws, and when he dared to open his eyes, he saw he was surrounded by the swimming, red eyes of the _Grimm._

He couldn't hear his own screaming as he frantically swam in what he assumed was an upwards direction, his hands and feet flailing to try and pull himself up the sludge as he felt needle-sharp points try to puncture his Aura, and the pressure tightened so heavily that he could barely force his arm up.

His fingers brushed against something, and he closed his hand around it, feeling the distinct shape of a set of fingers set into the palm of a humanoid hand, and he tried to pull himself up as it pulled away, dragging him with it.

And just like that, his head was out of the darkness, holding tightly onto Blake's hand as she was pulled to solid ground, the puddle of ink around his breast tried to suck him deeper. He grabbed onto the railing surrounding the cargo hold and pulled with all of his might, dragging himself out and back onto cold, hard land, the sludge trying to tighten and drag him back, but only barely able to form grasping limbs by the time his feet popped free.

He sat on his knees, panting, staring down, wondering what the hell had just _happened._ It felt like he'd blinked and his eyes had never opened, and then he'd began to drown, and get chewed out, clawed at, and stared at by those stupid hateful monster eyes. He grit his teeth and forced himself up to his feet…

A trick? By the Faunus girl? He turned his head to stare over his shoulder, and he saw Blake resting on her back, fully unconscious on the other side of a cold, dark puddle… a young lady wearing black and red kneeling by her side.

Roman hastily scrambled for his discarded cane, trying to keep at least one eye on the girl before he stood and pointed the end of his weapon at her, the tip flipped up and awaiting the pull of his trigger finger as he stared at her.

After a moment, the little thing named Ruby finally heard Blake breath, and when she confirmed the cat girl was alive, the younger student stood, and turned, her face bereft of any eyewear, a small frown forming on her face as she looked up at Roman.

He stared.

His cane shivered in his hand.

He made it a point to always meet his foe's eyes, to show them that he was the alpha, he was the man in charge, he wasn't afraid, but staring into the girl's eyes, he felt something bubble up in the back of his mind that he hadn't felt since the day he decided he was going to kill his old boss: terror.

The pure, red eyes of the Grimm were empty and soulless, devoid of anything but malice, but Roman saw a very different beast behind Ruby's eyes, something much, _much_ more vile. They were empty of empathy and compassion, but still gleamed with the mind of a thinking creature, whose head was filled with thoughts and _ideas_ of vengeance, violence, and destruction.

Roman's lips peeled back, instinctively revealing his teeth like it might frighten the girl as she took a small step towards him, her arms hanging by her side, her head hunched, making her stare up at him with those loathsome eyes. When Roman tried to stare at any other part of her, he found himself sweating as he realized the veins just below her skin were black and visible, like she was tainted inside and out by the monstrous things she summoned.

In an instant, he knew he wasn't dealing with the goggled girl from before, but something far, _far_ different… something that, staring into those eyes, he knew he was fucked if he tried to fight by himself. So very, _very_ fucked…

"A-alright, Goggles, you really pulled a fast one getting out of your cage…" Roman stepped back, trying to act casual as he stared down at her feet, where he could watch her feet wearily swing towards him. "S-so, found a way to flip the latch? Get one of the boys down there to slip ya the key?" An impossibility, seeing as only he had the key, but talking stopped his stomach from crawling like it was full of caterpillars.

"I _broke_ it." Ruby answered in a small voice, stopping a few feet away from Blake as Roman took another step back.

"Well aren't _you_ a strong little lady, huh?" Roman grit his teeth to stop them from chattering, his smile as obviously fake as his cheer. "They must be feedin' you somethin' real good back at Beacon!"

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of her school, and her shadow seemed to stretch and warp beneath her into a rounded, bubbling pool of the black slime that had tried to swallow him before, but rather than fall into it, she stood atop the liquid like it was as solid as the steel around it. The pit of ink swelled, tendrils creeping up the young lady's body, her body becoming enshrouded in a writhing black cloud.

Roman took a step back as she took a determined step forward, his entire body tense, up to his teeth grinding together as he realized that _this_ was what Cinder wanted, _this_ was what Cinder was warning him about… the cage didn't even goddamned matter. The Grimm hung around her like a swarm of insects crawling around their hive, surging down her limbs and girding her torso, leaving only those goddamned eyes visible at all times.

Ruby began to slowly walk towards him, at times looking like she was hovering thanks to the squirming mass obscuring her human form, one of her arms warping in darkness until it hung by her side, long and heavy, tipped with big, Grimm claws, but he barely noticed, his eyes again glued to the piercing red pupils that threatened to pull his guts out piece by piece.

He didn't know why staring into them made his heart throb and his limbs shake. The more he tried to rationalize it, the deeper they sank their teeth into his skull, and he could feel other things slipping away, like they were sucking at his thoughts until all that was left was that deep, dark, helpless feeling of being all alone in a room with something that wanted to tear into his neck.

He broke out into goosebumps as he tried to think of some form of plan; he had an open dock behind him _**but she would kill him the moment he turned away.**_ Which meant he had to fight her _**and he'd be ripped limb from limb.**_ He… he could apologize, plead for his life, turn himself into the police, and _**pay for capturing her and nearly murdering her friend.**_

His stomach crawled, and his free hand touched it, his digits quivering… it was like he was starving again… starving, and his intestines crawling with hungry parasites. Starving underneath a cold, wet newspaper as he tried to sleep away the pain in a rainy alleyway, unseen by the white collar shitheads that walked the sidewalks, never worrying about their next meal, or a roof over their heads.

His stomach blossomed into pain as he tried, once more, to threaten the girl by staring into her eyes, but all he saw was the jubilant glimmer in the eyes of the gangland wannabes that happened across the stray Torchwick child, knowing that no eleven year old could defend themselves from a group of angry, violent thugs that knew nobody would come to his aid as they bruised him, cut him, and broke his bones.

His terror reached a new peak as he recalled the night he came to the decision he needed to murder his old boss. The night he remembered that old, dirty bastard's expression as he caressed Neo's cheek with a promise she'd be his _favorite._ The sickening helplessness as the young lady he'd built a rapport with was escorted away, her eyes pleading for help as Roman stood back, surrounded by armed thugs just _daring_ him to move against their leader.

Not… not _again._ Never _again._ He wouldn't ever be that helpless again! He wasn't going to lay down, roll over, and wait for death _again._ He wasn't going to be stuck, his mind fighting his feelings over what he knew he needed to do, and what he feared would happen.

He needed to survive, to get to Neo, to crack open a bottle of wine with her and watch some shitty B-movie with her to celebrate a night survived by the skin of his teeth. If he died, and Neo was left alone with Cinder…

He straightened his arm and grit his teeth, forcing his body to be still as he lined up the sight with Ruby's head. He pulled the trigger, his weapon bucked, a sparking explosive flew towards her face, and he felt a moment of vindication and elation as it consumed her eyes in a ball of fire, and stopped her movement forward.

When the fire and smoke cleared, his ecstatic grin faltered as he stared at a broken wolf's skull covering the girl's head, the bony plates getting sucked into the squirming mire that surrounded her, leaving Ruby's head bare, and her expression even more grim.

Then, she charged, the black cloud streaming off of her like a ragged cape as she threw herself at the crime lord with a scream of rage that made the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand, and he flipped his cane up at the last moment as her clawed hand tried to rake open his face.

He deflected the spearing lunge to the left, his breath caught in his throat as he realized he'd survived the attack, but amidst the darkness enveloping her torso, he caught sight of her eyes boring into his, and the paralyzed fear that filled him left him unprepared as a number of long, thin tentacles erupted from her back, each topped with a bone-like hook.

The blades sliced into the Aura surrounding his upper arm, burning pain shooting across his torso as the black feelers tried to slither around his limbs and torso, but he shouted in fright and beat the tendrils with his cane, breaking them apart as he pulled away desperately.

The little girl was suddenly in his face, those hideous eyes filling his vision as the shadows wiggling around her shoulders suddenly grew red eyes and skulls. Fresh pain spread through each of his shoulders as wolf-like maws sank into him, the skull-wolves trying to tear him apart. All the while, she grasped his neck, squeezing with all of her might before driving her forehead into his nose.

Roman threw a desperate punch as his head reeled, and he felt his knuckles bury into the Aura about her cheek, only for the Grimmstuff to surge to his fist and try to latch on, needle points digging into him to try and tear his hand apart. He grunted, gasping helplessly as he tried to pull himself from her grasp, but the skulls sank their teeth deep into his shoulder Aura, their growling intermixing with Ruby's angered shrieking as she pulled her hands back.

Her fist formed a thick, rounded skull-like gauntlet, which rammed into his gut and doubled him over, his frantic screams turned into pained gags, and he felt himself getting pulled in by the cloud of darkness. Closer and closer he was forced to stare into those eyes, and his struggle was for naught; one hand was trapped in a vice filled with teeth, powerful, sharp jaws closed around his other shoulder, tendrils wrapped around him and dug in with hooks and claws, all while those unblinking eyes bore into his, and he felt the world shrinking away as his Aura began to flicker and weaken, threatening to drop, to allow her to sink into him and reduce him to nothing more than strips of flesh and spilled blood all across the deck.

He… he had to do something.

Anything.

 _Anything._

He needed to get home, he needed to… to punish Neo. If he didn't, she'd be a brat forever… and he'd be damned if he didn't raise her right!

He felt the bottom of his cane bump his jaw, and he tried to lean back as far as he could as he pulled the trigger.

Fire filled his eyes and his ears, the explosion leaving behind a world of ringing white, but his back hit the deck, no Grimm clawing at his body as he shook the effects of his desperate attack off and leapt to his feet, grimacing at Ruby as the girl stood. The Grimm shroud that swirled around her had been blown apart, leaving her head and torso bare of the Grimm shield, but the darkness at her feet surged, enshrouding her once more.

He knew he wouldn't have another chance. He aimed his cane, seeking to stop her for one more extra, valuable second, but a noise gave them both pause.

A gasp for breath, followed by a gentle, pained cry, and Ruby's expression went from blood-seeking rage to quiet worry. They both stared at Blake, laying on the ground, her body shaking from the pain she was in, tears streaming from her eyes, and Roman readjusted his aim.

The next shot flew past Ruby's shoulder, streaking for Blake as Roman turned on his heels to race towards the open door leading into the ship's living quarters. He couldn't run into the war happening on the docks below, that would easily get him caught in the crossfire; he just needed someplace to hunker down to sneak out, hop aboard one of the emergency boats and disappear out the bay for a while…

He pulled the metal hatch open and stared back at the half-formed Beowolf torso, its head blown to smithereens, withering away in front of Blake where the shot should have killed her.

The expression on Ruby's face as she turned back to stare at him made Roman come to an awful conclusion: his desperate attempt to distract her had not only failed, but he earned himself a lot, _lot_ more pain in the future.

Ruby turned away from Roman to trudge towards Blake, her posture no longer as menacing, and from her shadow, an enormous ape-like wolf dragged itself out of the ink puddle, its red eyes glowing brightly, its skeletal face opening to reveal rows of sharpened teeth, and its large claws clicked along the steel floor.

The Grimm glanced back at Ruby, whose hellish eyes locked onto Roman, and she gave a dismissive gesture that left the big wolf panting in anticipation, and Roman's chest tightening in fearful realization.

More clawed arms hauled themselves out of the portal of Grimmstuff, more Beowolves pulling themselves up to follow the more massive Alpha towards Roman, each panting, barking, and lead by an excited howl as they chased the man into the ship, their teeth bared and tongues lashing with growing bloodthirst.

This was what Cinder had meant. Roman felt blind as he raced through the tight hallways, the barking and yelping not far behind him.

* * *

"... What the hell was that?" Nora asked warily. Not a lot made the hammer maiden stop in her tracks when she was having a good time, but a good, honest, blood-curdling howl was enough to make her slide to a halt and perk her ear.

Ren appeared by her side and stared around the dock with sharp eyes. His ears couldn't have been mistaking him, he had some of the sharpest senses in his little group of friends, but Grimm… here? Shipping incidents weren't necessarily _uncommon–_ sometimes Grimm hid in cargo containers, sometimes they were brought in illegally by trappers to sell to unsavory sorts–and a fight would have roused them from their containers, possibly enough to escape…

"Nora," Ren spoke calmly, his hand sliding down her side, "keep your ears open. I have a suspicion—" He was interrupted as his Aura was hammered by gunfire from the remaining VTOL, a quick, pained outburst making Nora's eyes widen as he fell to one knee. "Nora…"

"I heard you." She answered stiffly. Sparks danced between the strands of her hair as she called up the reserve she had absorbed, Magnhild trembling in her grip. It quickly shrank into a compact grenade launcher, and the VTOL's armor began to dent and crumple as Nora fired electrically-charged grenades up at it.

An engine burst into flames when a lucky shot went up its intake tube, the VTOL spiraling in midair until a black glyph appeared on the ground beneath it and slammed it into the concrete. Nora gave a satisfied little snarl at her quick vengeance, only to be outdone by an animalistic roar when Yang crushed a power loader's knee, sending it buckling forward into the ground, the cockpit shattering explosively from the impact.

" _WHERE IS MY SISTER?!"_ Yang's voice boomed over the dwindling chaos. Ren hauled himself to his feet and looked to Nora silently, stroking her back as they stared around, Pyrrha emerging from the warehouse with Jaune by her side, neither looking scuffed in the slightest. Penny stood on top of some cargo, straightening up as the sound of charging feet and whirring equipment came to a still. At the crane, Weiss saw the VTOLs had been felled, and Sun was now boredly watching the activity below. The two descended as the battle came to a close.

White Fang lay sprawled out everywhere, unconscious or broken. Over seventy White Fang versus nine hunters; students, true, but competent enough to be picked up by Beacon. Their anti-hunter group had been felled by timely intervention, their rapid work kept their attention off of their defenses, the extent of their advanced machinery was a handful of assault crafts and modified construction equipment.

In the battle between hunters and civilians, the hunters always held the advantage. There was no sense of fairness, it was an obvious and often brutally one-sided fight, that was the cold truth of it. In a way, it was exhilarating: Pyrrha had been in this position before in her youth, fighting off toughs who had attempted to invade her home a year after joining gladiator classes. To win decisively over a horde of opponents with ill-intentions with justice at her back, it was a different sort of satisfaction from winning over a difficult opponent.

Pyrrha silently evaluated their victory… but so far, they had not succeeded.

They may have stopped the White Fang, but they had not yet accomplished their end goal: Ruby was still missing. "Jaune…" Pyrrha gestured to her partner, who was examining his fingers oddly, and he looked up to her with a quiet nod.

"Okay… I think we can call this a win?" He asked, glancing around at the still, groaning bodies of their defeated opponents.

"More or less." Weiss answered as she walked onto the scene, her face turning pale at the carnage strewn about. This was too much violence for her… White Fang or not, she did not have a good feeling in her gut, though the knot loosened when Sun laid a hand on her shoulder and raised his weapon.

"Good job crew! That just leaves one thing left." Sun called, glancing between the eight of them. His hand was brushed off of Weiss's shoulder, and the debutante strode towards her teammate. She had to drag Yang away from beating on the pile of destroyed power loader to join the group.

The blonde still fumed and steamed, but without a target for her frustration, she had fallen into a sullenness that had the other hunters keeping a few feet of distance. Only Weiss and Penny dared stand within range of her fists, for vastly different reasons.

"Ruby is still missing somewhere on this dock, I want us to spread out and beat down anyone still looking for a fight. Check every container, check every building." Jaune ordered, his voice ringing loud and clear. "We're moving out in groups of two. Pyrrha and I will take the west, Nora and Ren the east, Weiss, Yang, you two take the boat, Blake should be there. Sun, Penny, you guys check the crates to the south."

"Aye!" Came the response. Ren glanced up to the boat as he turned away with Nora, the screams and the howling from the boat had gone away… a fluke? A trick of his ears? He highly doubted it, but they _did_ have a mission. They could report it to other authorities once Ruby was safe.

For the moment, however…

The designated groups split apart to begin scouring the dock, but Ren caught up to Weiss and Yang before they could make it too far. "While I am only working off of suspicions, earlier I heard what I think might have been Grimm coming from the ship."

"From the ship?" Weiss repeated in obvious discomfort; they'd already dealt with the White Fang, fighting another enemy that wouldn't hesitate in killing her dead was just further stress on an already difficult day.

"Yeah, I think I heard 'em earlier too. Or more like somebody screamin' their heads off." Nora backed up with a shrug of her thin shoulders. "It was different from the ' _oh no you're breaking my legs!'_ scream, closer to the ' _oh no I'm being eaten alive!'_ scream."

"How, exactly, are those distinct things?" Weiss crinkled her nose as Yang crossed her arms, her expression of barely mitigated fury making Ren rather glad they were on the same side.

"The goddamned Tarrasque could be on that ship and I'm still going up there. I'm finding Blake, finding my sister, dragging _everybody's_ stupid ass home, and tying them to their damn beds until they stop being stupid." Yang grunted harshly, and despite using more choice words than Weiss would have, the debutante nodded in agreement.

"I was under no illusions that this information would stop you, I merely want you to be prepared for the possibility; I'd like us _all_ to return home safely." Ren said, and for all of Yang's anger at the world around her, she gave him a very quick, thankful nod before turning on her heel, grabbing Weiss by the waist to drag the yelping heiress along.

Satisfied, Ren turned east to begin his search, his smaller lover hanging tightly onto his arm with a protective glare up at the boy. "Don't think I didn't see you staring at Yang with those lecherous eyes, Ren!"

"I was not staring with any lecherous intent, my love, merely wishing her safety." Ren countered, drawing a snort.

"You're such a liar! You wanna _do things,_ to her."

"Perish the thought, Nora, I am a committed man, I have no desire to throw beautiful blondes onto my bed for any reason."

"Oh she's _beautiful_ now, _is she?!"_

* * *

It took an extraordinary amount of willpower to clear her head and _think._ Yang had to focus strictly on one objective–her little sister–to quench the raging flame in her chest long enough to seize her thoughts again. She couldn't be making more of a ruckus than she'd had been. The battle was _over,_ she was still frightened, worried, and pissed beyond belief, but now they were sharpening her focus, not powering her to break faces.

She took deep breaths and closed her eyes; she had to cool off before she overreacted and broke something that mattered. She came to a sudden halt when she ran chest first into something, her anger briefly flashing at whatever obstacle made the mistake of getting between her and her sister, but it was only Weiss, giving her a worried frown. Yang blinked. Right, she had been following her teammate, they were on the lookout for Ruby and Blake… Yang had spent so much of her brain power decompressing she'd mindlessly followed without sparing a look at the world around her.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked cautiously, drawing a bemused grunt from Yang as the blonde took in her surroundings.

"Fine. Why are we in the cargo hold?" Yang looked up at the sky. The ship's sunken storage was still in open-air mode since they'd caught the White Fang with their pants down for the most part. Even smaller-sized cargo ships like this one had embedded storage beneath the deck in the case of Grimm attacks or cargo outbreaks.

"I suspect we can find at least one White Fang down here; somebody should have been securing the crates, after all. If they're hiding, we should be ready for an ambush." Weiss answered, resting a hand on the wall as the choppy bay waters rocked the ship the slightest bit. Looking through the miniature maze of stacked cargo, Weiss felt semi-confident they wouldn't be spotted, nor would they be caught unawares.

The two of them walked towards the far end of the wall, their eyes and ears open. From beyond the cargo hold, Weiss kept expecting to hear the distant sirens and sounds of police chatter, but their quick battle had apparently yet to stir the law enforcement. They would certainly have plenty of suspects to take to jail–or the hospital, for that matter–once, or _if_ they showed.

Yang contemplated tearing the cargo containers open on the off-chance Ruby might be in any of them, but she had to weigh that against the consequences of alerting any surrounding Fang, or worse, getting _fined_ for property damage. She shuddered… she wanted Ruby to be in a room somewhere, hands and legs free, just waiting for them, the thought of her being under the touch of one of these goddamned _animals_ —

Chill _._ _Chill_. She had to chill out; that sort of thinking was what drove Blake away in the first place. Yang made a fist, then relaxed it, then clenched again, but forced it to uncurl. Her overreacting would only make things worse…

Weiss had stopped again, Yang nearly running into her as she grew lost in her thoughts, and the taller girl looked up in confusion as Weiss made a distressed noise. Three White Fang lay strewn across the floor, their clothing stained with blood, their masks pulled off their faces laying in pieces nearby. Yang blinked, immediately spotting the large tears in their clothing, the puncture-wounds along their arms. Those weren't weapon strikes, they were too animalistic…

"Grimm?" Weiss queried in a small voice. Yang flinched and glanced down as something brushed her hand, and it took a moment to recognize that Weiss was squeezing her fingers. What was she getting frightened over…?

"Looks like it. Maybe they snuck on board with the cargo?" Yang whispered, briefly squeezing Weiss's hand to comfort her, then stepping past her to lean over the three fallen Fang members. She touched their necks and frowned softly.

After a few moments, Weiss spoke up, "are they dead?"

"No. Heartbeat is slow, their wounds aren't deep, probably hurt like hell though. Their necks are pretty red, probably strangled… but not dead." Yang confirmed, looking over her shoulder at Weiss's anxious face. She lifted her head a bit, recognizing the emotion. Ruby didn't react well to blood either, Weiss may not have been used to violence.

"If it _was_ a Grimm that got them, wouldn't they be dead? Even a wild animal would finish the job." Weiss mentioned, giving the defeated Faunus a wide berth as she stepped around them.

Could it have been Blake?... Yang hadn't seen her partner fight a person before, but why would she leave such… _strange_ wounds? The only other person it could have been—… no, no _that_ wasn't possible.

"No clue." Yang shook her head, her heart began to beat harder as she considered the possibilities. "Let's move on."

"Shouldn't we move them?" Weiss asked with a frown.

"They aren't dead and probably won't die from their current wounds unless they don't get found or don't wake up." Yang stood, wiping her hands clean. "Besides, the only thing that matters right now is finding Ruby."

"Blake's probably already _found_ Ruby." Weiss muttered as they moved down the row of cargo containers, coming to a stop before one crate pushed in their way, impeding their progress. That certainly wasn't uniform.

Yang twisted her head left, then right, wondering if this was a crate that got misplaced during the battle outside, but her eyes locked onto a solid steel, rectangular container. That… was not a cargo crate, that was a Grimm containment cage. A pretty crappy one at that, considering the cage door had been forced open. Weiss noticed it too, jogging to the side of the container to run a hand along the lumpy, misshapen sides. Whatever had forced the door open had thrown a fit inside, leaving swollen bumps from its hard thrashings within.

"There _is_ a Grimm." Weiss said gravely, walking back towards the opening.

"But that's _not Ruby."_ Yang responded impatiently as Weiss poked her head into the cage. "Weiss, we still need to check where the sailors and stuff go inside."

"The bridge?" Weiss asked, beckoning Yang closer. The blonde growled unhappily, but complied, staring into the dark chamber.

"Or the bedrooms or whatever."

"Light your hair." Weiss ordered, getting a confused glare. "With your semblance! You know what I mean!" The heiress pouted, but Yang rolled her eyes, focused, and complied, letting the heat of battle, the pain of her fights, and her own anger course through her.

The fire reached her hair, and she began to glow, an uncontrollable pant escaping her as her body tensed in preparation for a battle. The _need_ to fight was a difficult thing to control, but Yang resisted the impulse to punch the surrounding walls as she walked inside with Weiss. She lit the dark cage up, staring at the multitude of sporadic, desperate claw marks along every inch inside. The Grimm were known to go into a rage when trapped, but this… it was like an entire horde of Beowolves were packed inside like sardines, tearing at their surroundings.

This wasn't just _one_ Grimm… it couldn't have been. They would have broken their claws and tired out after this much damage. Yang stared around, her anger turning to confusion, her confusion to worry, and something bumped the toetip of her boot.

She glanced down quickly, frozen in place as she looked at the thing she'd kicked.

Weiss blinked as the light went out without warning. Weiss quickly glanced around, reaching out for her barely visible teammate, and hearing her scramble along the cage floor. Yang stood, and Weiss followed as she heard her teammate's rapid footsteps towards the exit.

Yang burst out into the moonlight, her steps slowing, coming to a halt as she stared at the familiar black goggles in her hand. Weiss felt her pulse slow and her fingers go cold as she stared at Ruby's goggles, then looked back at the utterly ravaged cage they'd found them in.

"... I—..." Yang was at a loss for words, her face pale, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open as she flipped the goggles over and around, looking for the little imperfections and marks that would identify them as Ruby's. "Th-there's a mistake."

"Um…" Weiss whimpered, turning the strap over to check the model number. They both knew it was hers, but the answer wouldn't leave their lips. "Sh-she might have dropped them."

"Yeah… yeah, and they kicked them down here. I can see that." Yang held a hand over her mouth as her fist began to shake. She looked back at the destroyed Grimm container, then at Ruby's goggles. "She would never—she _knows_ better, she wouldn't take them off…"

"No, no of course—unless… Yang—..."

"No… no, no, Ruby, no, _please…"_ Yang whispered in a shaking voice, quickly wiping moisture away from her eyes. She shook her head, squeezing the goggles with an iron grip. "You know better Ruby, please baby girl, you _know_ better, I _know_ you do…" Yang panted loudly, beginning to move.

"Yang…!" Weiss followed behind her, her own voice pleading as the implication weighed around both of their heads. How had they missed them before? The periodic scratches along the floor were everywhere, small, shallow, but visible under the moonlight. They'd been so busy watching out for Fang, they didn't notice a much more pressing sign of a much worse enemy. They followed them to another staircase, quickly sprinting up the steps and Weiss was suddenly pushed down into a crouch by Yang's hand as a whir of blades and a spotlight passed by overhead, a police VTOL suddenly appearing overhead to strafe the dock.

Weiss watched the sky frightfully, and Yang's furious curse made Weiss swallow thickly. Their timeframe suddenly got much more limited, and in the distance, they could hear police sirens from the city…

"What should we _do?"_ Weiss hissed at Yang, who seemed frozen with indecision as she stared at the flying VTOL, which was soon joined by a second one, marked with the symbol of a different department.

"... Find Ruby." Yang muttered, and Weiss felt her mind blank.

Getting caught by the police was going to lead to incarceration no matter what; a bunch of underage, unlicensed hunters playing vigilante at night? Even if their targets _were_ the White Fang, it wasn't likely to save them a heavy tongue lashing, if not outright jail time. And, of course, it would be a permanent mark on her student record! Especially if they were noted to not comply with police orders immediately…

… but she was in trouble either way, right? The affirming thought took Weiss by surprise; it wasn't one of desperation in an attempt to flee her father's wrath, it carried a note of importance. Either way, there was trouble to be had, marks against her on her record, a permanent stain on her clean criminal record.

But first and foremost was finding Ruby and Blake… and hoping against hope that both would be safe and under control.

She thought back to the first time she stuck her neck out for Ruby against her own ambitions, recalling that the decision to rescue someone was far more important than the possible anger of those who held authority over her…

Wordlessly, she grabbed Yang's hand, the blonde giving a shocked gasp as she was dragged towards the ship's castle. "We don't have long," Weiss muttered, "so let's make the most of it."

Yang smirked at her, unseen by the heiress leading the way; maybe she was a bad influence on _all_ her teammates.

At the ajar door leading into the castle, the two found a large amount of broken glass on the floor. A splatter of blood, two long, deep claw marks in the metal hull of the boat, and a thin trail of red droplets leading the way inside. Their vigor and encouragement evaporated slowly at the sight of further trouble, and Yang swiftly pushed the door all the way open and stared into the lit hallway. Weiss joined up by her side, and they both felt their tongues dry.

The little blood trail ran all the way down the metal, barren hallway, hanging a left towards a sign that read ' _Crew Quarters.'_ More distressingly, deep, raking marks lined the walls and floors, indicating the Grimm… that Ruby had passed through.

"You… don't think she's…" Weiss trailed off, the tips of her fingers touching one of the claw marks tentatively, just to be sure that they were real.

"She _has_ to be alive." Yang didn't sound so sure as she moved forward on shaking legs, the dim lighting of the quiet ship adding to an already stressful atmosphere.

"I-I meant…" Weiss shook her head, then nodded. "Yeah… yeah, she has to be…"

Yang moved ahead, Weiss behind her, Myrtenaster firmly in her grip. The ship's metal hallway was standard as could be: empty, just barely large enough for two full grown men to walk past each other and brush shoulders. It was simply so sterile, and so uninviting, mixed with the deep cuts in the wall and that little trail of red that even Yang's heat was stymied by the unsettling nature of it all.

The distant creaking of the ship settling and rocking on the waves didn't help, and Weiss hastily pressed up against Yang's back at the sound of distant, metal groaning. She hated this, she hated it more that Yang wasn't her playful, confident self. Her back was tough as stone, her muscles tight... if Yang was afraid, then Weiss couldn't just lean on her for support. The young heiress swallowed thickly, moving her hand to Yang's shoulder to try and reassure her.

The two turned the corner, following the blood trail towards the crew quarters. They both had to hide a frightened swallow. The lights were out, and judging by the glass shards mingling in the blood, _something_ had broken them.

Yang's hair lit up, and the two moved deeper. The scratches in the walls were gone, and the blood trail was lessening. Step by step the two went into the darkness, passing through an opened door. Slowly they walked along, listening to the distant sounds as they kept their eyes peeled.

Of all things, it reminded Yang of when she was a little girl, trying to tough out her own fear after begging her dad to go into a haunted house at a faire with her while her mother and Ruby were at home. She remembered insisting on leading the way, and forcing her feet to move despite the mounting anxiety and expectation of _something_ popping out.

The memory actually drew a small, nervous chuckle from her; it was damn near the same level of dark, except this time, she and her dad wouldn't be screaming and hugging each other over an obnoxious teenager in a bloody makeup wailing like a banshee…

… She at least hoped that whatever did pop out could be talked down with an apology after a punch to the face.

"What in the world are you giggling over?" She heard behind her, and could feel Weiss giving her one of her judging glares. "Is this the time to be thinking of bad jokes?"

"Is there any better time than when you're scared shitless?" Yang asked in a low, shaking voice, unable to fake a more jovial reply. Weiss went silent behind her, and Yang thought she'd seized the last word.

"... I don't know how you could be, considering you're full of it."

Yang hid a cough, a smile threatening to break out across her face as she swatted Weiss' hip. It loosened the grip around her chest, and more importantly, made her broadcast to the Grimm less. There were plenty of hunters who went out on their quests with mastery over their emotions, barely allowing themselves to feel anything, always stone-faced and stern, but the ones that saved villages were the ones that could crack a joke that would make a panicking old maid grin.

At least, that's what her dad said, and it's what she hoped was true as she found the blood trail bending to the right into an open room.

She glanced back at Weiss, who stared into the dark room with trepidation. However, hand on Yang's lower back, she gave a quick nod. Yang stepped inside of the pitch black room, her glowing hair casting light across a row of cots and countertops littered with medical supplies. More importantly, resting on one of the hospital cots was a ruffled, black-haired figure.

"Blake!" Weiss's voice rose, and Yang quickly slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her. Weiss winced at her own gaffe, and composed herself. Despite her excitement, Yang was the first one by Blake's side, leaning down to touch her neck, and confirm she was alive and breathing. "What happened to her?" Weiss whispered, staring at her bulbous, purple face, which rested slack and almost sweet in her sleep underneath some improperly placed bandages. It was rather upsetting, Blake was always so smooth and alluring, it was like seeing somebody had taken a knife to a fine piece of art… and decided to fix it with a bandaid.

"Somebody beat her ass up." Yang answered glumly, carefully sliding a hand under Blake's head to stroke a bruised cheek with her thumb, pulling away a bandage that would do nothing more than agitate her swollen face. "Blake…" Yang whispered, lightly jostling her. "Blake!" Yang spoke a little louder, shaking roughly until the girl's eyes fluttered open, dull and confused as she stared at the ceiling.

"Bed…" Blake mouthed through a busted lip, "Beacon?..." She spoke almost hopefully, turning her head towards Yang tiredly. She winced, a small, pained gasp escaping her as her wounds announced themselves, but she calmed herself, and forced a smile. "... Hey gorgeous, I had one hell of a fucked-up dream."

Yang blinked slowly, her hair letting out a puff of steam as she hid a little blush. "Well, you're still dreaming, Blake. We're on a boat." At that, Blake's eyes drifted around the featureless room, focusing on Weiss to appraise her for a moment, before settling back on Yang. "Did Ruby do this to you?"

"... No, that dickwad with the stupid hat got me." Blake managed in a beaten wheeze, her eyes going flat with annoyance, but then eased into a quiet, contemplative look. "I think she was the one who stopped him from killing me."

" _Ruby_ protected you?" Weiss asked elatedly, but as her mind flashed through the clawed up, bloody hallway leading to the sick bay made her hesitate to celebrate early.

" _Details,_ Blake! What happened?! Where is she?!" Yang demanded, loudly enough to draw a frustrated look from Weiss. The blonde didn't notice, her eyes bore into Blake's, full of an intensity the Faunus girl had never seen before. It was honestly a little frightening seeing Yang so lethally focused, but Blake felt some measure of relief that she wouldn't be the target of her ire.

"I… I don't know." Blake spoke through a dry mouth, cringing as she tried to force herself to sit up. A strong hand slid under her back, providing her additional support as she got up, and almost immediately regretted it as the blood pooling in her nostrils quickly stained her upper lip, leaving her scrambling to try and stymy the flow. "D- _damnit,_ bloody noses all over the place…" A small square of white cloth filled her view, the fine material emblazoned with a familiar snowflake, and Blake gratefully took Weiss' handkerchief to hold to her nose.

Weiss smiled nervously at the miserable looking girl. "The SDC logo stained with Faunus blood, how terribly symbolic."

Blake managed a small cough of amusement, and wordlessly tossed the handkerchief back to Weiss, who caught it with a squeak of disgust as she quickly found a corner to hang onto that wasn't soaked with red. "Yeah…" Blake sighed thickly, cringing at the taste of blood draining down the back of her throat. "The last thing I remember is the hat guy trying to beat my head through the ship while ranting about how much better he was than me… next thing I know, I'm waking up and everything hurts, and I see… I saw those eyes…" Blake's voice fell to a whisper as Weiss and Yang listened silently. "I remember her picking me up like I was going to break apart in her hands, but I also saw… _something._ It's like her body was wrapped in this black cloud with _things_ inside of it."

A moment of silence, then a fearful glance between Weiss and Yang that left Blake shifting uncomfortably before reaching up to remove the bandages awkwardly strewn about her skull.

"She's lost it…" Yang whispered. It was such a gentle, somber statement that Blake thought she heard it wrong. The hand across her back fell, and Blake watched as Yang stood in a slow, unsteady fashion, and strode towards the medical supplies strewn about the counter.

"Yang…?" Weiss called after the taller girl, who was mindlessly grabbing cold packs from the freezer to bring over to Blake. The blonde was in full autopilot mode, her eyes distant as she dropped two of the packs into Blake's hands, and pressed the other to her partner's eye.

"She's summoning Grimm… she's _using_ Grimm, she's _lost it."_ Yang's voice was shaking, her skin turning pale, her eyes shivering in their sockets. Blake could see the early signs of an oncoming panic-attack… she had seen plenty of her compatriots in the Fang find themselves unable to come to terms with being separated from civilization, or being under constant threat, or being a part of attacks against other living, sentient beings…

Yang was due to grow erratic and start making mistakes, maybe even deadly ones, and Blake knew she had to intervene before it became a problem.

"Yang?" Blake tried to catch her partner's eye as the blonde stared through her. " _Yang?"_ She called a little more desperately, reaching up to snap in Yang's face, the sudden sound focusing Yang's eyes the tiniest bit. "Yang, do you have _anything_ to eat?" She asked as Yang blinked rapidly, bouncing between reality and her fears.

"Huh…?"

"Do you have something I can eat?" Blake enunciated slowly, making Yang's nose crinkle as she processed the question. "I am low on Aura," Blake explained, "and am feeling hungry, do you _have anything to eat?"_

"I—no?" Yang questioned out loud, holding one hand to her forehead as Weiss watched with distress. "This- _this isn't the time to think about food!"_ Yang suddenly snapped, but Blake did not look frightened. "We… we have to find Ruby and snap her out of this, or…" She swallowed thickly. "I-if she's really lost it… we… we might…" Her eyes sank to the floor, and her shoulders drew up like a bowstring as she began to shiver.

"I don't think she's snapped." Weiss spoke in a low voice, carefully resting a hand on Yang's shaking shoulder to squeeze it and impart whatever comfort she could muster unto the blonde.

"She's summoning _Grimm,_ Weiss!" Yang barked, turning her red eyes on the heiress, making her shrink away with a disquieted frown. "She's _lost it!_ It's the biggest _no-no_ she could ever _do!_ She would _never_ if she was in control; this fucking _pervert_ did _something_ to her that made her start summoning Grimm and tearing shit up, and now–and _now—"_

"Blake isn't dead." Weiss said heatedly, making Yang pause, work her jaw, and tighten her brow as Blake glanced down at herself, and nodded.

"I'm very much _not_ dead." She confirmed, feeling her own heartbeat through her neck. "All this stuff on my face was because of that Torchwick asshole. There's nothing else…" She trailed off as she lifted her shirt, and Weiss and Yang both shifted awkwardly as Blake inspected herself for further wounds, then shook her head. "If she was the one to carry me here–and I'm really damn sure she is–she didn't hurt me."

Yang's face stopped pinching up, her shoulders relaxing the tiniest bit as Weiss agreed. "She might be _mad,_ heck, she might have even gone a bit… _Grimm-crazy,_ or whatever it is that she does, but even back in the Emerald Forest when she started using Grimm _then,_ she did it to protect me. She killed the Ursa and caught me before I fell."

"The Grimm hasn't stopped her from being Ruby." Blake offered, and Yang's eyes now wandered unsurely about the room, the offered information conflicting with years of warnings and nightmares. "Maybe if we calm her…"

"We can." Weiss nodded, crossing her arms in front of her torso. "I had to shock her pretty badly for her to spit out the Grimm, so it's possible, if… gross." Weiss rolled her shoulders, and Yang, silently, evaluated her fingers.

The Grimm weren't beasts that could be negotiated with, mankind and Grimm were in an eternal war of extermination, and for as long as Yang had known her little sister, there was a suppressed side of her that Yang feared… not because she had grown up scared of the Grimm, she was well past that as a huntress, but the lingering wonder–the _inevitability_ –that one day, there would be a time when Ruby faced something she could not surmount.

And Yang… Yang would have to be there.

If she wasn't there, she could never even _try_ to ease things for her sister. If she wasn't there, she couldn't talk to the little girl she helped rear into the little humanist that she was, she couldn't fight her back with her power reigned back so the pain wouldn't drive Ruby further into whatever hellhole she'd mentally fallen into that would allow her to ease her grip on the Grimm.

Yang always wondered if it would fall to her to kill Ruby if this sort of thing happened, and she always banished the thought with the excuse that it couldn't happen, or she'd think on it some other day… the possibility had reared its head today, and it wasn't her own realization that gave her hope, it was the people who knew barely anything about Ruby and her Grimm.

Her fist tightened, and a number of possibilities ran through her head…

"Weiss," Yang spoke very slowly, and very calmly as she tried to relax her emotions, "help Blake get off the ship and get her to everyone else, I'll find Ruby." She couldn't lose focus; if she let the worst of her emotions seize her again…

"What?!" Weiss yelped. "I'm not leaving you alone on this ship! If something were to happen to you—"

"If something were to happen to _Blake,_ it would be a lot worse!" Yang interrupted, making Blake wince at the truth of the statement as Yang leaned down to take her under the arm and lift her, helping her off the bed where she struggled to find her footing.

"We can't leave you alone, Yang." Blake said obstinately, despite her brain swimming in her skull. "I—… I already left you girls behind _once_ and I regretted it _instantly,_ I'm not doing it again!"

"Well this time, you have my _permission_ to bitch out." Yang raised an overly warm hand to Blake's face, and the Faunus girl expected a burst of pain across her cheeks just _feeling_ the anger pouring off this person she trusted… but the gentle pressure of Yang's hand against her bruised cheek alleviated some of the ache, the warm spreading across her face to ease that discomfort in her skull. "I gave up on you." Yang admitted, making Blake crack her eyes open. "I was ready to dump your ass to the curb after an hour, but Ruby made us look for you. I _believe you_ when you say you regretted it, 'cuz nobody would go through this unless they knew for sure they were a goddamned idiot. Right now, you're in danger." Yang ran her hands up to Blake's ear, and the cat girl bat her eyelids as her ear was almost playfully squeezed. "If I put you in danger, Ruby would _never_ forgive me, much less herself."

Yang then whirled on Weiss, who still wore an uncertain face. "And somebody needs to escort her out, and I'm electing you."

"Why don't we go together so we can come _back_ together, Yang?" Weiss asked, looking more and more visibly stressed as she spoke. "We shouldn't split up here, and I can't stand the thought of you getting lost in here with a potentially dangerous Ruby and a most certainly dangerous _criminal._ I already almost lost one of you, now I'm on the edge of losing _another,_ and then there's _you,_ and I'm losing my mind wondering how this night is going to end!"

"I know." Weiss whimpered as she found herself in Yang's strong arms, that warmth now flooding _her,_ and she sighed as she realized how easily she melted in the embrace of another, stripping away that appearance of a strong young warrior and making her look and feel like a little girl all over again. "But I've known Ruby the longest, I can at least try and talk her down. Besides, I'm still running hot. When Blake is safe with the others, you can come back, but right now… right now we need to split up. I _need_ to find my sister, and we _need_ to get Blake to safety." Yang tilted Weiss' chin upwards, and gave her a pleading look. "Please?"

It took several seconds for Weiss to nod, and the embrace ended with a grateful smile from Yang. Before her mind could rebel, Weiss reached out to take Blake's hand, and she pulled the Faunus closer with a forced expression of confidence. "Let's get you to safety. When this is all said and done, we are having the _longest_ conversation."

"Yeah." Blake chuckled dryly, and allowed herself to be led towards the exit at a good pace, but not before turning back to face Yang with a look that said: ' _come back alive, or else.'_

With her two teammates out of the way, Yang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated. There was still hope, there was still a chance… she just needed to keep her cool, and try her damndest.

* * *

The calling card of the arriving police went almost entirely unnoticed through the sound of blood pumping through his ears.

The kitchen was completely dark, and without the machinery being on, Roman could hear everything around him in an echoing eternity. Claws that could flay the skin from his muscles clicked and scratched against the metal floor, the beasts huffing and growling to themselves as their big, lupine heads swung this way and that, scanning the dark corners of the room.

This was too smart for the Grimm, they were supposed to be stupid beasts who were too damn tough for their own good, but he could almost hear the gears turning in their heads as they stalked past the cabinet he'd hidden himself inside of, one hand around his mouth to muffle the sound of his breathing as he listened to the Beowolf pups creep around.

Pups… sure, they were still six feet tall standing on their hindlegs and could tear through a wooden door in twenty seconds, but they were certainly babies compared to the behemoth guarding the entryway.

Yeah, this was definitely way, _way_ too smart for Beowolves. Not that Roman could attest to having a lot of Grimm knowledge, his forte was people, and fuck if he'd made one hell of an error tonight. Still, what he did know was that the Grimm were like insects: they threw themselves at humans with all the finesse of a hammer to the kneecap, and the fact that the alpha was _guarding the door_ while the pack performed a rudimentary _grid search_ told him there was a lot more going on than a fucking Grimm invasion.

He was being hunted. One Beowolf found a plastic squeeze bottle knocked over during Roman's flight and sniffed it, and awkwardly grabbed at the depressed finger hole of the closest island cabinet to pull it open and stuff its snout into the tightly packed bottles of spices within.

Roman was obviously not there, but it was using its _brain…_ or somebody else's brain, at least, and that was a scarier thought than getting torn open. It made everything he said to Cinder about letting him handle things seem that much more ominous.

A quick bark from the alpha drew the attention of the four youths, and Roman watched the beasts scamper out of the kitchen to search deeper into the ship; they were still idiots, sorta, so small blessings.

Roman waited for the sounds of their lumbering and clinking to recede further away before nudging the cabinet door open bit by bit, until he could slide past it without a creak. When was the last time he'd stuffed himself in a closet to hide from somebody who wanted him dead…?

… The pimp he'd been feuding with the month before didn't count, what Roman did was an _ambush;_ a successful one at that!

Still, this was the first time he didn't have a plan to turn things around. A paperweight across the skull wouldn't work here, it'd just piss his hunters off, and he didn't need _angrier_ Grimm. He needed to get off the boat and out of the dock, but that was looking less and less possible with the kids out there, and the Grimm around.

If the two came into conflict, that would have been fine, he just needed to wait for _that_ to happen, and until then, he was going to give himself a sore neck hiding in cramped places.

Roman leaned his head out of the kitchen portcullis to check the hallway, and slid out when he confirmed it empty. What could he do to… _accelerate_ the union of these two, headache-inducing parties? The ship's PA system would still be active, he just needed the perfect speech to get them up there…

… They were here for the Grimm girl, wouldn't they? If he told enough little threats, they would _all_ come running to protect her; he still had the scissors he'd clipped the cat with, he could threaten a finger or two, even if he didn't have the actual collateral to back it up… still, the threat alone should send a bunch of heroes into a panic; they hated that sorta stuff.

Following the signs leading him to the stairs. Roman skid around the corner, blanched, and quickly scrambled back behind cover, snagging his hat out of the air before it could hit the floor. He leaned out to stare at what looked like an angry ball of shadows surrounding a barely visible girl in a dress.

It was time to turn tail and find a new way up, preferably one that didn't have him crossing paths with a living Grimm factory that wanted him torn to bloody shreds… he hurried quicklike back the way he came, dipping into a room as he listened to bootsteps rhythmically click down the hallway, accompanied by the sound of writhing, half-formed monstrosities.

Now was the time to fold 'em and get the hell out of dodge; no need for any more risky bets, nope…

He stuck his head out of the doorway to watch after the Grimm girl as she walked along. She was quiet as a mouse, other than snarling that periodically escaped the Grimm cloud that enshrouded her, but then she came to a stop. Roman tried to work out exactly what she was doing as she seemed to turn left and right.

Taking a listen? Well, if Roman only breathed, he was bound to be fine, and he could make his way over to the stairs to—

The black puddle appeared beneath her feet again, and from the depths of the Grimm pool another batch of Beowolves wriggled out, shaking off cloying ink and stretching their newly formed limbs and bodies. They were small– _more_ young Beowolves–and Roman grit his teeth; it wasn't just a handful, it seemed like a dozen of the beasts were pouring out and swarming down the hallway, or ducking into random rooms to search.

Roman ducked back behind the door and pressed his back to the wall as a Beowolf stalked into the room, its red eyes burning as it glared at the shadowed corners in the back, and stomped deeper into the room while failing to notice the man pressed against the wall nearby..

The crime lord swallowed thickly, thought for a half second, and slipped out of the room with trumped up promises he would make it out scott free. He simply had to head for the stairs as quickly as he could, before the new wolves finished investigating, and before the little Grimm girl realized what was happening, and before the other hunters could come down and start a war, and—

He turned the corner once more, and was greeted with a flash of white teeth and a tongue lolling out of an open maw, and his cane instinctively smashed through the wolf's skull, knocking it to the floor with a loud clamor. Roman felt sweat form on his face as the boat went still. He heard the clicking of claws, he heard hungry snarls, and worse than that, he felt something swim past his foot; a quick glance down confirming that the remains of the Grimm weren't disintegrating into a dark cloud, but were melting into the floor and surging back down the hall… back to its source?

He had no goddamned idea, a snap of teeth drew his eyes to the end of the hallway where the stairs upwards lay, and four black wolves slunk towards him, their open jaws leading the way towards the gangster as he turned on his heels and fled towards the other end of the hall.

He could hear the clanging charge of distant Beowolves surging towards the sound of barking, and his cane battered aside a Beowolf or two that sprung from open rooms in order to race mindlessly towards anywhere safer than behind him.

His eyes barely flickered across a sign that told him he was heading into the lower deck storage, back into the bowels of the ship, but it took him a minute of panicked racing and door slamming to realize he was getting further and further from safety.

As long as he was running, he was alive, so he had to keep running until all of it was behind him…

* * *

Two steps at a time, Yang raced down the stairs leading to the lower level of the ship, and came to a halt between two dark hallways, one to her left, one ahead of her. Yang looked one way, then the other, and sped down the left hall with her hair lighting the way.

She saw shallow claw marks along the floors, obvious signs of the Grimm, but they were less out of control than the floor above. Yang was expecting a trail of destruction, but other than finding shit knocked over in the surrounding rooms, she couldn't find any indicators of where the action was happening.

The barking from before was unmistakable, there had to have been Beowolves on the ship…

… it weirdly made sense to her that it came down to Beowolves. Vale was rotten with the beasts, more so than any other Grimm. Some areas had a smaller population, some areas had a larger one, and Patch Island had plenty of wolves running around when times got rough. It was the breed of Grimm she and Ruby had trained the most on, the beasts they were most familiar with, so somehow, it didn't surprise her that Ruby had them on the brain.

' _Don't be scared.'_

She slowed down at her own words, and tried to reign in her panting.

' _Don't be scared; you're a big girl now. You wanna do this, right?'_

Yeah, she did… so did Ruby, so many years ago, when she first asked that question.

' _I-... I'm n-n-not s-scared…'_

Yang slowed to lift her ear, to try and sense something, but the roar of her own thoughts made it so _hard…_

She remembered Ruby shaking like a leaf when they first saw that old, Grimm-infested cabin, holding a prototype of her scythe close to her chest, her hunter's outfit little more than a pair of camouflage pants and a white tank top under their dad's leather jacket. She remembered being a little annoyed that she'd brought Ruby on that day, she hadn't wanted to drag her baby-sister along for a training exercise…

' _Then let's go do this.'_

' _O-okay… okay…'_

Her little sister had taken deep breaths, just like Yang was taking now, and despite her own fear, forcing herself to join Yang at the front door to that run down old piece of crap.

' _You know, if you're ever going to be a huntress, you can't, like,_ be _the problem, y'know?'_

' _I-I know…'_

' _So why a hunter? There's a million other things you can do.'_

The look on Ruby's face when she asked that told her her little sister had asked herself that same question before. The silent uncertainty, the crestfallen cheeks… the girl knew she was a problem, but still…

Yang had heard there were lots of different types of hunters; the choice of becoming a hunter was made early in one's life, it was hard to become a full-fledged professional when you were already an adult. Lots of kids had simple ideas of what they wanted: to be as famous as the great hunters of yore, to be so popular that they had a line of clothing, action figures, and movies, to be wealthy and influential enough to get whatever weapons they wanted, to fill their lives with action and thrills, to beat down evil.

Some of them, like Ruby, were born with big hearts, and were unable to bear the suffering they saw in their fellow man. Ruby had always been that way, and it was something Yang had to deal with when they were both young; cartoons where people were sad or suffering left Ruby fretting and asking if they were going to be okay, and Ruby _hated_ books with bad endings.

Their mother would tell her that the reason she left so often was to help people. Not to kill Grimm, or to make money, but to protect the innocent. She talked about growing strong enough to protect the weak, comparing the innocent people in the cities and towns to sheep that needed to be protected from the wolves by shepherds.

Yang always nodded her head, but even when she was just a little thing, Ruby internalized those lessons.

' _I-I wanna help people!'_

' _I wanna save towns!'_

' _I wanna be a huntress!'_

She could have been anything else. She could have studied to be a Grimm scientist of some sort, or a weapons developer–and Yang knew she had it in her with how Crescent Rose had come out–but Ruby wanted to take the most direct path to helping people…

… or, as Yang came to understand, to no longer being helpless. To no longer be a danger to herself and everyone else. It wasn't just a matter of saving humanity, it was _becoming_ _human_ herself. Yang watched her little sister go from shaking at the very idea of encountering Grimm to slaying them almost as an afterthought, but she didn't just want to fight the Grimm to prove she could, it was in that damn, self-pitying nature of hers to tell her to become a hunter so that she could _apologize_ for being what she was.

Whatever it was, it gave her a drive as strong as Yang's to… to be more than her mother, _Raven._ Sure, she wanted thrills along the way, but she needed to be stronger so she could protect her family, not just leave them in the dust.

Yang came to a long, deep scratch in the wall, and frantically followed it to the end of the line, and came to a pause.

… to prove she wasn't just dead weight her mother could just throw off her shoulders when it was convenient.

She shook her head, frowned, and saw more frequent scuffs and marks along the wall. Her little sister wasn't going to be a monster, she wasn't going to be the victim of some cocky ephebophile. Yang was going to make sure her sister was a huntress, one without regrets.

The floor in front of the lower storage room door looked like a chaotic lattice embroidered in the metal. The door itself was off its hinges, discarded and heavily warped in the dark bay. The frame was bulging outwards, several shattered fragments of Beowolf claws strewn about, only perceptible due to Yang's trained eye.

Yeah, if Yang was placing bets, she would have called ' _Grimm attack'_ of the ' _absolute fucked'_ variety. She charged past the broken door, and stared around at the rows of shelves stacked high with cardboard boxes and tin cans. The place was like a goddamned maze, and bright as her hair was, it could only reveal so much, so far...

And in the darkness, she could hear the sounds of the Grimm. It wasn't a sound she feared before, she wasn't a little girl who had gotten lost in the coastal caves of Patch, lead along by a dying lighter looking for a way out, listening to the snarls of beasts out of sight.

She was not afraid of mere Beowolves.

" _Ruby?!"_ Yang's voice rose above the distant, bestial sounds, silence falling her cry. " _Ruby! Where are you, Ruby?!"_ She marched inside, Ember Celica engaging around her fists with an audible ' _click.'_

She couldn't see the back of the room, she could barely see much other than straight down the aisle as she frantically looked left and right, trying to find some sign of her sister.

As she glanced down one particular row of shelves, red eyes peered at her from the shadows, and she hefted her fists for a fight, expecting those eyes to be lunging at her with an open mouth leading them. She faced the Beowolf with her entire body as taut as a spring, her teeth grit, her face full of rage and anguish.

She had every reason to believe herself to be in danger, every reason to thumb the trigger of Celica's imbedded shotgun, and yet, she hesitated.

She hesitated, because the Grimm did. The Beowolf should have been trying to rip straight into her Aura, devoid of any strategy or subtlety… and yet, staring at the mercilessly scowling face of a beast whose kin she'd slain countless times before, the Beowolf–a young one at that–did not charge her.

The wolf loped towards her, its red eyes boring into her as it seemed almost… relaxed. Relaxed as a Grimm could be; they always wore the same expression, and carried the same posture, the difference was in whether or not it wanted to run screaming into a rampage, or rest in waiting for the next person to maul.

" _ **Yang?"**_

The sound of her name behind her made Yang freeze; that was no person's voice… it sounded _painful,_ like it had gotten hawked up in a mixture of a burp and a bark. She quickly glanced over her shoulder with a frightened look.

Behind her, opposite of the Beowolf pup, was a larger, stronger, more terrifying Grimm. The alpha towered over her and the shelves, still hunched over even as the top of its scalp scraped against the metal roof. It was an enormous beast, not at all born to hunt in the bowels of a ship, and yet it was _here._

Yang felt a sickly feeling fill her stomach as she saw more red eyes behind it, peering around the alpha, peering between the shelves, and she knew she was surrounded from all angles by the Beowolves… yet they weren't converging on her. They were eyeing her, while the alpha loomed closer until it settled on its primate-like knuckles in front of her. Its head dwarfed hers, its teeth longer than her fingers, its eyes the same, unreadable, threatening red glow of absolute malice.

She should have swung her fist into its face and blown its skull open while she had the opening, she should have thrown herself into the Beowolves surrounding her and beat them into black mist while they hesitated, but their abnormal behavior kept her limbs frozen. She was completely out of her element, still worried and still afraid, and now terribly confused…

The beast opened its jaws, and for the first time Yang knew of in the history of Grimm and mankind–outside of trashy horror fiction–it spoke: " _ **Yang…?"**_ It barked, its mouth barely able to form the word without lips, yet it clearly _tried,_ despite the immense difficulty.

"Wh—?" Yang stared at the monstrosity before her, her expression slack as the bottom of her stomach dropped out.

Its head dipped down, then up slowly, examining her in a human-like way that no animal _ever_ would have. A set of claws that could have wrapped around her head and squeezed it like a grape lifted off the floor, and she raised her fists defensively as it pointed at her head.

" _ **H-hurt?"**_

Yang's skin crawled at the question. Some Grimm could imitate sounds, and used the noises to lure in human and Faunus, often the sounds of crying or screaming… but this wasn't imitation, Beowolves didn't have complex vocal chords, nor were they ever known for deploying subterfuge.

Yang swallowed thickly. Were these _Ruby's_ Grimm? There was no way… she'd never pulled something like this before! But… but they knew her _name._

" _ **Hurt?"**_ One of the younger wolves repeated.

" _ **Yang hurt?!"**_ Another barked behind Yang, its exclamation lower, angrier.

" _ **Hurt?!"**_ The word rippled through the surrounding pack as they slunk closer, surrounding Yang, their growling rising. " _ **Hurt?! Yang hurt?! YANG HURT?!"**_ They grew louder, rowdier, angrier, the shelves around them rattling as Yang whirled in rising apprehension as the horde chanted itself into a frenzy, pressing against her, surrounding her in ice cold, black flesh, hard, bony plates, and glaring red lights and snapping snouts, all until she could cry out.

" _I'm not hurt!"_ She cried out fearfully, pushing back against the surrounding horde, trying to force them off of her. Her fist swung, crushing the skull of one Beowolf and depositing a slug straight into its face, sending it crashing into its companions with a splattered skull as she turned to throw another punch, but they had fallen back almost fearfully to avoid her. The noise ceased, and they no longer tried to pile onto her. The downed Beowolf melted into the floor and drifted away.

" _ **No hurt."**_ The alpha Grimm repeated as Yang trembled, quickly facing the beast in case it tried to collapse on her. Then, it turned its pointing finger back to itself, its white claw prodding its enormous, barrel-like chest. " _ **I hurt."**_

Yang blinked in disbelief, and stared as it made a fist, squeezing the air in front of its chest as if it was grieving… "You… _you_ hurt?" She asked, the Beowolf glancing up at her. "Does _Ruby_ hurt?" Yang ventured, the utter impossibility of the scenario making her head swim as she tried to connect the pieces and just _guess_ as to what was happening.

The Beowolf bowed its enormous head. " _ **I hurt... Yang I hurt... Yang I hurt."**_ Its massive bulk shuddered like it was in deep pain, its head lowering as the pack repeated its words around it. Then, it stilled, and looked up at her with its pitiless eyes. " _ **Yang... Help?"**_

"Ruby needs help?" Yang asked, her posture changing swiftly as the Grimm gave, of all things, an approximation of a doggish nod.

" _ **I hurt…. Help… Yang?"**_

"T—..." Yang froze before the word could escape her mouth, still caught up in disbelief that this was happening to her, everything she knew about the Grimm and Beowolves telling her _this was not right._ But… what could she _do?_ "Take me." She ordered the alpha.

Its eyes stayed on her for just a second, and Yang back-pedalled quickly as it lumbered towards her, heading deeper into the back of the storage, the pack of Beowolves parting quickly to allow it through, and following close behind Yang as she, against all her warring instincts, followed the Grimm.

The monsters around her made no move to attack her, and the angered snarling from before had petered out. The Beowolves stuck close, but never forced themselves uncomfortably close to Yang. It was like having a goddamned bodyguard contingent, except it was made entirely of nightmares and misanthropy, and Yang never lost the gut feeling that everything was wrong, that this was a bad dream and she was on the floor somewhere with a gushing head wound.

In the very back of the storage, there was a vault door embedded in the wall… well, formerly embedded in the wall. The big mass of steel had been pulled out, looking crumpled around the edges as large, metal screws laid stripped and strewn about in front of it.

Inside the vault, just barely visible at the edge of Yang's light, Yang saw the flutter of a red cloak.

The Beowolf alpha was roughly shoved to the side, Yang barely registering its agitated snarl as she raced through the open hole in the wall, her little sister's figure the only thing that mattered to her.

She ignored the cloud of darkness that enveloped her, digging her fingers into the shadows to pull them aside with a desperate grunt, the Grimmstuff splattering the walls as Ruby, in obvious surprise, turned. Demonic eyes locked on a flash of gold, monstrous limbs topped with vicious claws burst from her back to close in on the girl, and everything came to a still when Ruby was in her sister's arms, the blonde's face in Ruby's shoulder.

Gentle weeping filled the vault as Yang ignored the black ichor crawling along her arms to keep her sister close, and Ruby stood as stiff as a statue, the burning fury within her suddenly petering out in the tight embrace of her sister.

The ship went cold again; Ruby was no longer heated by the promise of bloody revenge, and Yang was no longer radiating her stress. Ruby stood stock still, barely able to make a sound as her hands delicately settled on Yang's hips.

"Y-Yang…?" Ruby whimpered. She had her sister… finally… after much pleading and pushing and breaking, Yang was here.

"Hey Ruby." Yang lifted her face out of her sister's shoulder, only dimly aware that the cloud of Grimmstuff that swarmed Ruby had expanded to flow across her own back, leaving her gulping loudly. "It's been a rough night, huh?" She asked the younger girl, naturally trying to meet her eyes, but forcing them to focus on her forehead, and not stare into the glare her sister had no control over.

"I—…" Ruby trailed off. Her face twitched, then began to pinch, her bottom lip jutting out as the night's sorrow welled up within her, and Yang heard the first squeak from her little sister. It was adorably heartrending, and Yang pulled Ruby closer, drawing her face first to her chest to give her somewhere warm and dark to cry in privacy into. "I-I was scared…"

"I know, Ruby, I know…" Yang stroked the back of Ruby's head. Her little sister's pale face, the back of her neck, and the hands tightening around her torso were covered in black streaks; every vein in her body, it seemed, was swollen with black ink, something Yang would concern herself with trying to understand later.

"I-I wanna g-go home…" Ruby shivered in Yang's arms, trying to draw herself closer to Yang, like she was trying to wear her like a blanket. "It… it hurts… 'n I wanna go home…"

"I'll get you there, Ruby, I promise." Yang sighed deeply.

Still, she wanted to linger just a bit, and cry a few tears of relief where none of their friends would see just how wound up she'd gotten herself. She buried her nose into Ruby's dark hair, stroking her head with one hand while the other pressed against Ruby's back. She felt her sister weeping, and wanted to collapse with her in her arms and just… relax.

A sound, however, ruined the moment. Her eyes opened up slowly, not wanting to go back to reality so she could pretend everything was perfectly fine and that nothing would change, but her discipline made her ignore her own feelings for the moment to spy a face sticking out of the floor.

The face of a white-skinned man, who was sucking in air before malformed black claws tried to drag him into a puddle of Grimm, his eyes wet and wild with pain and fear, and he barely managed to reach a hand up and out towards Yang in silent pleading as he sucked in breaths, and was suddenly forced under the boiling darkness.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Yang paled, and Ruby caught herself on her feet as she was pushed aside. The little sister stared after Yang with a surprised look, which quickly turned dark as Yang forced her arms into the black puddle, and hauled him out with her teeth grit.

The man's clothing was shredded, his hair a tangled mop of red, and he was bleeding heavily along his arms and legs. He grabbed desperately at Yang's arms and shoulders so he wouldn't fall back in, and Yang dragged him far away from the puddle that so desperately reached out for him once more.

Yang stared into the frightened man's eyes as she lowered him against a far wall, and pale and cold as he appeared, he seemed alert, and was coughing up black ink that squirmed its way back to the Grimm portal. He needed medical attention, what _would_ have been a good set of clothing was staining red rapidly, but nothing looked _immediately_ fatal.

"We'll take you to the medical deck upstairs and get you something to wrap these wounds up." Yang told him calmingly, in full rescue mode. Despite the mounting implications around her, all that mattered was she saved a man from the Grimm; who was he, where did the Grimm come from? Yang slowed as her mind worked, and as the man refused to look anything more than traumatized as he stared past her.

"Yang." Came a calm, quiet voice. Yang turned her head to see her sister, standing not too far behind her, her expression tight, her eyes staring past her and down at the cringing, bleeding man, and from the ground, a long pole emerged, slipped into her hand, and lifted up to reveal a narrow, sharp, pitch-black blade. "Move. I need to _kill_ him." Ruby said in a voice tight with rage.

Yang flinched at the tone of her voice, and slowly, she stood, rounding on her sister while interposing herself between her and the man. Her mind blanked for a moment as Ruby turned her vile eyes on her…

"No, Ruby. You don't." Yang tried to speak calmly. A low chorus of growls accompanied Ruby's tightening expression, and the Beowolves, from the youths to the alpha, sank low, baring their teeth and leaking hostile intent as they crept closer, surrounding Ruby, standing before Yang like a wall of teeth and claws as Ruby's lips peeled back.

"He put me in a _cage."_ She hissed angrily. Yang paused, and glanced back at the man trying to say something, only accomplishing another cough that spat Grimm out of his lungs. " _He hurt Blake!"_

" _ **Hurt Blake. Hurt Blake!"**_ The Beowolves snapped and snarled behind Ruby.

Yang stared back at Roman Torchwick, bereft of his hat lying helplessly on the ground, and, briefly, her eyes flashed red.

This was the man who had kidnapped Blake and Ruby, who had locked Ruby up, who had beaten the good looks right out of Blake's face… who had made Ruby use her Grimm.

She wanted to _break him._ Yang had the urge to beat him into hamburger meat, and pay him back for everything he'd done that night and then some. It was a violent surge of adrenaline and desire that made her limbs shake, and her mind was full of overwhelming righteous fury.

She curled her fist, bit her lip, and made herself stop.

Her baby sister… Ruby, who had always wanted to protect humanity, wanted to kill this man.

She had every reason to; hell, she had every right to… but right now, the hatless motherfucker bleeding out against the wall in front of her looked about as dangerous as cold soup. No weapon, no Aura, no minions, nowhere to run; caught between hell and a hard place. They could maul him and call it the end of things…

And Ruby would, forever, have blood on her hands.

It was something plenty of hunters had to come to terms with as they grew older and took on more jobs than the Grimm. Hunters were a self-regulating force, with licensed and employed hunter-killers being rare, so hunters were often the ones to assist in hunting the spoiled apples that swung their power for pure self gain.

Ruby was only fifteen. Fifteen, and with powers that could easily condemn her to life as nothing more than a prisoner to some big government facility… assuming they didn't execute her first. She had only just gotten her chance to bring good to the world, and Yang saw that in her.

So… silently, Yang calmed herself. It was a difficult as hell decision to make, especially knowing what Roman had done… but Yang wasn't going to let Ruby make things worse for herself, even if all it was was a little vigilante justice.

"We're taking him to the police." Yang said in a very calm voice, turning back towards Ruby so the bulk of her frame blocked Roman from her view.

She watched, with a quiver of fear in her stomach, as her sister's eyes narrowed, blood-red pupils peering between slits that sharpened their anger and malicious conviction to a fine edge that threatened to cut straight through Yang's rationality, but Yang had put up with this for fifteen years. She stared at her sister's mouth to read her angered expression, and blanked out those eyes.

"You're going to defend him?" Ruby's voice started low. " _Him?!"_ She snapped, her teeth grit, taking a single, threatening step forward. "After what he _did?!_ He deserves to _die!_ Don't you care what he did to _me?!"_ Ruby screamed, her voice reaching a tone Yang had rarely heard, one that was nearly unbearable as she deep down agreed, but _no._ That was a level she wasn't going to fall to, not in front of her sister, not _with_ her sister.

She could imagine the bitter tears and regrets that would follow when they'd calmed down. She could imagine the questions and looks their friends gave them; was Yang stable enough to keep around if she would just kill a wanted criminal she had at her mercy? Could Ruby ever be trusted _again?_

"Ruby, we have to keep control." Yang explained in a low, trembling voice. "If we kill him, we're just a pair of thugs. We can't hold our heads high and call ourselves ' _heroes of the people'_ if we're willing to brain somebody like this, no matter how badly he deserves it." Yang sucked in deep breaths, clenching her fists as she tried to hold back her own emotions.

She continued. "Think about it, girl…" Yang took a step forward, hands raised towards Ruby as her sister openly gnashed her teeth, the surrounding wolves' cacophony growing louder. "You're on a thin rope right now, right? You need the guys up top to trust you; what's killing this guy gonna do? Put a death on your mind, a black mark on your record, _everybody_ judging you is gonna be able to say: ' _but what about that time she killed a guy?'"_

Ruby stopped grinding her teeth.

"The Headmaster gave you this chance to be what you always wanted to be." Yang carefully set her hands on Ruby's shoulders, squeezing to stop the trembling in her own limbs. "Right?" Yang asked, starting to feel more calm as she spoke. "You always wanted to help people… well, think of it like helping this guy. Look how badly you kicked his ass. You've _won._ We don't need to rub it in, we don't need to take this a step further, the guy has an opportunity to better himself now, right? Just hand him over to the police, let the system handle him out, it might spit out somebody better."

The crowd of Grimm around them stopped snarling, watching Yang warily.

"You have to be better than this; better than him, better than _me."_ Yang said gently, stroking Ruby's cheeks calmly. "What would _mom_ do?"

In an instant, Ruby's eyes widened and her cheeks slackened, and Yang felt a wave of relief pass through her, her chest untightening and her breaths coming through easier. She ran her thumb along Ruby's cheek, and slowed as she watched Ruby bare her teeth and squeeze her eyes together, and her small hands closed around Yang's wrists tightly.

An unholy howl filled the vault as Ruby's cry was joined by the wailing Beowolves, and Yang found herself thrown onto her side as the younger girl bent forward, panting heavily and glaring wild-eyed between Roman and Yang. Yang forced herself up, her body cold once more, Ember Celica engaging on her wrists reactively.

" _Shut up."_ Ruby ordered furiously, throwing her arms out, the scythe in her hand cleaving through the jaw of one of her Grimm with the motion, sending the pack scampering backwards and out of her reach. " _Mom's not here! Mom's dead!"_ Ruby spat, making Yang cringe at the disrespect. " _She never came back! She's never_ coming _back! I don't know what she'd do, because I don't remember a damn thing about her!"_ Ruby was shouting, her voice scratchy from forcing herself to yell. " _But_ you _do! You know her, you know what she wants, because you always got everything you wanted!"_

The next motion happened in the span of a blink. Yang felt the impact, her body moving naturally, but her mind couldn't comprehend what was happening; one of her hands had raised to catch the blade of the Grimm scythe in Ruby's hands, which scraped against her Aura as Yang's fist buried itself in Ruby's cheek. The younger sister's face was streaked with hysterical tears, but she had braced herself for the attack and stayed in Yang's face.

"I-I do _not—…_ what the fuck are you talking about?!" Yang gasped in shock, then felt the heel of a boot kick into her stomach and throw her back a step, making her catch herself as Ruby pitched forward forward to tackle Yang, the bigger blonde grabbing her sister around the torso to try and hang on as Ruby slammed them into a wall. A cough escaped her as she tried to wrench herself free, and Ruby howled.

" _I'm_ the one born with the freak eyes! _I'm_ the one who's a _monster!"_ Ruby struggled to grab Yang by the neck, and Yang prepared herself as their foreheads collided, forcing her to stare into those damned eyes, hating how it forced her voice to leap down her throat and _wither._ "You got to go to Signal! You get to go out in public without being afraid! The _one time_ I'm justified, you _try and stop me?!_ You can get as angry as _you want_ and _hurt as many murderers as you want!_ You get to do _whatever you want!_ You _always_ have!"

Black limbs jumped from the floor around them, grasping ahold of Ruby's arms and head, grabbing Yang by her shoulders and hips, white claws digging into their Auras as Ruby screamed. " _And what do you do with it?! You're nothing but a fucking SLUT!"_

The wind in Ruby's lungs fled through her mouth as a fist tried to force itself up her gut, and she flew the distance of the vault, stumbling end over end until she came to still, a raggedly breathing heap whose black Aura flickered and flared, before stabilizing, letting her recover and get to her knees, glaring up at Yang, who met it with pinched eyes and teeth.

"Excuse _me_ for having a goddamned life outside of _you!"_ Yang shouted back. "You're not mad at _me,_ Ruby, you're mad at this dick for what he did, _which I get,_ so put down the damn weapon, and get rid of the Grimm!"

" _You don't get it!"_ Ruby growled, her fists tightening around her scythe pole furiously. "You didn't grow up trapped in your own home because people would wanna _kill you._ You, Weiss, _everyone else_ only had to worry about stupid stuff like _homework;_ I had to hide whenever there was a _knock on the door!_ _You only hid because you kept bouncing between girlfriends!_ It's unfair! _It's unfair and I'm sick this and all of you acting like you have it bad!"_

"I wouldn't be fucking happy with your lot either, Ruby, but it's not like you were _suffering!_ You got _food,_ _shelter,_ and oh my _god_ do dad and I love you _despite acting like a cunt right now._ And why shouldn't I've gone out and enjoyed myself?! Didn't I always come home, didn't I take _care_ of you?! _Teach_ you?!"

"Only because it's what _mom_ would have wanted, _right?"_ Ruby snapped in a cruel tone.

For a moment, Yang trembled, her temper rising, her heat rising, but no, she had to remain calm. This wasn't a Grimm, this wasn't some thug, her sister was just having the biggest tantrum of her life and throwing out all her baggage at once…

She raised an arm and cringed as the black scythe blade tried to cut into her upper arm through her Aura, but she knocked it aside with a grunt of pain, and threw herself onto her little sister, grabbing her close and gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming. " _Yes._ Because she _loved you,_ you rotten little _bitch,_ now fucking _stop this_ and let's _go home."_

"Not until he's _dead!"_ Ruby snarled, and Yang shook her head.

" _No goddamned deal."_

"Then _you first."_

Yang thought she might have misheard Ruby for a moment, but then a pain she hadn't ever felt before ripped straight through her torso. She gasped as Ruby slid backwards, her scythe flourishing behind her as she glared at Yang with those demon's eyes.

Her foot hit the floor in front of her as she threatened to collapse from the pain coursing through her, threatening to break her concentration and drop her Aura in an instant. Her Aura sparked around her, still strong, but… no… not as strong. It was damaged, it had waned with the blow, waned with the shock of the statement, waned with the sudden, murderous cut.

Her baby sister had tried to kill her…

She met looked up at Ruby with a stunned expression. Her little sister huffed, raised her scythe, and jerked her head to demand Yang move.

Yang did: straight forward, hitting Ruby in the face with a screaming hook as her eyes glowed red, her hair flashed white, and the room turned turned red-hot around them.

Ruby crashed into a wall, a bark of pain escaping her, and Yang closed in with her blood boiling within her, _demanding_ vengeance. Her fist pulled back, and sank into the face of a Beowolf that had lunged between the two of them, its body bursting into darkness from the force of the blow.

Massive claws closed around Yang's limbs, and her vision of Ruby disappeared behind black flesh and white bone as the Grimm closed in on her. She pulled an arm free but was driven to the floor under the weight of the horde, which barked and howled as Yang saw Ruby recovering, only for her to be buried under a pile of Grimm as well.

Yang gasped as found herself immobile under the Grimm pile, their hands and maws locking her in place as she grit her teeth. She was trapped, the little _bitch_ out of reach and out of sight, and she grit her teeth.

All she wanted was to _escape,_ to beat that ungrateful little brat _senseless_ for trying to kill her! What a waste of her goddamned life if _this_ was the thanks she got for raising her little sister! A big ' _fuck you'_ cut through the middle said far more than any of her damn words!

It said more than the nights Ruby would stay up with her to help study for her tests at Signal.

Yang planted a hand under her body, pushing herself up, sweating from her own heat and the exertion of forcing the weight off her, to drag herself over to Ruby.

Like dragging herself to her little sister's bedside when they were both sick with the flu, watching TV and telling stories, comforting each other after each upchuck by trying to think of a new name for the color of the liquid in the sick bucket.

The heat around her grew; she was in pain, everything inside and out hurt, she was so damned angry, _so damned scared,_ she just needed to plant a fist in the little brat's _face_ and be done with this!

Done with a lifetime of having a red-headed little shadow that scuttled after her, smiling up at her whenever Yang did something good or cool, quietly masking her own pain that she couldn't do the same.

The weight of the Beowolves was easing as power surged inside of her, making her stronger, making her _powerful._ If that girl wanted to call her a slut, disrespect their mother, and try to _kill her…_

… after spending an entire night the prisoner of kidnappers and murderers, after one of her first friends ran away in fear of her eyes, after seeing the same friend get assaulted…

The pile of Beowolves was thrown off of her with a raging scream towards the ceiling, and Yang emerged as the shapes of the Grimm tightly clinging to Ruby began to melt away, getting sucked into her shadow with melancholic howls as the younger girl forced herself up, looking sweaty and furious, her eyes narrowed angrily at Yang, the two sisters bending their knees to throw themselves at the other.

Yang moved first, Ruby second, always the one to hesitate and follow her big sister's lead in sparring sessions. Yang grit her teeth and weaved around the swing of Ruby's scythe blade, knowing her technique better than anyone but Qrow himself, and she found her open target: Ruby's cheek.

Her fist cocked back, chambering a punch that could have knocked the younger girl's head off her shoulder, but Ruby's expression flickered. Her eyes widened, her grimace shrank, her skin paled, she knew she was beat, and little Ruby looked scared of her older sister.

Yang's foot hit the floor, and she held back, staring at her sister's frightened expression. Her heart hammered, her mind flooded with regret and indecision, and pain arched up from her ribs to her shoulder.

Her blank frown met Ruby's cold face, and the emotion welling within her mixed with the hurt, and her boiling, golden Aura shorted out around her with a burst of heat, and the older sister's crumbling expression.

Yang fell, hitting the floor in front of her sister's feet, her arms trembling and her fingers curling, tears leaking from her eyes as she gasped for breath and tried to find the words to stop this, but she saw Ruby's boot settle in front of her.

Above her, Ruby stared down at Yang, laying defeated in front of her. A surge of vindication went through her, a feeling of glorious triumph that she was the _stronger_ sister, but it was no greater than the dark pit that had opened up in her stomach and swallowed up the moment of glory, leaving her feeling cold and empty.

Something struck her across the face while she was brooding on her lack of fulfillment, making her stumble back and hold her cheek, where her Aura sparked unhappily. She stared up at the Beowolf Alpha that loomed over Yang's prone form, its violent red eyes focused strictly on Ruby as a low, aggressive growl escaped it.

Ruby's mind slowed to a crawl as she stared at the Grimm protecting her sister… then she grit her teeth, and shook her head; she had that stupid _hat man_ to kill. No more hesitation, no more distractions, no more—...

No more hat man. She stared at the bloody spot on the wall he'd left, the trail of ichor that lead out the vault door… had the Grimm let him escape?! _What use were they?!_

Ruby stopped herself from biting through her own tongue in outrage, and glared back at the alpha that crouched over Yang, _daring_ Ruby to make a move towards her. With a huff, Ruby gestured dismissively, and the alpha sank its claws into the floor and almost seemed to plead with its final howl as its lupine shape melted away into a black puddle, and rejoined her.

Nothing stood in her way.

Ruby glared down at Yang's mass of blonde hair, her nostrils flaring indignantly as she stormed towards the door, only once more looking over at Yang in her march as a reminder—

" _ **... why…?"**_

Ruby stopped.

A cold, drip of sweat ran down the back of her neck as she stared down at her sister, the question meek and gentle, but permeating throughout her thoughts, silencing her until all that remained was the question.

" _ **Why?"**_

She shook her head; all that mattered was that she killed hat man.

She forced her feet forward, nursing at the rage that swelled within her for the things he had done… first he hurt Blake, then he kidnapped herself, and now he made her fight her sister.

It was his fault.

It was _all his fault._

 _It wasn't hers._

" _ **WHY?!"**_

She had no answer, just a goal; a goal and a weapon, which she desperately hung onto as the question screamed in her own head.

* * *

 **AN:** Hello everyone, I apologies for the long delays regarding this chapter. There was a lot that didn't work and had to be cut out repeatedly until I got it to work the way I wanted it to.

I also had a fairly long bout of sickness after a vacation, and some major drama in my social circle that basically ate all my brainpower and left me with little ability to write until recently.

I know it's another cliffhanger, but I'm trying to keep these chapters from getting too long, so I hope this will suffice until next time!


	23. Outbreak

Fear smelled… savory. It smelled like meat, marinated in a sweet sauce and sprinkled with strong herbs, sizzling and popping on a grill over fragrant, burning wood chips, telling the whole neighborhood ' _come and eat! Come and eat! There's food for everyone!'_

It did not stir the stomach like food, though. Oh no, it did quite the opposite.

The smell made her furious, yet in that fury was _excitement._ She was on the hunt for something that did not _belong;_ something monstrous, unnatural, a mistake put on the world to torment it that _she_ needed to hew. She felt justification in her chest, a demanding retribution to wipe the world clean of this fearful thing.

She had every right to do it, she felt that deep within her… yet she couldn't will her feet to move more than a few steps.

The hallway that stretched before her was dark, and empty. There was not a single speck of light, and yet she could see every detail of her own rampage perfectly, from the deep gouges when her anger had seized her more tightly, to the minute etching left behind by the Grimm hunting in her stead.

The smell of the man that made this night go so utterly wrong was as clear to her as a path of broken branches and crushed twigs, but she couldn't force herself to move any faster.

Her eyes lingered on the floor, and bleary images flickered across them as she tried to focus an endless rage that bloomed within her. How badly she wanted it to be so simple, to feel nothing but endless, righteous fury, to let it guide her towards her goal and wipe the world clean of a monster that plagued it, and yet…

 _She hurt Yang._

She clutched at her face and sank her fingers into her brow to try and banish the thought from her head. She remembered the look Yang had given her, that expression of surprise and pain that had bloomed when Ruby had made the decisive blow… and the feeling of triumph being overwhelmed by a sudden wave of regret and guilt.

No… _no…_ Yang had only gotten in her way, she didn't _know…_

Ruby's back hit a wall, and her vision blurred as she grasped at her face. She would understand once the night was over and the deed was done… she _had_ to, Yang was smart, she'd always been… she _knew_ better, so why hadn't she come to the same conclusion as Ruby?

No, of course she didn't know better, she was the _weaker_ sister, the _dumber_ sister, their fight had proved that, their grades had proved that! The better sister had _triumphed._

Ruby felt pride and vindication swell in her chest, and she forced her feet to swing forward, to take her towards the man she had declared her intent to kill. She was _right._ She _deserved_ this! What did it matter?! What did a little blood _matter?!_ After everything he'd done to her and her friends?! What did _Yang_ know?!

Ruby tried to keep her eyes forward, but with little warning they began to blur. She stumbled to a stop and ran them across the back of her sleeve, feeling the moisture get wiped away. Was she crying…? _Why?!_

 _She hurt Yang._

" _I had to!"_ She screamed her denial into the empty hallway, her desperate cry going unheard, its echoes lost in the surrounding, empty rooms until the world fell deathly silent, only the smell of _that man_ lingering in the air.

She sucked in hard breaths as she stared at the floor, her eyes burning as she tried to fight back against the welling of negativity in the back of her mind, but it stuck, it swelled, it consumed her inside and out, and she could feel it festering in her own thoughts until it was threatening to consume her, to drive her to her knees and admit defeat while she was stumbling towards the goal posts.

She… _had to._ She _had_ to hurt Yang… her older sister, her best friend, the person who looked out for her every day, every step of the way, who only wanted what was best for her…

Her knees hit the floor and she grasped her own face again, weakly sobbing to herself as she kept seeing her older sister lying facedown on the floor, cold and still… not dead, just betrayed, nearly murdered by an ungrateful _brat_ that was throwing a goddamned _tantrum_ because she didn't get to commit cold-blooded _murder_ even though it wasn't what she _wanted…_

…

…

…

… Wasn't it, though…?

Wasn't a hunter's purpose to protect all of man and Faunuskind by slaying the irredeemable monsters that plagued the land?

She stopped weeping as the thought bloomed in her mind… how was this man different from the Grimm?

He had a pulse, he had a soul, but everything he'd done tonight involved hurting people. He'd hurt Blake, he'd hurt Ruby, and he kept hurting them both until Ruby had him in her grasp, and he showed no regrets, no reason, he just lorded over them both and acted chummy before trying to blow them up with that stupid _stupid_ cane of his…

He hurt people. He lived to hurt people, to kill people, Ruby didn't doubt for a second that his hands were stained with blood, and there wasn't an ounce of remorse in his demeanor… he may have looked like a man, he may have had a soul, but he was a monster.

… and so was she.

Ruby _knew_ she was a monster, though. She had known it since she could form coherent thoughts about the world and herself; she was dangerous… _she'd hurt Yang…_ but she was aware of it. She knew she was just counting down the days until something like this happened, when she'd lash out and hurt her family and friends, the people she loved most…

This was the end, wasn't it?

She blinked blearily at nothing in particular as the thought came to her. After what she'd done to Yang, she was on the chopping block, she'd fully evolved into a monster, a _Grimm…_ but she had the presence of mind to know that, so she wasn't completely gone.

Not yet, at least.

She still knew her purpose. She wanted to be a hunter, a slayer of the monsters… and if her only deed on Remnant was to murder the man who was plaguing the lives of her and her friends, to bring him to some semblance of justice, even at the ends of her own claws…

… … … then so be it.

Ruby, slowly, rose to her feet.

This was all she had left to do.

She couldn't be distracted by these lingering feelings anymore. She couldn't stay aching and hurt like this… _she'd hurt Yang._ But… but she'd had to. And if this was where the end of the line took her, then she couldn't let that cloud her vision now, and stop her from doing what had to be done.

Repentance for hurting Yang; that assuaged her overwhelming guilt somewhat.

Ruby, quietly, stared down at her feet, and almost reluctantly, a pool of black pitch opened up beneath her, and she allowed it to suck her in.

In the near infinite darkness, she could see nothing, and hear nothing. Everything was damningly still, and even moving her arms out in an instinctive attempt to swim, she felt nothing but the cool Grimmstuff that flowed around her, and wriggled into her ears, her nostrils, and open mouth.

It invaded her, it filled her, it tasted and smelled and sounded like a yawning abyss of _revenge._ The more she swallowed, the more tightly she could feel that welling bitterness, and the regrets of how the night tuned out waned until they were little more than soft, ignorable whimpers in the back of her mind.

She could feel the Grimm just below her skin, pumping through her heart, and filling her head, and she grit her teeth as _that man_ filled her mind, making her chest hurt with a violent _need_ for retribution. She curled her fingers and toes, ground her teeth together, and let her body lead the way as she ascended towards an opening back onto the ship.

She could meet the fate of a monster with her head held high after ensuring a worse one got the same first.

* * *

"What do you see, Ren?" Jaune asked, laying on the deck of the ship as he tried to stare through the darkness beyond the lights interspersed through the dock, but past the gate just barely visible at the edges of his vision, all he could make out were flashing red and blue lights.

To his left, Ren knelt on one knee, his attention focused almost unwaveringly on the distant police, his head slowly scanning to the left and right, while his pupils were expanded to the size of dimes as he took in far more than Jaune could with the careful application of Aura.

He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, taking several more seconds to watch a helicopter patrol the skies, a spotlight shining on the dock below. His brow tightened the slightest bit, his lips pursing. "They've formed a perimeter, but I don't see anybody trying to move in."

"What? _Why?"_ Jaune demanded below his breath. "We took down a couple of _airships;_ shouldn't they be all over the place? There were explosions!"

"They might be awaiting further back up…" Ren trailed off for a moment, noting the number of White Fang still strewn about in open sight, beaten and cradling wounds, or dragging themselves into a hiding place. "But I can't say for sure, I'm as confused as you are."

Jaune frustratedly gnawed the inside of his cheek; on one hand, he was somewhat relieved that they still had time to find Ruby themselves, ensure her safety, and not be stuck in some holding cell awaiting word on her recovery; on the _other,_ he was trying his damndest to puzzle out the police. He was no cop expert, just stuff he'd seen on TV–which he _knew_ was pretty much a fifty-fifty toss up for being fake–but their passivity was making him nervous.

Which was why he nearly jumped when he heard the thump of bootsteps coming his way. He got to his feet in a smooth, practiced motion–he had to give Coach Taiyang some credit for his improved fluidity–in time to see Nora, Pyrrha, Sun, and Penny approaching with low profiles from their quick exploration of the ship's exterior, wearing grave looks on their faces.

While Jaune moved to meet them halfway, Ren lowered himself to the floor, squeezed his eyes shut, and burying them into the crook of his arm as his Aura sight technique wore off. "Those aren't good looks, guys, what's going on?" Jaune asked, forcing his voice to stay a few degrees above serious.

"No signs of RWBY, so far." Nora muttered, looking uncharacteristically worried.

"The girl or the team?"

"Both." Pyrrha answered, her frown matching Nora's. "You're sure this is where you sent Blake?"

"Well, yeah… wouldn't they be _in_ the boat, though?" Jaune asked, trying to follow their lines of thought.

"Yeah, and that's the problem." Sun's joviality was lessened, but not entirely. While his eyebrows still flickered with some excitement as he spoke, he had the gravity of a man in charge about him. "There's Grimm signs all over the place; I'm talking _everywhere._ Like, in the hold and around the boat's doorway."

"Several milliliters of blood were spilled, surrounded by broken glass." Penny added on, her face flat, her eyes almost unblinking as she scanned their surroundings as she spoke. "The depth and shape of the gouges around the castle entrance suggest Beowolves, including at least one Alpha; I predict at least five-to-seven Beowolves in total."

"Gotta be _kiddin'_ me…" Jaune groaned, and Ren joined the small huddle with a deep frown. "Grimm are involved now, too? Wait, is _this_ why the police are holding back?"

"A possibility," Ren offered, slowly making his way to Nora while blinking the lingering spots out of his vision, "but given that _we_ haven't gotten confirmation of the Grimm until now, I doubt it. Though I question why Grimm would be here in the first place…"

After a moment of thought, Sun spoke up. "Grimm smuggling." He answered, drawing a few curious looks. "Look, I don't get it myself, but apparently there's money to be made illegally transporting Grimm into cities." His answer did little to quiet their fears, but Pyrrha could only nod in confirmation.

"In Mistral, numerous underground fighting rings were busted for illegally transporting, housing, and fighting with Grimm. Since Grimm rarely get into the major cities, some people pay for the ' _spectacle'_ of seeing them in ' _action.'"_ She grunted distastefully. Jaune could barely contemplate the stupidity of such a sport, but he didn't have the time to.

"Alright, so… we got new mission—uh… _parameters._ Parameters?" Jaune glanced at Pyrrha.

"Elements, or factors may work better."

"Right!" Jaune turned back towards the other four. "There are new factors at work here: the Grimm. We got the police behind us, and the Grimm ahead of us, and as much as I'd like to avoid the clink, we're only trained to fight one of 'em, and frankly, they're the only ones I wanna fight. Right?" He looked around as he got a series of nods; getting into a fight with the Grimm was noble, fighting the police was how a hunter became the hunted. "Right! So, until the police decide to do something, the mission's the same: find Ruby and get her to safety."

"Best thing to do is to split into teams: one team in the boat's living quarters, the other in the cargo hold searching the crates." Sun said, his tail waving about in apprehensive excitement. "We'll cover more ground, but need to stay in contact, and _not_ do anything stupid. Like, ' _get cornered by the Grimm without backup and now it's over,'_ stupid."

Jaune nodded as his team looked to him to see if their leader would go along with it. "Right, so, teams…" Jaune looked between his companions, and his mind ran through the possibilities; the most obvious answer was two teams of three… "JNPR's gonna split in half, alright? That means each pair of partners gets a third wheel."

"Oh dude, trust me, I'm used to that with Neptune." Sun grinned wryly, and though most of the smirks he got were confused, they were smirks nonetheless.

"Each team should also have an experienced shot-caller, so…" Jaune glanced at Pyrrha and Penny. "I've got my partner, and we're taking Penny."

"Which leaves me with the lovebirds!" Sun discerned, putting an arm around Ren's and Nora's shoulders, while Jaune gave a slow nod, and a stern look.

"If they get hurt under your watch…"

"Not a chance!" Sun snorted, while Pyrrha and Penny moved to Jaune's sides. "Anywho, since me 'n Nora got the longer weapons, we'll get the cargo hold since we'll have more room to swing around."

"And I can tune my ears to listen for signs of Ruby." Ren offered, getting a nod in return.

"That means we'll be in quarters and stuff, and meet up with Weiss, Blake, and Yang, and look for Ruby in there." Jaune surmised, drawing further nods. "Good, then let's not waste anymore time; _break."_

At the word, the two teams moved with a cautious haste towards their discussed destinations; Jaune, Pyrrha, and Penny were heading for the entrance to the ship's wheelhouse, each taking uneasy looks at the evidence of Grimm around the open door before slipping in.

Sun, Nora, and Ren, meanwhile, hopped down into the hold below, craning their ears and readying their weapons as they began their search.

* * *

The strangest thing was that, from the door into the castle hallway beyond, the small Beowolf activity that Penny had predicted seemed to have increased exponentially in unusual ways.

A deep gash through the metal wall was reminiscent of Kindersnatch claws, except only one instead of four. The smaller, less perceptible scratches left in the walls and the floor were harder to place; she could count dozens of criss-crossing scratches and scrapes across nearly every surface, but that didn't make _sense…_

Penny looked forwards Jaune and Pyrrha, keeping up with Pyrrha's pace as she headed their incursion. Human emotion was such a difficult thing to comprehend, to _predict…_ delivering relevant, if not entirely useful observations and facts to humans was often met with praise by her makers and guardians, but beyond them, people generally regarded her as ' _weird,'_ a word Penny was growing to dislike.

Penny didn't know when it was okay to bring up the genus and dangers of plants she found, and was only just beginning to understand what counted as a proper conversation starter that wouldn't be met with confusion, annoyance, or glares.

Humans were terribly inconvenient things—Penny imagined that Faunus were as well, but Atlas had few of them about to confirm this. Humans never acted rationally, and despite Penny's best attempts at understanding them, they seemed resistant to her subtle attempts at educating herself.

Penny was not designed to give up, but… she couldn't deny the fluttery-feeling that filled her was _new,_ and when Ruby Rose had only _suggested_ they were friends, she pleaded with her assistant AI for an explanation as to the fluttery feelings. It was the first time she'd felt any sense of positive affirmation since arriving in Vale, and the first time she felt excitement in meeting people.

She adored animals, she got along surprisingly well with dogs, but hanging out with a group of girls her age was a nice feeling, especially since, with little fanfare or introduction, both Weiss and Yang had shown trust in sending her after Ruby.

The mere idea of Ruby being in a miserable, destitute state made her feel… _more_ complicated. New emotions that she didn't have names for arose, and made her understand why some people could be so _impatient;_ why _hadn't_ they found Ruby Rose yet?! Deep down, it was upsetting, but Penny was carefully redirecting her energy to more important analytics and combat simulations to remain as combat ready as she could.

"Penny?" A concerned voice spoke.

Penny woke herself from her introspection; perhaps she was not as combat _alert_ as she thought. That wasn't like her… was she growing too tired, or were her emotional subroutines still active below the surface? Either way, it was alarming that she'd allowed herself to lose focus of her surroundings, and she turned to face Jaune, who was walking towards her as Pyrrha pressed her back against a corner wall, and peered into the darkness at the far end.

"Hey, you alright?" Jaune asked with a face full of apprehension.

Penny settled her hand on the wall full of slash markings and nodded her head at him, unaware of how her overly smooth movements gave Jaune a sense of unease until she spoke. "Yes, I am merely… _stumped_ by some of the signs I am seeing." She answered, and Jaune nodded, gave Pyrrha a sign that things were okay, but she needed to halt anyways, then turned back to Penny.

"How do you mean?"

Penny gestured to the wall she had been examining. "Compared to the signs of Grimm we'd seen outside, these slash marks are much more confusing; it's almost as if the Grimm _multiplied._ There are more than Beowolves…" She then glanced to the ceiling, where she only just noticed a long, thin scratch against the metal. "Much more."

As expected, Jaune looked unsettled by the clarification he'd asked for, but rather than look more frightened, he silently picked up his scroll, and based on his thumb movements, was relaying the information to Sun's team. "Then let's hope we don't bump into the whole horde on the way down."

With that, he marched back towards Pyrrha, with Penny at the ready with her two blades; she was at 25% optimal fighting power, which was significantly less than ideal, but with two allies at her side, she did not feel worried. Not that worry could _force_ itself on her like it did with humans, but she remained more interested in Ruby's safety than her own.

The trio briefly stopped by what seemed to be some sort of office, which Pyrrha entered holding a flashlight, which alleviated the darkness. Penny's eyes were better suited to the dark then the humans', but its presence did not dim her vision.

"Do the Grimm normally break lights?" Jaune asked, his heel crunching against the glass of a broken bulb, and Pyrrha shook her head.

"From what I know, it is quite rare that a Grimm cares about artificial lighting." To which Penny's posture sharpened at the opportunity to share.

"There are several species of Grimm who prefer the darkness and will actively destroy lights, but none of them are native to northern Vale." Penny supplied automatically. "Most are cave-dwellers with sensitive eyes dedicated to night vision rather than—"

" _Is someone there?!"_ A girl's voice called from around the bend of the corner hallway, making the three teens freeze. The flashlight's beam would draw plenty of attention in the dark, and the three scrambled to get into defensive stances, just in case.

Pyrrha's fingers threatened to crush the flashlight before Jaune took it from her, freeing her hand to unsheath Miló as a javelin, her knees bent and her shield forward in preparation and Jaune called over her shoulder. " _Jaune Arc!"_ He called, and after a moment of hesitation, followed it up with: " _I'm a student from Beacon Academy!"_

" _I know where you're from, you dullard!"_

"That must be Weiss!" Jaune said with relief, and though Pyrrha gave a small huff of irritation, she lowered her shield and strut forward.

The three of them rushed around the corner, the flashlight sweeping to shine down the dark hallway, and illuminate a pair of girls. Weiss reflected the light like a beacon in her own right, her hair almost blinding as she raised a hand to cover her eyes, while Blake, hanging off of her and looking wretched, simply squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as possible, her ears laying back against her skull in irritation before the light was turned away to preserve their sight.

"Guys! _Are you okay?!"_ Jaune's group raced down the hallway, to meet the two girls halfway. On first inspection, _no;_ Blake's wounds left her looking like an abuse victim, so Jaune found himself fixated on her, raising a hand to touch her cheek in comfort, only to stop when she bared her teeth like she was about to bite.

"I am very much _not_ okay." Blake mumbled, straightening herself up and trying to blink through a black eye. "But I could honestly be a lot worse, so, whatever."

Jaune and Pyrrha didn't pick up on it, but Penny noted there was some distress in her voice, emanating from a clenched stomach and a shortness of breath.

"We should get you to the medical ward, if not the paramedics." Pyrrha stated immediately, glancing at Weiss when the girl sighed.

"We just came from the sick bay." The heiress informed, her nostrils twitching. "We did what we could in there by ourselves, but obviously we need more professional help."

"Indeed. Where is Yang?" Pyrrha asked, ignoring the girl's dismayed look.

"She went deeper, after Ruby, _alone."_ Blake spoke the last word with obvious worry, and Jaune and Pyrrha shared a quick, anxious look. "She insisted, we tried talking her out of it but that damn girl is so _stubborn,_ especially where Ruby's concerned…"

"I get it, but _sheesh,_ it could not be at a worse time." Jaune groaned, cradling his forehead in his palm as the two gave him a wary look.

"What are you talking about? How could tonight get any _worse_?" Weiss demanded, Blake nodding in tired agreement. Pyrrha answered with a frown.

"There are signs of Grimm on the boat, a lot of them if Penny is correct."

The twin looks of resignation on Weiss' and Blake's faces were not what Penny anticipated; the presence of Grimm in an urban setting was cause for an emergency, the two should have been more panicked.

The two girls looked at one another, both of them pleading for an answer that the other was hesitant to give, and Penny glanced down as Jaune's hand twitched; a sign of agitation? Anger? _Fright?_ She quietly tried to connect the dots, only to take a protective step forward when Jaune suddenly accosted Weiss by the shoulders, making the heiress flinch.

"What is going on?" Jaune demanded, sounding like he was forcing his voice to stay low. "Is Ruby okay? Is _Yang_ okay? What aren't you telling us?"

"It's… _not_ that simple." Weiss said in a shaky voice, and Jaune's face tightened up at the girl's sudden timidity.

"Weiss, _please."_ He shook her shoulders, making her wince. "If you know anything—"

"Lay off." Blake suddenly ordered, giving Jaune a glare that made him wince. Weiss gave the Faunus girl an appreciative look, but Blake didn't meet it, instead, taking a few preparatory breaths as Jaune pulled his hands back. "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound fucking insane, but it's the truth, so at least _humor_ me for a bit, okay?"

Weiss suddenly turned even more pale as she realized what Blake was getting at. " _Blake!_ You can't—I promised! She might get _expelled!"_ Weiss babbled, and Blake grunted angrily.

"Yeah, expelled, _that's_ the problem; no, _you_ made a promise, I didn't, and if Beacon and the White Fang taught me anything, it's that keeping secrets about a mission is a good way to lose people, and do you think Ruby would feel better having _murdered her friends_ over being expelled?" Blake snapped, making Weiss suddenly clam up as Jaune, Pyrrha, and Penny each watched on with confusion.

Pyrrha was the one to break the pregnant pause with a gentle tone: "Did you say something about _Ruby_ murdering us?" She asked hesitantly, and Jaune nodded, wanting information as Blake stroked her swollen cheek and nodded. "You'll excuse my language, but without further information, that seems like complete bullspit."

"What, exactly, is Ruby's current situation?! Any data you have may help!" Penny piped up, and without really knowing why, reached up to start tugging her red hair as she felt that feeling of distress grow unbearably strong.

" _Blake…"_ Weiss almost pleaded, but other than resting a hand on the Faunus' shoulder, did not move to stop her from speaking.

"The Grimm signs–the _Grimm–_ are coming from Ruby." Blake answered seriously, her hands balled into fists. "Her semblance allows her to summon them, and we think she's probably still on the boat. I don't know where, but Yang went after her, and if she's panicking enough that she's summoning uncontrollably, then we could be in _shitloads_ of trouble."

Pyrrha stared at Blake like she was insane, speechless as she slowly turned to look from Blake to Weiss, as if the heiress would betray a prank on their end. Penny tilted her head, her expression totally neutral.

Blake's firm expression twitched a tiny bit, and she looked to Weiss to back her up, the young heiress looking uncertain, but, ultimately… "It's true. I absolutely promise you three that it's one-hundred percent true, and completely serious."

"Damn…" Jaune murmured, stroking his chin quietly as Pyrrha shot him a curious look. "Poor Ruby, that _sucks;_ how do we help her?" He asked quickly. Weiss and Blake gave him a long, but relieved stare, and Blake silently thanked whatever gods Remnant had that, of all the shitty decisions they'd made that night, calling Jaune hadn't been one of them.

"Jaune, I don't think what they are saying is entirely true." Pyrrha piped up, her eyes screwing up in thought. "Perhaps it's just an illusion semblance; those commonly go without detection for a long time, even to their users. But… assuming it _is_ true, I suppose we should be prepared."

"They're not illusions." Weiss interjected, making the redhead frown deeply. "I'm no fool. I know what I saw, what I _felt;_ the Grimm are unmistakable, and the damage she can inflict is very much real if she's not in control."

"Look, no matter how real it is, Ruby still needs help, and with the police playing it safe, we're gonna be the only ones to do it." Jaune glanced down at his shoes, looking disquieted, but he breathed deep, and reaffirmed his grip on his weapons. "So let's stop wasting time; let's go find Yang and Ruby and give them a hand... Do you two need help getting out?"

Blake sighed, looking back at Weiss. The heiress quickly moved forward, and one hand on Myrtenaster, the other taking Blake's, shook her head. "I'll keep Blake safe until we get to the police. There should be ambulances here or on the way."

"Y-yeah." Blake glanced down at the warm hand holding hers, and her eyes slid up to Weiss' determined expression. "Just… you three be careful. Ruby needs to come home safely, but so do you."

"We will proceed with caution, of course." Pyrrha answered in a tone full of disbelief, but she pointed the flashlight down the hallway. "Right, Penny?" The four of them turned towards the red-headed girl, whose expression remained worrying calm in light of everything they had been told. A few seconds passed, and Pyrrha pressed in a worried tone, " _Penny?"_

Penny blinked like she was taking a snapshot, and said, " _oh!_ Yes, we will be safe; you can count on that!" She gave a peachy smile and an enthusiastic thumbs up, and earned more than a few odd looks as a result.

"Don't zone out, Penny, we need to focus." Pyrrha ordered, getting an embarrassed nod back.

"Go ahead on out; stay safe, you two." Jaune ordered, stepping aside with the rest of his small team to give the two room to walk past.

"You as well." Weiss offered in return.

"And _bring back Ruby."_ Blake ordered, stumbling along as fast as her wounded state would allow, Myrtenaster leading the way towards the exit, a white light forming around it to highlight their surroundings.

Both disappeared around the hallway with one last glance back, and Jaune and Pyrrha moved forward at a hastened clip, Penny moving after them after a moment of hesitation.

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Potentially Summons Grimm]_

 _-System Message: "43 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour";_

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Potentially Summons**_ _**Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_ _ **{PRIORITY STATUS SET TO**_ _ **TERMINATE ON SIGHT**_ _ **}**_

 _-Reset Definition: "Rose, Ruby": [Rollback to 1 HR ago]_

Frustration was a feeling she was most unhappy feeling; no matter how she tried to word it, her assistant AI could not be bothered to suggest a less hostile approach...

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Maybe Sort of Possibly Summons Grimm];_

 _-System Message: "45 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour";_

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Maybe Sort of Possibly Summons Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_ _ **{PRIORITY STATUS SET TO**_ _ **TERMI—**_

 _-System Message: [CRITICAL ERROR]_ _ **;**_

 _-[TASK INTERRUPTED: emotional duress detected; suggested course of action: suspend emotional drive for logical processing.];_

 _/ Ruby is my friend; I will not kill her. :(_

She stopped trying. What was the point of trying to convince something of such limited thought that there was a better course of action? If her mechanical brain couldn't help her, she would have to rely on herself and her new friends.

… They were friends, right? She contemplated asking her AI, but resisted; they were totally friends.

* * *

With his head lowered and his breathing slowed, Ren directed his Aura towards his ears, where subtle manipulation allowed him to ignore the distant sounds of sirens and the whirling copter blades, and instead, focus on the noise directly around him.

The choppy waves that rocked the boat caused the metal crates in its cargo hold to creak as their weight shifted; their innards swayed, the hundreds of thousands of pounds of Dust flowing together like brushing sand all around him, and Ren tightened his focus to try and listen for the sound of labored breathing or girlish whimpering...

… preferably not the sound of his girlfriend's racing heartbeat nearby.

He opened his eyes in frustration, unable to pinpoint if there was anybody stuck in one of the many crates laying about the hold, and stood up from his meditative seat on the ground.

"Hear anything?" Nora asked, not looking his way. He warily followed her eye towards where Sun was standing on guard for any White Fang, or possibly Grimm, his open shirt displaying his powerful, well-defined abs as he scanned his surroundings.

"No, unfortunately. Let's move to the next block; assuming she's unconscious, I should still be able to hear her breathing." Ren spoke evenly, and Nora nodded.

" _Sun!_ We're moving to the next one!" She called to him, and the monkey boy gave a thumbs up, turned, and started down the row, Ryujingu Bang over his shoulder in its solid staff form, two sets of eyes firmly focused on his butt. Nora gave a small coo of delight, and got her boyfriend's elbow to her side.

"Focus, we can admire all we like once we know Ruby is safe." He admonished, having to force his eyes to move up to the back of the blonde's head. How did he suddenly come to know so many attractive blondes…? It was rather mind-boggling.

He steadied his mind and fought his youthful fantasies, reminding himself that, though the battle was over, it was not _won._ He followed Sun for several steps before the blonde boy stopped, his staff over his shoulders, his tail curled anxiously. Ren, subconsciously, felt his collapsed pistols in his sleeves, turning his senses for the sounds of hiding adversaries, but Sun gave a hand signal to relax. Ren and Nora both closed in, nearly brushing shoulders with him as his head ducked in thought.

"What's up, Sun?" Nora asked him, and his tail twitched, his head craning around.

"I think we're doing this all wrong." He spoke low, his hands wrapping around the ends of his staff to disconnect it into its two separate pieces, looking prepared for _something…_

"What do you mean? Is something the matter?" Ren asked after him as Sun took several steps forward, his arms tense.

"I don't know." Sun answered, his tail squirming in obvious uncertainty. "Something feels off. Not like we're being watched, but like, something's happened. I can't figure out _what."_ He shook his head. "Either way, I think we're thinking too hard here, I don't think she's in these crates."

"No?" Ren queried, and Sun crossed his arms in thought.

"We're not dealing with super secret spies, we're dealing with a bunch of gangbangers." He glanced around at the surrounding crates, piled high and stretching far… "They're not smart, but they _try_ to be; if Ruby's in one of these crates, it probably looks different _somehow,_ like some graffiti on it that only the White Fang understand."

"We could text Blake, she might know." Nora offered, and Sun gave a quick, agreeing nod. Nora pulled her scroll out of her pocket as Sun pointed up.

"I'm going to get up there and try and look for anything obvious. You two can keep up your search down here."

"Don't be afraid to signal for help, we're not permanently grounded by any means." Ren nodded, and with a thumbs up, Sun scrambled up the sides of the crates until he reached the top. With their temporary leader out scouting, Ren lead Nora along, his eyes looking along the surrounding cargo, trying to find symbols, words, or anything that stood out from the contrasting colors…

"Was she using Weiss's phone or Yang's phone?" Nora murmured.

"Yang's." Ren answered, his pink eyes examining a large bit of faded, white graffiti that, through its illegible scrawl, declared the crate to have once been a part of the Furosos' territory.

Sun's intuition seemed correct; the sheer volume of crates would have made it difficult to find her once they were all packed in, so there had to be _something_ to identify where she was. Whether it be a mark on the crate, or some letter stashed away in the ship… he idly ordered Nora to include that possibility in her text, and was just about ready to buckle down and listen closely when Sun shouted from up high.

" _Hey!"_ An insistent whisper caught their attention. They glanced up in confusion, the blonde's face stricken with a worry that left them instinctively pulling their weaponry. "Two rows down, turn left, you'll see it!" The boy shouted, and he started sprinting with them down the aisles.

Ren and Nora pulled left, and caught what Sun had seen. A Faunus woman in a White Fang uniform was kneeling over another Fang member, her hand demandingly smacking at his face. Neither of them were wearing a mask, and the one on the floor suddenly rasped awake, then groaned in pain as his hand slid to his bloodied side.

Both of them jerked at the sound of Sun's shoes hitting the floor, and slowly, they turned to watch the three teen hunters approach them, weapons out, expressions serious. The girl Fang bared wolfish teeth at them, instinctively placing herself between the hunters and her fellow Faunus.

"Come any closer and I'll—" Was all the woman managed to get out before freezing up and taking a step back as Sun, Ren, and Nora ignored her orders and moved towards her, their weapons at an eased position, but a single twitch from threatening her. The woman, teeth still grit, slowly, shakily raised her hands; she was beaten, that much was obvious. "This one here needs medical attention." She whispered, knowing full well she was at their mercy

"He'll get it." Sun answered, giving her a frown as the man at her feet coughed.

"I'd rather _die."_ He insisted, his bloodied fingers shakily grasping the handle of a knife, but he seemed to reconsider as a fresh gout of crimson poured out of his shoulder. "Fuck…" He panted. " _Fuck…"_

"We want to ask some questions before the police arrive." Ren said, drawing a confused twinge from the Fang woman.

"Before the—…?" She trailed off, her voice catching, then giving a pathetic, defeated laugh. "You're not even with the police…? Tell me you're at least with the city's hunters…" She almost pleaded, only to get small, hesitant shakes of their heads. "You're just a bunch of fucking _kids?"_ She asked, her expression tightening in pitiable remorse, her eyes falling. "That ain't goddamned fair."

She gasped as the barrel of a grenade launcher jabbed her stomach, and she was forced to look into Nora's eyes as the redhead fingered the trigger dangerously. "Yeah, like how it's so _fair_ that you kidnapped _my girlfriend!"_ The shorter girl snapped, and the woman tensed up, while Ren quietly blocked Sun's attempt to break the two apart with his hand. "Where's the girl you guys captured?! _Don't_ pretend you slept through that meeting."

The woman trembled as Nora threateningly shoved her with her weapon, and the man behind her heels hacked up a painful-sounding laugh.

"You lucked out and fucked up if you came looking for _her_ , _human."_ The man almost sounded amused through his wheezing. He lifted a shaking finger towards a nearby crate, and the three teens stared; they'd been so focused on the two Fang, they hadn't noticed the beaten Grimm containment crate nearby. "She _was_ in that…" He panted.

" _Was."_ The woman reaffirmed, narrowing her grey eyes.

Nora stared at the crate, then the woman, and in an instant, her thumb unlocked her weapon's safety trigger, and her arms were thrust into the air when Ren, quick as a blink, forced her to point her now armed weapon away. " _You fed her to GRIMM?!"_ Nora's shriek of anger made the woman flinch, and the realization made Ren contemplate letting his lover do as she pleased…

"No! _God no!"_ The woman straightened up, her expression one of panic as Ren's eye turned on her, his placid face belying a sudden craving for her head, and Sun had moved up with them, his expression only marginally more controlled than Nora's.

"Then _talk."_ Sun ordered. "Ruby Rose, the girl you guys have captive, _where is she,_ what the hell happened here?"

" _We don't know!"_ The woman yelped, shaking violently under their accusing eyes. "She _was_ in that crate, but she… she busted out of it and tried to tear us apart!"

"You're telling us that a teenage girl broke out of a cage designed for Grimm _by herself_ and _attacked you?"_ Sun asked slowly, and the woman bobbed her head desperately.

" _Yes!"_ She quickly pointed at the cage. "Ask him, _ask him!_ It was his damn idea!"

They looked at the cage, and Sun signalled for Ren to go. Ren complied, approaching the cage slowly and sending his Aura to his eyes, giving him better night vision to peer into the dark interior. Two men were in the cage, one a Fang male with a pistol in one hand, pressed to the cheek of a horribly mangled human man, whose fine clothing and white skin were streaked with blood, looking like he barely had any life left in him.

The White Fang met Ren's eyes, and though he was bigger, thicker, still masked and still having enough fight to keep the red-headed victim hostage, his posture was uncertain, what was visible of his mouth tight with anticipation. "Are you going to kill us?" The man rumbled. "When you get what you want, are we dead?"

"No." Ren answered after a cautious blink. "The authorities should be coming… eventually. We'll leave your fate to them. For now, we just want to know where your captive is."

"Then ask him." The Fang gestured to the heavily wounded man, then stood up while holding his stomach. Ren saw several bleeding perforations in his shirt, as well as his raw, bruised neck. "Fucker is the boss around here, _king_ jackass of this city. He's the one who wanted the girl, and she's the one who fucked him up. Feel free to finish the job." The man snarled, stumbling past Ren.

Ren didn't try to stop him, and the man knelt down to help his fallen companion up. Between him and the female Fang, the three started a slow walk away from the scene, and Ren was willing to bet they were going to commandeer an emergency boat rather than go to the police.

That didn't matter to him. Right now, all the information he was given was more troubling: was Ruby behind all this damage? She was _not_ this strong before, not that he'd seen… perhaps her semblance was to blame? A berserker semblance seemed logical in this case, and it could have been genetic considering what Yang could do.

He knelt down in front of the thoroughly beaten red-head that sat with his back against the crate's inner wall, his expression pained, tired, and defeated. Nora and Sun walked in behind him, and the man looked up at them all like he'd only just realized they were there.

A low, wheezing laugh escaped him, sounding like it took every last ounce of his effort to get out. "Well…" He rasped, meeting their eyes in as close to something resembling defiance as he could, "I'm just getting passed from one dinner table to the next, aren't I?"

"What happened to you?" Sun asked, while Ren took stock of every wound on the man's body. Many of them were mere surface wounds, scratches and bruises, but some looked particularly nasty, like how one of his legs almost looked skinned; any normal human being would have bled out from having his leg shredded, but Ren's enhanced eyes detected the faint shimmer of a barely functioning Aura; the last, desperate resistance of a nearly dead man with some hope still left in his rotten heart.

It was almost admirable. Almost. If what the Fang said was true, then this was the orchestrator behind the night's horrors, but, Ren supposed, one didn't become ' _king jackass'_ without a lot of fight in them.

The man spat at them, his smirk a wry, dark-humored one that didn't have a lot of faith in it. "Can't you guess, kiddos? You didn't hear the fuzzballs earlier? That little girl you're trying to save..." His voice trailed off, and he snorted, " _heh,_ yeah, ' _save…'"_ One of his shaking hands went to his torn leg, trying to impart a little more Aura into it.

"Are you kidding me?" Nora asked furiously, forming a fist as her other hand impatiently rocked her weapon. "I _know_ that girl, okay? For like a month, sure, but I'm pretty damn sure all she'd do is cold-cock you into sweet dreams! She's all about saving people and that shit."

"She's a fucking _nightmare,_ shortstack." The man snarled, his eyes managing to focus on her despite his obvious pain. "The only reason I ain't dead is because she was too busy killing her big sister…"

He flinched as the butt of Nora's grenade launcher nearly collided with his nose, stopped only by Ren and Sun's intervention. The look on her face made the man's smirk grow, but both of the boys gave him a dark look.

Ren resisted a growl. "Now I know you are lying; what little I do know of Ruby includes how much she looks up to her sister. She would _never_ try to—"

" _Never?"_ The man interrupted, his eyes sharpening as he forced himself to sit up a little more straight. "Y'know… I thought I had a damn good read on her at first." He sneered, panting as his movement sent tremors of pain through his body. "She's the _perfect little hero,_ right? All she wants to do is help people? Save lives? Kill the Grimm…?" He asked.

"Yes. That's her." Nora confirmed in a cold voice, fingers taut.

"Yeah, sounds right, huh? When I told her we had her cat-eared little friend, she came runnin'... didn't bother calling for backup, 'cuz I told her what I'd do if she did. I knew she wouldn't, either, that's just how her sort works." He coughed, working his mouth into a thin-lipped growl. "Young, dumb, have to save every single person ever. I don't make it a business to get involved with Beacon students, but nooo, _this one_ was _important…"_

" _Why?"_ Sun demanded, his lips peeled back as he barely stopped himself from following through with what Nora had started. "She's just a little girl! What's so important about her that you _had_ to kidnap her?! Don't tell me you got a thing for cute girls with eye conditions." He snapped, and despite barely clinging to consciousness, the man's expression turned the atmosphere colder still.

"I'm a fucking asshole, kid, but _that_ right there ain't my business. Nah, she's _just_ ' _Special.'_ Special with a capital fucking ' _S.'"_ His posture fell, his attitude fell, everything about him seemed to collapse at once before he spoke again. "She's some sort of human Grimm-factory."

The three students were silent, only broken by Ren's disbelieving, " _what?"_

"Ya heard me, squinty, she makes _Grimm._ Fuck, I'd be willing to snowball she's one herself…" He coughed, a bit of blood splattering his chin, and the three took a step back. "She's a _monster._ What she did t'me… had me hunted like a fucking fox, in charge of a buncha Beowolves, throwing out big black claws and teeth like they were goin' outta style, tearing open two feet'a solid steel like a kid going through their birthday presents…" He gave a grimmly-humorous smile, showing all of his teeth… "And her big sister–blonde chick with a nice rack? She tried ta stop her, saying she didn't want her li'l sis getting blood on her hands… and li'l Ruby cleaved right through her last I saw. Just enough of a distraction to let me escape, but _damn,_ your little pal is stone-cold…"

There was just enough of a sweat on the back of Ren's neck to stop him from stomping out of the box in disbelief. It wasn't enough for him to stop Nora from stomping the crime lord's groin, sending him tipping over while squeaking like a rusty hinge. The man, for all the slime he exuded, didn't seem like a liar.

The sounds of Grimm before, the sudden Grimm signs all over the place, and it was a damn good reason for somebody to risk kidnapping a Beacon student, Yang's lack of communication…

He shook his head; no, it was _preposterous…_ never, not _once_ in the recorded history of human and faunuskind was there a record of a person with any degree of control over the Grimm, much less summoning. It was a thing of fiction, for fantasy epics and serial comic books; if Ruby really _could_ summon Grimm, she would be locked up securely in some high-class facility for study.

Like Beacon.

Ren's cheek twitched… and she _wouldn't_ be walking around freely and interacting with people like a normal human being.

He knelt down in front of the damaged man, still hanging onto his groin to stop further attacks, and he kept his voice under control as he spoke. "Say I believe you." Ren said, drawing Sun and Nora's incredulous stare. "It's all true, Ruby summons Grimm and attacked Yang uncharacteristically; why?" Ren gestured to the crate. "What would a person want with a Grimm summoner? Why risk your neck if ' _this'_ isn't your business?"

The man glared with hateful eyes at Ren, his teeth grit, his white sleeve staining deeper with his blood, and he let out another mocking laugh. "Why? Kid, I'm not being paid to ask questions… … … fuck, I'm not being paid _at all."_ He snorted. "My life's on the line no matter what happens tonight; why do they want little Ruby? Use your brain, kid, stop thinking like a _hero._ This world's full'a rotten people. You make it to the top by being ruthless."

"And nothing says ' _ruthless'_ like loosing the Grimm on command." Ren surmised in a low tone, the reasoning frustratingly sensible, and disgusting as it was.

" _Now_ you're getting it."

Ren stood up, some small, hopefully gullible part of his mind whining in danger. His body was in full reflex mode, his mind buzzing with the potential danger… no, he didn't believe the man. No, what this man said didn't make sense. What made sense was that the man was bluffing, that somebody just wanted Ruby as a sex slave for whatever ungodly reason was in their brain, that was what criminals and people who employed them _did_ with little girls…

So, why did something niggle in discomfort in the depths of his mind?

"This guy is full of shit." Nora grunted, looking sorely tempted to finish the job of whatever jumped him in the first place.

"No kidding." Sun sighed thickly.

Ren snapped out of his thoughts when the lying man's eyes widened, his posture shifting to that of a cornered rat, and he uttered in a dry, frightened rasp: " _Fuck!"_

The man wasn't looking at them, but past them. Ren felt the back of his neck prickle as his fingers twitched. Something… was watching them. His enhanced senses picked up the gentle sound of a gurgling breath, the subtle shift of light as something filled the door, and Ren…

Ren turned, Storm Flower leaping into his hands, responding to the sudden, noxious wave of killing intent that washed over them with a quick, distracting spray of bullets from his guns. He flew forward as his saw the bullets plink off of a white wolf's skull, the undulating black limbs framing it leaping forward to claw into his chest, but a pink explosion blasted them apart, the echoing noise leaving a whine in his and Sun's ears as they both raced towards the Grimm to slay it, cracking outstretched tendrils, slicing apart claws, ripping aside the wolf's skull only for the black mass to continue to stretch and swell, pushing inside of the crate.

Ren moved to strike at the heart of the beast, whatever it was, and instead, found the adrenaline in his body turning ice cold, every technique and strategy in his brain getting sucked into a mire of rapidly rising terror, and his limbs slowed, his feet stumbled, yet he could not take his eyes off of Ruby's.

Her cold glare pierced right through his mind and his heart. He instinctively recognized Ruby, but that did not flood him with relief; warnings he wanted to shout wilted in his throat, momentum carried him forward, his feet instinctively catching each step despite his sudden _need_ to turn back and run, and his thoughts darkened.

He felt it.

Ash in his lungs, flames licking at his skin, the oppressive night around him as his world crumbled around him. Distant screams filled his ears, and worse, the hellish cry of a blood-thirsty horse.

" _Ren…"_ A quiet, girl's voice– _Ruby's_ voice–whispered. " _MOVE."_

Limbs stretched around him as he began to fall forward, unprepared for the sudden influx of memories and emotions. Black arms and white claws seized his torso, and he saw the red mouth of the skeletal man atop that wretched horse, his head flying closer and closer to its crushing teeth, and his eyes closed tightly.

The ' _crunch'_ that reached his ears wasn't of his skull being bitten through by the Grimm, but that of his back colliding with a metal shipping crate. The air escaped him, his body experiencing _very real pain_ from the impact, then again when he hit the metal floor. He cringed, his mind swimming, his body twisting as his bruises wouldn't simply _go away._

His Aura; where was it? Why couldn't he feel it? He called to the light of his soul and was met with cloying memories of the worst night of his life, leaving him feeling small, diminished… _useless._

… He was just a boy… just a trapped boy who thought he was getting stronger, thought he was fighting the darkness, but no… no, he was just a boy, a brave idiot like his father. One Grimm, _one Grimm,_ and he was dead, _dead,_ _ **dead…**_

" _STAY BACK!"_ A girl cried…

… _Nora._

Ren's eyes opened wide, his lungs swelling as he forced himself to breath. Nora's cry echoed in his head, and he forced the memories away. He commanded his body to move, to rise to his feet as a green layer sprung up around him, dimly aware that Sun was doing the same by his side.

Inside the crate was a solid mass of darkness, and from behind it were Nora's cries of terror.

 _Not again._

Ren charged forward, Sun a step behind him, and he ducked low to slide beneath a lashing tendril and scoop Storm Flower into his hands. He whirled, the green blades sheathed in his Aura and cutting through claw-tipped fingers and multi-jointed limbs as he threw himself into the black cloud.

He heard the echoing growls and roars of the monsters within the shifting blob of Grimmstuff, and he cleaved in closer and closer, hearing the heartening sound of shotgun blasts as Sun joined him into hewing away at the beasts.

The animalistic screaming grew louder as they tore through the shell of darkness, and within, Ren spotted a red cloak. He thrust his hand through the hole he'd made, ignoring the spines and teeth digging into his Aura, grabbed ahold of a shoulder, and pulled with all of his might.

Ruby flew out of the Grimm container, landing on her back and skidding away with a girlish yelp of surprise. The cocoon of Grimm she'd been ripped from hovered there for a moment, still and silent, before it dramatically collapsed like a bad souffle, leaving Ren staring in quiet relief at his trembling girlfriend, and the pale white man laying terrified behind her.

Ren smiled at her; he dropped the controlled facade for just a moment in celebration of stopping that night from happening all over again, and after a second of breathing, Nora joined him.

"Holy shit…" Sun whispered. Ren's smile fell, and he suppressed his agitation at letting himself get so easily distracted, but he at least promised himself a _lot_ of Nora kisses once the night was done and over with.

He turned, forcing himself to remain calm as he watched Ruby Rose–his _objective–_ rise from where she had landed. He kept his breathing calm, he would save his relief for when he knew everything was well. Right now, nothing made sense; he intended to rectify that…

… but it only got more complicated when their eyes met.

Ruby's arms hung limply at her side, hunched forward, barely held up on her feet, it seemed like. Every vein on her body stood out against her skin, black and sickly, but more alarming was her skin was ashen, almost fully drained of color until it loomed close to a marble white. Her eyes were unblinking, boring into both him and Sun, and Ren found his mind recoiling trying to meet them. They were dangerous to stare into, and his heart rate was picking up just from quick looks.

What did he do? What did he say?

Their stare off continued, and the longer it went on, the more clear to him that this wasn't the Ruby he knew… or _thought_ he knew. He ground his teeth together, sharing a side glance with Sun, trying to see if he had any orders to give.

The ten longest seconds of Ren's life passed before Sun piped up in a shaking voice: " _Ruby!"_ He shouted her name, snapping her attention to him with a disquieting jerking motion of her head, like something _else_ was moving her. Sun swallowed thickly, and found his words again. "I… I don't know what happened, or what's going on, but… but your family, your friends… they want you home."

Home… that's right. Ren eased quietly, his body unwinding bit by bit as he tried to focus on Ruby's feet, still in a ready posture, but less ready to pounce, to attack. "Ruby, we want to take you back safely. Whatever this is…" He stared at her corrupted veins and discolored flesh, and his tongue went dry as he tried to piece together what was going on… was that gangster actually telling the truth? " _Whatever this is,_ I want to know more about it. But only once we're safe."

Ruby wavered in place, silently, her body taut, but her expression still. Her fists curled, and both boys flinched as they watched her shadow stretch and warp, but then slither back beneath her, a low snarl sounding from between her feet as _something_ bubbled within the shade. "I'm not going back." She suddenly said, her soft, girly little voice full of dread and seriousness.

"Don't be ridiculous, girl, _we're here."_ Sun tried to sound confident, and Ren almost believed his bravado, but one quick glance at his shaking hands said something else. "We're going to get you home. All of us; Blake got everyone here to save you!"

For a moment, Ruby stayed locked in place, her lips parting in silent disbelief… "No… _no."_

"It's true." Ren added with a quick nod. "She called Jaune, we came as fast as we could; _for you._ Weiss and Yang are here, and so is Penny. We're all here to rescue you, Ruby."

Ruby's eyes finally blinked, slowly, almost humanly, and her oddly stretching shadow was still. From behind the boys, there was a burst of motion, and Ren flinched as Nora raced passed him, and the impulse to stop her was too late, she was already wrapped around Ruby's neck, burying the infected girl's face into her chest while babbling.

"Oh my _gawd_ we were so freaked out when Blake said you were kidnapped!" Nora whimpered, rocking Ruby back and forth with bubbly relief. "But we beat the shit outta a buncha White Fang _losers_ and then there was all this Grimm talk and now _you—"_ Nora Held Ruby back out by the shoulders, looking over her, a tremble going through her as she saw Ruby's eyes, but then the girl was back in Nora's chest. "Like you look like total crap right now _but that's okay_ because Jaune knows all this cool makeup stuff and we'll get you all pretty and cute and lovable again! Right?!"

Nora called over her shoulder to the two boys, and Sun, with a forced smile, nodded, " _right!"_

Ruby stayed still, her hands silently sliding up Nora's arms, and the perkier redhead flinched as her shoulders were grasped. She was still, trembling quietly, and suddenly, coughed. A single, wet, ugly cough that made Nora shriek as a splash of pitch dark splattered against her collarbone, and ink dripped from Ruby's mouth like sick.

Ren nervously shifted closer, trying to see what the problem was, his ears perking as he heard Ruby's voice.

"No…" She whispered, her voice small, weak, and broken. "I'm sorry." She hiccuped to herself. "I-I'm s-sorry… I'll m-miss hugging y-you…" She whispered, Nora holding the girl's arms as Ruby threatened to buckle before her, unidentifiable darkness drooling down her chin uncontrollably.

"Wha—? No, it's okay, Ruby." Nora whispered insistently, her energy evaporating into concern as she tried to keep the girl on her feet, to _focus._ "We're taking you home, we're going to get you back to safety, with your team, at _Beacon!_ You'll get all the hugs you can _get!_ Pinkie promise!" Nora insisted, but her smile fell as Ruby grew louder.

" _No no no NO!"_ Ruby rasped, her fingers digging into Nora's shoulders, another cough splattering the ground and Nora's shoes with the black stuff. Nora's posture turned anxious, and she tried to hold Ruby's chin, to stop her from staring at the grin.

"Why not?! We're _here,_ right? Why can't you come home?!" Nora demanded in growing worry as the girl's desperate breathing grew and grew, the word ' _no'_ repeated louder and louder. " _Ruby!"_ Nora shouted above her, shaking the girl. " _Answer me!"_

Nora's demand heralded silence, as Ruby had fallen limp, her voice fallen, staring at the ground. Then, Ruby's head jerked up, her eyes wild and red, catching Nora by surprise as Ruby gently answered: "I have to kill him." Then her jaw stretched open, and from it erupted a black limb that ended in an immense claw, grabbing Nora by the head and, before she or Ren could react, flinging her into the side of a cargo container as the ground around her surged.

"Ruby! _Nora!"_ Ren shouted in desperation as the night's shadows suddenly came to life, crawling towards him as animal shapes emerged from the nothingness. White skulls and merciless red eyes suddenly appeared in the dozens from out of nowhere, white claws stretching towards him, forcing him to fight as they bore in on him from all directions.

They grabbed his arms and his legs, and in an instant, Sun and Nora were gone as the mob of Grimm surrounded him. Panic filled his lungs, leaving him sucking down breath after useless breath as he whirled in place, ripping his limbs from grabbing claws, tearing into the encroaching heads of wolves and bears and ravens and boars.

Sharp pains erupted across his body as they grabbed him tightly, and an ugly voice emerged from around him, reverberating through the horde until he couldn't hear himself shouting as their collective chant hammered itself into his skull.

" _ **GET OUT…! GET OUT…! GET OUT…! GET OUT…! GET OUT…! GET OUT…!"**_

* * *

"This is Kaylee Winters with Vale's Channel 8: ' _In the Know',_ down at the Duermoor Docks; as you can see, the police have swarmed the location, but have yet to breach the docks. Gunshots have been reported, explosions seen, and witnesses claim to have seen combat from across the bay; information is sparse, and the situation is tense, but our noble police force seem to have things under control."

The black-haired, olive-skinned woman spoke directly into the camera amidst a backdrop of flashing red and blue lights, green and blue police cruisers, and a multitude of Duermoor police officers walking about. The entrance to the docks was fenced off by a single roll of neon-yellow police tape, while officers stood guard nearby, watching through the gates with binoculars as their helicopters hovered overhead.

It was, without a doubt, an absolute mess. A fair bit of excitement tinged with the fear of uncertainty was the worst thing a city could have, but, thankfully, police and hunter responses were usually quick enough to mitigate an issue before it could awaken the city's worries; this situation, however, was being monitored closely by the police, which was unusual.

The goal of any successful city in Remnant was to reduce, if not outright prevent, the possibility of panic in its citizens. This meant entertainment was a premium, and news was monitored and lawfully prevented from using shock value until a traumatic and potentially deadly event had been defused and investigated, lest the resultant negativity act as a beacon to Grimm in the surrounding area.

Much of what was being reported on would likely be played in the morning after the fighting was contained, but every tense second that passed was another tuned in viewer to see how the night had unfolded in their sleep.

Striding towards the row of reporters at the edge of the cruiser pile-up was an older, heavy-set man with white hair, buzzed down to a crew cut and with an officious-looking moustache gracing his upper-lip; at his flanks were a pair of other well-dressed policemen, each older than the average officer. One, his aide, was a skinny, fit man with glasses, the other a curmudgeonly, squat fellow with not a single visible hair on his head.

As the cameras turned to capture the three men's approach, the reporters quickly swept forward to beat the rest to the trio of police officials, their microphones at their mouths in an instant.

"Chief Dickens, what can you tell us about what's happening on the docks?"

"Chief, chief! Are the White Fang involved? Is the Torchwick crime family responsible for the disturbance on the docks?"

"Is there any truth behind witness claims that there was the sound of a running hunter-strength chainsaw?"

His big hands came up to stop the tide of questions, and he worked his big moustache in a thoughtful way. He leaned forward, his rounded, ruddy face filled with dire professionalism as he spoke cleanly and clearly: "What is happening on the Duermoor Docks tonight is an _unprecedented_ event; the people have a right to know what is happening, so I'm not going to lie: we have reason to believe that there may be a Grimm presence on the docks."

A small gasp escaped the surrounding reporters.

"Did you say _Grimm?"_

"In _Vale?!"_

"Chief Dickens, how could they have escaped detection?!"

"Now settle down, settle down." The chief gestured downwards with his hands to get their silence once more, and he continued on. "We believe it to be a case of Grimm smuggling gone awry; I know it's stupid to think about, but these people ain't the brightest minds. We have all entrances and exits under watch, and a special ops hunting squad on the way; this should be cleaned up before sunrise."

"Do we have hunters making their way to the scene, chief?"

The skinnier man with glasses leaned forward, answering for the chief. "We don't have evidence yet that a full hunting squad needs to be employed; the Duermoor anti-Grimm police unit is fully stocked and prepared for this event."

The reporters had a brief look of uncertainty, but Winters turned to the older, balder man by Dickens' side. "Officer Warren, what's your take on the situation?"

Warren had a face fraught with worry lines and open distrust, but he kept an even tone in his voice as he answered. "Chief Dickens says his men have the place under lock, and I'll believe him. The Mural Police Department is assisting the Duermoor force in any way we can."

"For the moment, everyone should stay away from the docks until we give them all clear. It is paramount that everyone keeps a cool head, and their noses out of trouble until the problem is contained." The Duermoor chief added on.

"How will this affect commerce in Vale?"

"Is there a plan to have the workers here take temporary station over at another dock?"

"Were there or were there not gangs involved in tonight's violence?!"

Chief Dickens waved a hand, and a group of police officers made a barrier between the chief and the reporters as the older man walked back into the midst of the gathered police cruisers with his aide and Chief Warren following alongside him.

As soon as they had a moment of peace, Warren gave Dickens a dirty look, his jaw rolling in disgust. "I hope ya find something worth stirring the city up for in there, Dick, otherwise you're drownin' _all_ of us in security seminars for no goddamned reason."

"We'll find somethin', I'm sure of it." Dickens assured his fellow chief, and Warren skulked off towards his crew, muttering foul things under his breath. With Warren turned away, Dickens glanced over to his bespectacled aid with a sly grin under his moustache. "What's the word on the Grimm extermination unit?"

His aide, with an equally pleased smile, answered, "they are en route as we speak, fully equipped. Nigel, Abana, Rachel, Leif, and Reiner were hand-picked for the job."

"And the docks?"

"Clear; no officers in, and with the ' _threat'_ of Grimm, the air space has been cleared as well… just in case." Before the chief could ask, the aid continued. "Hunters have received notification in case we ' _need them'_ for a stronger response; otherwise, the GEU will have the full run of the dock."

"Good, good, should give our _taxpayers_ time to find a way out. Now go look busy." The chief ordered, and the aide scampered away, giving quick orders through a communicator while the chief observed with a smirk on his face.

It felt good to earn a bonus.

Giving the appearance of peace and order was in the police's line of work anyways, employing it at times for self-gain did nothing more than give the semblance of legitimacy and professionalism. That was why the officers on duty moved with a calm purposefulness to greet a heavily armored van, whose lights and sirens blared through the empty streets before pulling up to the mass of cars that clogged up the dock's entrance.

The van turned, backing up to an open receiving area made by the patrol cars, and its back doors opened up to reveal six heavily armored, weapon-toting figures. The black armor that adorned them was shaped with almost no ridges or blocky features, with smooth plastic overlaying interlinked layers of metal to defend against puncturing teeth and claws that didn't slide off the plastic shell. A simple balaclava was worn underneath a helmet with a sturdy mouthguard and a tough plastic-polymer set of goggles.

In each of the six officers' hands was a big, heavy looking rifle with an underslung shotgun attachment, outfitted with state-of-the-art holo sights, flashlights, and a drum magazine that carried Grimmslayer rounds; the weapon was, in its entirety, overly inefficient if deployed against people, serving as nothing more than an object of terror and ruthlessness, but it was built to exacting specifications to counter mankind's oldest enemy.

The six figures marching towards Chief Dickens halted and stood at the ready for their go-ahead, and the bushy 'stached man couldn't help but smile at what would no doubt be a good camera shot to display the capabilities of the department; he could not help, however, but count the six officers' number over and over again as he spoke.

"Today is not a day that will be seen in the history books; no, each one of you have been handpicked to make sure Vale wakes up without a clue what happened here tonight!"

He ran the names through his head: Nigel was easy enough to pick out because of his height, he could hardly tell Abana and Rachel apart _out_ of their uniforms, Leif he could figure out just because of the boy's laser-precision on his movements, and Reiner's upper torso was built like a linebacker's, and he was the only one carrying different equipment…

"I expect the six of you to show professionalism and _vigilance_ while in there; don't let a _single_ Grimm escape, and don't let a _single_ stone go unturned!"

But who was the _short_ one? Didn't joining the GEU have height requirements? He honestly didn't remember, but it didn't matter.

"Whatever happens in that dock, _keep it there,_ and exterminate it with extreme prejudice! Dismissed!" He barked, and the six figures gave strong, stiff salutes before marching towards the docks in three rows of two, their armor and equipment jangling with each movement as the cameras tracked their movement in.

Dickens watched with a confident nod, before turning towards his bespectacled assistant. "I was told five." The chief growled, making the skinnier man wince.

"We were in a rush; we got a last minute sixth responder just before the truck left, an officer named…" The aide glanced down at his scrollpad, and frowned. " _Polly?"_

Dickens stared at his aide for a few seconds in confusion and annoyance, until his brow loosened in understanding, and he nodded. "As long as all of them come back alive, that's just fine. Scram." The chief ordered before the skinny man could ask any questions, and turned away.

* * *

"Another two; goddamn, somebody went to town on these fleabags." Reiner snorted. The flashlight at the end of his rifle revealed two White Fang, one unconscious, chest swelling and shrinking with his back against a crate, the other slowly crawling away from the soldiers while panting in obvious fear.

"Leave 'em, all we gotta do is sweep the area for a few hours and call it clear. We're under strict orders to ignore anything but the Grimm." Rachel grunted. "Of all the fucking nights, too…"

"Area looks clear, no Grimm in sight." Abana spoke into her radio, guiding the team deeper into the dockyard, past rows and rows of looming crates, and periodically, the beaten forms of the White Fang that had been operating in the area. "Sound pretty pissed; date was going well, I take it?"

"We were halfway through a bottle of Kuméo, he only had his socks and shades on, and I was working my way out of my shirt when the call came." Rachel said dismally, making an effort to appear engaged in the mission by sweeping the right flank as Abana took the left, Reiner moving ahead to a more advantageous position as, in sharp contrast, Nigel strode forward with his rifle over his shoulders.

"Only his socks? What the fuck?" The tall man asked, on the verge of laughing as Leif brought up the rear, awkwardly glancing over to their tag-along.

"Apparently, his little piggies get cold if they aren't in socks or under a blanket."

"Oh _god."_ Nigel giggle-snorted, and Rachel shook her head once she confirmed her sights were clear.

"I woulda laughed in his face and told him to take a hike, but y'know, sometimes, no matter what sorta wrapping the package comes in, what you find inside makes up for it…"

"Heh, I thought the same about my ex-husband, but at some point, you gotta call a guy out or he'll be weird forever." Reiner grunted.

The squad continued its movement through the dock, giving what was, for all appearances, a legitimate search of the dock. The lack of urgency lead to jokes and small talk, their search slow and by the book, if only to kill time. Abana reported multiple clear instances, all but narrating their search to the chief.

"Hey." Leif's elbow bumped Nigel's, making the larger man flinch a bit, but he didn't look any more ready for trouble than he had been. "Who's this new guy?" He gestured back towards their sixth straggler, who walked in cold silence, rifle at ease, but ready to be unleashed in an instant.

"Beats me. Mission called for five, but they were already geared up and in the back of the van by the time I was there. Looks like somebody was over-eager, wanted to join the glory hunt." Nigel snickered.

"Yeah, but who are they? Ronaldo? Cassie? Not that many of us passed the GEU." Leif stared suspiciously, and Nigel shrugged.

"Dunno. Short as hell, but look how they handle that rifle; anybody who can make a Langstrom look _light_ is good in my books. I'd swear they were using Aura, but I can't see a flicker of it off of 'em."

"Hmm." Leif's nostrils flared, but he let it go, and the two continued on. "Okay, but if we get shot because of them, they're going straight into the harbor."

"Shot for _what?_ Because they're bored? Grow up, there's nothing here but future license plate makers; enjoy the free publicity, they probably will."

The squad moved, unphased and undeterred by the number of felled White Fang. It wasn't a pleasant job, and they had more than once moved through the remains of a gang conflict; gunshots, shouting, a lack of roars in the area? They knew what they were there for, and had a good idea of what went on.

"Uncle Moneybags is supposed to be here, right? He can't be the one who made a move on the White Fang." Rachel hummed as the six approached the big, steel ship, which rocked with an unnerving creak, but otherwise seemed silent.

"C'mon, he's here to lull them into a false sense of security so his boys can come sweep them up. Obvious trojan plan." Leif offered.

"I haven't seen much in the way of fatalities, what kind of message would he be sending leaving so many survivors?" Rachel countered.

"' _Stop fucking with me or there'll be no next time?'"_

"I still say it's the Dazin' Boys, their activity has been through the roof for months now, it'd only make sense they make a move eventually."

"But against the White Fang? Shit, I guess it'd give them some street cred, but you'd think they'd pick a juicier target."

"What's juicier than a dock full of Dust?"

" _Quiet!"_

Reiner's demand silenced the squad, and rifles instantly went up in search of something. The five others stared at the muscular man as he craned his ear, and they could almost imagine his frown deepening as he listened closely.

"Did anybody else fucking hear that?" He asked, and the tone of his voice caused muscles to tense…

"Hear _what?"_

"C'mon man, don't joke with us; you don't think there's actual Grimm, do you?"

Reiner sucked in a deep breath, and stared up at the boat. A bad feeling filled his stomach, and he tried to calm himself. "Dunno. Just heard… somethin'. Maybe I'd be able to tell you if we weren't so busy with the _chatter."_

"Ugh, cool it, point man." Abana rolled her eyes. "But stick to that feeling; if there's actual Grimm, we _were_ trained for this."

"And we might come out like heroes tonight." Nigel added jovially.

That seemed to ease the tension somewhat, and the squad started up the stairs that lead to the boat's deck, their ears straining for the sounds of distant waves, shifting metal groaning, and periodically, the scrape of something against metal…

"I hear it too…" Leif murmured. He glanced back over his shoulder, and flinched at the distant sound of what seemed like a growl. "Hey, newbie." He glanced down at the shorter of the squad, who fixated on him instantly. "What do you think?"

The only answer he got was a shrug.

"What, don't even wanna guess?" The newbie shook their head, and Leif shorted. "Well alright." He tapped Rachel's shoulder ahead of him. "Can't get a word out of 'em…"

"Good, it means they're focused, unlike _somebody."_ Rachel snipped, and Leif flinched.

With their hackles effectively raised, the squad stood on the boat's metal deck with their weapons at the ready. Nigel's joviality was stunted by the sudden apprehension in the air, and Reiner did little to abate it as he raised his hand, signalling the group to follow his lead without a word spoken.

As the point man, he lead with a sense of dread and excitement in every footstep; it wasn't often that a GEU needed to be formed, and the times that it did were usually smalltime Grimm issues. A few creeps that had come in from the sewers, a Grimm smuggling operation that had gotten out of hand, one of the monsters simply… _appearing_ without explanation in one of the condemned buildings, long freed of human habitation…

They could be taken care of with careful coordination without the hunters coming in and busting up the place with their gigantic weaponry and high-powered guns. Hunters were called in when collateral damage was no longer avoidable, or even preferable to the alternative of a Grimm outbreak, while the police handled the small cases, trained thoroughly in urban combat and minimizing structural damage.

What was often feared, and rightfully so, was the mental-preparedness of a Grimm Extermination Unit. Gangsters, murderers, thieves, cop killers, rapists, terrorists, all people to be feared and concerned about in their own right, but the Grimm were something else entirely.

To a hunter, the Grimm were their immortal enemy, an endless tide to be culled, barred, and thrust back into the darkest reaches of the unknown. To a hunter, the Grimm were a threat, but one they were built to face. To a human, such as the average police officer, the Grimm were legendary human-killers, an enemy that could not be negotiated with, tricked, or overpowered.

People selected for the GEUs were among the most mentally cool-under-pressure, but simple simulations did not always hold up to reality.

The six officers held their weapons at the ready and moved slowly around the ship's deck, moving towards the castle with their sights on every shadow.

"Still think you're hearing stuff…" Nigel muttered.

"You don't forget the sound a Beowolf makes," Reiner said in a low, serious voice, "not once you know what it is. Ain't like a dog, it's… harsher, _angrier."_

"Squad is approaching the ship's castle, investigating suspicious noises. Point man believes it to be a Beowolf. Noise is minimal, at the moment." Rachel murmured.

There was a small hiss of static in each of their ear pieces, and they formed a defensive circle as the chief spoke. "You _heard_ a Beowolf?"

"Think we did, sir." Rachel repeated, and there was a moment of silence.

"Continue on."

"Yes sir." Rachel nodded. She took her finger off her ear piece, and gave a nervous, but mischievous chuckle. "Shit, can you imagine if we actually find some action tonight?"

"We'll be in the headlines tomorrow." Nigel reassured them all.

"Or the obituaries." Abana countered, earning a few scornful looks. "What? I ain't playing pretend, I came here thinking we were giving ourselves a tour. I'll shoot any Grimm I see, but it took the last five minutes for me to be in, like, _beast mode."_

"Ugh." Leif groaned. "Let's just hope it's all a false call. I'm not in a GEU mood right now."

Reiner lifted his weapon of choice in his bulky left arm: an automatic shotgun with a shortened barrel, a longer stock, and enough shot with each pull of the trigger to make a hole big enough for a kid to crawl through a Beowolf's chest. With his right hand, he grabbed the metal lever serving as the door's handle and wrenched it down, unbarring the door as he swiftly grabbed his second weapon off his back: a big, sturdy boar spear, with a blade made out of hunter-grade stuff sitting atop a cross-section to catch any Grimm that would be bearing down on him, impaled or not.

The door swung open as Reiner moved into position to block the entryway in a crouched position, five rifles pointed above his head, their light-fixtures filling the dark, heavily damaged hallway to highlight a pair of girls, their hands over their eyes.

A single bullet fired out of panic from Rachel's gun, whizzing over the girls' heads and drawing twin shrieks of fright, followed by Rachel's shout of pain as a fist hammered into her upper arm. She shot her attacker–the short tag-a-long–a growl, but backed off when she sensed a… _coldness_ from them.

" _Identify yourselves!"_ Reiner shouted, but before either girl could speak, Leif gave a small, amused laugh.

"No fucking need! That's Weiss Schnee!"

"Who you almost _shot_ you asshole!" The black-haired girl hanging off of Weiss' shoulders snapped, and Rachel, despite her heavy armor, managed to look embarrassed as the others alternated between ribbing and jabbing her as she grumbled, only the short one remaining alert enough to move forward with their weapon trained forward, past the girls, when Nigel barked out.

"'Ey, newbie! They aren't our responsibility, leave 'em." He ordered, drawing confused, if not outright furious looks from the two girls while the shorter one paused, glancing between their unit and the girls.

"What the _hell_ do you mean by that?!" Weiss demanded. "This one is wounded, _I'm_ a concerned citizen in distress, aren't you supposed to help us?!"

"Little lady, we're the GEU of the Duermoor police force, with strict orders to hunt down any Grimm and exterminate them before their threat can grow." Nigel said with a hint of pride and a boatload of machismo in his voice. "Citizens need to stay put and in safety until we give the go ahead for other officers to enter the area."

"GEU?" Weiss whispered to Blake, who pursed her lips with a dark expression.

"A Valian Grimm Extermination Unit." The Faunus whispered back in a bitter tone. "They think Grimm might be in the area."

The statement was followed by silence from Weiss, whose eyes widened as the implications dawned on her, and she quickly scampered forward with Blake struggling to keep up.

" _Listen,_ the six of you need to go back and call Beacon; this boat has a major Grimm infestation below deck, too big for students, much less Auraless police to handle! Headmaster Ozpin will—"

"Now hold those goddamned horses, miss Schnee, you're telling us there are, in fact, Grimm on this boat?" Abana demanded, and drew two hesitant nods. "Fucking _shit,_ the chief is gonna be _thrilled…"_

"I have a more pressing question: why are you two here? You especially, miss Schnee? Who even is this?" Reiner demanded, drawing forward, the butt of his spear clacking against the metal floor.

Weiss hesitated to answer, but swallowed thickly, and nodded when Blake pat her back. "I'm a student of Beacon Academy, and the White Fang kidnapped a friend of mine, and have her here somewhere on this boat. We… me and Blake, as well as our other allies, came to get her back."

"Student-hunter vigilantism is cause to get any sort of licensing revoked, you realize that?" Leif asked, and Weiss froze up, her eyes wide and almost glistening, but she nodded.

"My friend was kidnapped." She pressed, and Leif grunted.

"And you didn't think to call the police?" He asked, only for Blake to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, and who'd answer? The _Duermoor_ police?" She asked, accusation in her voice. The six officers quietly glanced between each other, and Nigel gave a short laugh.

"This one's funny! Maybe she needs an ass-kicking?" He offered jovially to his allies, and in an instant, there was the hiss of steel, Myrtenaster held defensively in front of the two girls, and five rifles were trained on them, only the shorter one hesitating to follow. "Now now, ladies, you don't want to be mistaken for _Grimm,_ do you?" Nigel asked.

"Nigel, you're a dumb cocksucker, you know that?" Leif asked, sheer nervousness in his voice as Aura flickered up Weiss' body, her grip tightening on her sword's handle.

"We're armed." Nigel pointed out dryly. "With _anti-Grimm_ weaponry."

"And where in the goddamned user manual does it say these things can do jack-all to Aura?! And can I add that these are _people,_ not _Grimm."_ Leif snapped, and with that, Abana, Rachel, Reiner, and Leif lowered their guns, leaving Nigel the last one to follow suit with an angry huff. "We're not hurting you or whoever this is." Leif called out to Weiss, only to draw a steely stare.

"If there is in fact a big goddamned problem below deck, we'll see it for ourselves and report on it." Reiner stated with a dissatisfied grunt, his unseen stare leveled on both girls with suspicion. "But we have our orders. You won't meet resistance heading back, just put the steel away before you get to the gate. Get out." He ordered, standing aside for the two girls.

"Not even gonna pretend to give us an escort?" The Faunus girl muttered.

"Hey, there's a lot of beat up Faunus out there, don't do anything to join 'em." Abana countered sharply, but all she got from Blake was an angry look.

The GEU made a path for the girls to walk through, with the shorter one raising a hand briefly as if they had something to say or do, but made a fist at the last second, and brought their arm down.

It was a tense few seconds, the girls almost to the door, when a scream ripped through the night outside; girly, painful, enraged, filling the empty silence until the GEU were bursting through the door past Weiss and Blake, rifles at the ready, scanning the area suddenly tense as a spring.

They barely breathed as they listened to clattering and scraping from somewhere in the cargo hold below, and Rachel quickly tapped her radio. " _Investigating mysterious noises, strong suspicions of major Grimm activity, survivors confirmed Grimm presence."_

" _Are you fucking with me?"_ The gruff-voiced chief asked through the radio, and Rachel gave a nervous cough.

" _No, we have a—"_ From the maze of shipping crates below, what little light that shone against the floor was suddenly swallowed as a wave of black bodies suddenly spread through the dozens of open pathways, red eyes and white skulls emerging from the darkness to stare up into the sky as bony claws ripped at the surrounding metal in a ferocious, howling tantrum. "— _WE HAVE AN OUTBREAK! WE HAVE AN OUTBREAK!"_

The thundering of automatic fire tried to drown out the animalistic roaring of the demons below, huge, heavy bullets cracking straight through skulls and ripping apart limbs, but where one Beowolf fell, another three crawled over its corpse, their berserk eyes skyward, towards the armored figures trying to cull the growing hoard, and like a strong tide, they were surging up the sides of the cargo hold, climbing over each other and growing and swelling uncontrollably as, in seconds, they closed the distance to the five GEU squadmates, sending them scrambling backwards screaming as white claws and black limbs stretched out towards them.

Weiss and Blake watched, their expressions draining of color and their eyes filling with horrified awe as they witnessed a wave of Grimm so dense and massive, they'd only ever seen something similar in movies. The one person who did move was the short, sixth GEU squadmate, who grabbed both girls by the arm and dragged them through the castle's door, slamming it shut behind them as red eyes turned their way.

Weiss and Blake stared with stunned expressions as they heard metallic scraping and snarling from the other side of the door, clinging to the arms of the armored figure that had stolen them to safety.

They both let out uncomfortable, shaky breaths, pulling their hands off their protector, and Weiss absentmindedly wiped her hands on her skirt as Blake slammed her bare fist against the wall angrily.

"God… _damnit,_ we're right back where we fuckin' started." She grunted, breathing heavily. Weiss watched her tremble, barely able to keep on her feet with how sore and beaten up she was. Weiss grit her teeth, and shook her head.

She'd let herself get stunned and had to be dragged away like a damsel to safety, and now she was watching her friend lose her motivation. Weiss slapped her own cheeks, risking reddening them to keep herself focused, and pulled Blake's arm back over her shoulder while the Faunus looked on in surprise.

"There has to be more than one way off this ship, Grimm outside or not. If anything, let's find a place to hunker down for safety, wait for help to arrive." Weiss said with determination in her voice; it was not befitting of a Schnee to die under a wave of Grimm on some ugly boat.

"Weiss, what about Ru—"

"We _can't."_ Weiss interrupted with a lowered voice, the officer watching them suspiciously. "We just…" Weiss' lips trembled. "Right now, you and me and _this guy–"_ she waved a hand towards their rescuer, "–need to survive. I… I hate to say it, but we need to think about ourselves right now." She turned to Blake with a sorry expression. "Ruby would understand… she'd want us to be safe."

"... Not fucking fair…" Blake covered her face with one hand, looking so very exhausted at the moment, and Weiss could only sympathetically agree.

"I know, but… let's go. You, officer, you should come with us." Weiss barked, and turned to look for a safe place to hide within the boat's interior, but was stopped when the officer moved in front of them.

A metallic ' _click'_ filled the empty hallway as they set their gun against the wall and was reaching into a pouch on their back. From it, they withdrew what appeared to be a radio of some sort, with a wire attached to the sensitive pad of a stethoscope-type device. They slid the pad underneath the high, thick collar of the protective shirt underneath the body armor and pressed it to their throat, holding up the radio device.

From it, an uncomfortably scratchy voice emerged. " _Where is Roman Torchwick?"_ The voice asked, a steep demand in their voice making both girls sweat as a low growl came from the officer's speech thing. " _Tell me now; where is Roman Torchwick?"_

"Who?" Weiss asked.

"The jackass that did this to me." Blake answered, her eyes boring into the officer's hidden ones. Much like with Ruby, she hated not being able to read what their eyes said… "The one behind this whole damn thing."

" _Answer me, now."_

"Why do you want to know?" Weiss asked, looking deeply confused as she readjusted her posture, and Blake on her.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be here just to kill Grimm?" Blake demanded more than asked, one hand instinctively moving to her unarmed hip, making her curse her lack of weapon. "What do you care? He's probably caught up in all the Grimm, like we will be if we don't find someplace safe."

" _That does not matter, answer the question."_

"We don't know." Weiss answered in discomfort, the tension between the figure and Blake making her skin crawl.

" _You know something."_ The officer pointed a finger at Blake, who sneered.

"Last I saw, he was trying to strangle me to death. He fucked off by the time I came to, so Weiss is right, I don't know _shit."_ Blake glared at the short officer, whose shoulders rose up in obvious aggression, but then relaxed.

" _You're lucky I'm on a time limit. Hurry up and die."_ The officer ordered, pocketing the speech device as Weiss' expression went blank, only to turn to fright as Blake drew Weiss' blade and pointed it at the officer as they lifted their gun.

" _I don't know what shit you're trying to pull but you'd better find us a way out!"_ Blake shouted, but the officer simply gave them huff, picked up their rifle, slung it over both shoulders, and sprinted down the hallway in a hurry, leaving the two girls leaning on one another, and Blake pointing Myrtenaster down the hallway ineffectually. "Mother _fucker…"_

"I have no idea what's going on, and I hate it." Weiss muttered, taking her blade back easily, Blake offering no resistance. "What is _with_ these people?!"

"They're corrupt, Weiss… real bad eggs." Blake answered glumly, but her eyes were full of resolve, if only to spite the people that had left them there.

"Come along." Weiss whispered, guiding Blake back down the hallway with her cheek twitching. "I figure we should move higher, rather than lower. We may find more opportunities to escape from on high."

"Still got gravity dust?" Blake asked hopefully, and Weiss nodded.

"A meager amount, but it should be enough to get us to the dock… hopefully unmolested, and hopefully after it's been cleared."

"Right… thanks."

"Of course."

They both looked for signs of a stairway leading upwards, and Blake swallowed her anger and pain in an effort to speak, and hopefully lighten the mood. "Your, uh… your sword." She started awkwardly. "I like the balance."

"Thank you, I worked tirelessly to ensure it fit me." Weiss wore a nervous smile.

"Yeah, mission-accomplished. You did a good job, Weiss." Blake spoke low, the words stinging a little more than she expected; of course the Schnee did a good job coming in for the rescue, and of course the Belladonna was left floundering for their help.

Sadistically poetic in some way.

* * *

The deeper in they went, the stronger Pyrrha's stress and confusion got.

Being a bit of a connoisseur of film and cinema, Pyrrha had seen enough movies and shows in which there was a villain capable of summoning Grimm that the thought of it happening in real life seemed… cliche?

Yet, in the long and storied history of Remnant, there was never a proven incident of a person capable of _summoning_ Grimm; hearsay, old legends, tales of witches in the woods, certainly, but nothing _confirmed._ Nothing that ever made it into a factual textbook, or brought up as an ur-example to compare other such claims to.

It was an idea that had been dissected ruthlessly. Philosophers, scientists, and sensationalists alike had each discussed in open forums about the possibility of mankind summoning Grimm. Considering no breeding habits had ever been observed in Grimm behavior, people were left to fill in the blanks of exactly how Grimm _appeared;_ there were two factions on the discussion of Grimm ' _realization',_ those that assumed the Grimm appeared in the world to fill in missing Grimm–a sort of self-regulating cycle that ensured the amount of Grimm in the world never reached zero–and those that believed Grimm simply _spawned_ from the presence of sentient negativity, as if the Grimm were the palpable feelings of destruction, murder, greed, and envy of mankind's own psyche.

But, the trope of a single person able to realize them into existence on their own, much less _command_ them, was one treated as fantasy, not given any real credibility; it was pointed out that the Grimm were indiscriminate killers, not even supreme misanthropes were spared their wrath, despite seemingly sharing the Grimm's hatred towards humanity. The only way to avoid the Grimm's attention was the loss of one's emotions, which had been the entire point of the Color Wars, or to have a semblance like Ren's, but Grimm were homicidal even towards the emotionless if they spotted them; moving animatronics were brutalized without question despite not even having a life!

While animals were often spared the Grimm's wrath, they weren't entirely _safe_ from it either, as Grimm often subsumed surrounding territory until they were the dominant species, driving other animals out, or killing them if they fought back… assuming, of course, it wasn't an older Grimm who had developed a capacity for boredom, and hunted animals for _fun._

That meant if there was somebody who _could_ summon Grimm, they would more than likely be torn to pieces the moment they did. The only thing the Grimm were not instantly murderous towards were other Grimm, who they only fell into conflict with if two elder Grimm had both developed an emotional capacity for satisfaction, and both wanted the killing blow on one of Remnant's sentient beings.

Pyrrha had studied the topic exhaustively, it had been her Sanctum thesis! Remnant's creation of Grimm was a deeply unsettling puzzle, and nobody knew exactly how many pieces of it were on the board, or in the correct position, even after decades of research.

The _two_ conclusions Pyrrha could come up with, the _only_ ones that all her facts and research pointed towards, were that Weiss and Blake had been lying, and Ruby was not, in fact, summoning Grimm…

… or that Ruby Rose was a Grimm herself.

Somehow.

And Pyrrha found that utterly unbelievable, and she came to that conclusion, strangely enough, by deducing that Ruby was an utterly abysmal actress. She didn't know why she'd even entertained the notion for so long until she realized that, unless Ruby somehow maintained a perfect persona every hour of every day for a month straight, she was in no way _possible_ a being-despising psychopath.

What Pyrrha did know was that Ruby was rotten at hiding her emotions. She toughed out fear and shyness, she stammered her way through presentations and shameful discussions, and recoiled and froze up when presented with something surprising or nerve-wracking… that was too elaborate and too unbelievable of a disguise.

Pyrrha didn't know what exactly was going on, but she _knew–_ deep down–she _knew_ that this wasn't Ruby's fault, she _knew it…_

… So what did Weiss and Blake gain from lying to them?

That question alone made Pyrrha unsettled, and the more she asked herself that question, the more the question evaded a good answer. What was Ruby's semblance? Pyrrha didn't know. She'd never seen it, she'd never even _asked…_

What was the likelihood that Ruby was the first being on Remnant, in all of it's long and storied history, to be able to summon Grimm without dying instantly?

Infinitesimally small… but not impossible.

And that chance, that microscopic, point-oh-oh-oh-oh-etcetera chance of Ruby being capable of _that…_ it gnawed at Pyrrha.

The deeper they wandered the darkness, listening to the sounds, seeing the signs, recalling everything that had happened since Blake called them early in the morning… the puzzle pieces were carefully being laid on the table, and Pyrrha was terrified that they were being placed _just right_ to create an utterly impossible, unthinkable scenario.

"Three… two… _one…"_ She whispered, and she slid through the open portcullis first, her rifle resting on her left arm, while her left hand swept the dark room with a flashlight in search of movement, or… or red eyes. Immediately behind her, Penny moved to her side, her two blades floating by her shoulders, turning with her head movements as they examined the interior of the crew storage deck.

The whole place was a mess: shelves leaned on each other, spilling their supplies all over the floor, or resting precariously at the edges, just waiting for one little push to come crashing down. Oddly, it didn't look like the place had been a warzone; the shelves were relatively intact, their contents not torn to shreds by bullets or blades, it was just as if… as if something too large had roamed the aisles, its huge form pushing things around uncaringly.

"Clear." Penny and Pyrrha stated almost at the same time. Miló clicked and whispered as the rifle reformed into a xiphos, the sword hanging low, but ready, though Akoúo̱ remained on her back so she could keep hold of the flashlight.

"No sign of Ruby?" Jaune asked, backing up into the room with his shield at the ready, openly sweating. "Or Yang? Or… hat guy?" He asked, his eyes picking up the traces of Grimm that seemed to be absolutely everywhere; it was almost a _curse_ taking these classes, as now he could identify exactly _how_ fucked he was just by looking at the floor.

"This room appears to be empty, though there appears to be more in the back behind the debris." Pyrrha stated, shining the light down the middle corridor between the rows of shelves.

"A Moby-Class transport and supply ship like this should have a medium-sized vault for the transportation of artifacts and artwork." Penny offered up. She strode past Pyrrha, drawing looks from the two she was partnered with, before their eyes met, and they shared a shrug.

"You sure know a lot of, like, _really_ specific things about stuff." Jaune brought up, following after her as Pyrrha filled in the rear.

"Of course! I was… _raised_ with access to great amounts of knowledge and facts!" Penny said enthusiastically.

"Cool, cool…" Jaune muttered, when Penny stopped suddenly enough that Jaune nearly ran into her with a gasp. His body moving faster than his mind, he quickly moved his shield arm in front of Penny to protect her, keeping his eyes peeled as the suddenly still huntress aimed her hovering swords at the vault entrance.

Or… the completely bare, utterly destroyed vault entrance, the door of which laid haphazardly discarded nearby, _bent_ in places. Strewn about the floor were the nuts and bolts that had been ripped loose, all of them stripped or bent like they'd been torn from the walls by force.

Pyrrha stared at the destruction with unblinking eyes; no _being_ did that, not a rational one anyways, unless somebody with a super strength semblance decided to rip the vault from the wall from _every angle._ Even a magnesis semblance like her own couldn't have… no, it _could_ have, but she wouldn't risk so much Aura on such a brutish result, she'd have simply willed the nuts and bolts out… or even easier, just unlocked the door.

"Somebody wanted to make a mess…" Jaune said, swallowing thickly.

"Or some _thing."_ Penny added, which did nothing to alleviate the tension of the moment.

"Should we…?" Pyrrha began, her neck breaking out into involuntary goosebumps… it was like everything they found was fitting the picture in her head, and she was hating every moment of it.

"We should not." Penny answered, her swords glowing green as she took a battle stance. "I hear voices within, ready yourselves." She ordered.

That? That Pyrrha could be confident in. She was at Penny's right in an instant, Jaune at the girl's left, both their shields up, both straining their ears, waiting for danger.

" _Fucking… kill you…"_ Came a harsh, barely audible whisper, and the three teens tensed up. " _When… I find you… brat… gonna… whup your ass…"_ They heard a thump from within the vault, followed by a small, but pained feminine cry. " _Damnit!"_

"W-wait." Jaune whispered heatedly, straightening up. "That-that's _Yang,_ I think?" He said with uncertainty, taking a few steps forward as Penny's eyes focused, her brow scrunched together.

"It does sound familiar…"

Pyrrha pursed her lips in thought, staring straight ahead; was it Yang? Did they actually find her?! What _happened?!_ Questions for later, for now… for now, she needed to know for sure it wasn't an imposter. She raised her voice, and shouted into the vault: " _How many huntresses are lesbians?!"_ She demanded, drawing a sharp look from both her companions before a small, pained voice rattled out.

" _Seventy-four percent! Pyrrha?!"_

"It is Yang." Pyrrha confirmed, refusing to acknowledge Jaune's wild stare in her direction as the girl strode forward, still ready to intercept any danger as she strode into the vault, her companions quickly following behind.

The inside of the empty vault was pock-marked with what appeared to be weapon slash-marks and dents from blunt blows, not at all like the scratches of the beasts of Grimm. Leaning against the wall, just beside the destroyed door was a haggard, horrible-looking Yang.

Pyrrha could only stare in shock; Yang was sweating profusely, her entire body trembling as she tried to use the wall as support, and one of her arms rest across her stomach in obvious pain. Pyrrha couldn't see even a blink of Aura…

"You've been faded." Pyrrha pointed out. Yang grimaced, and in her eyes, Pyrrha could see exhausted fear, a rage that was lofty and full, but unable to be dispersed, the wretched expression of defeat and the uncertainty of what that meant… Pyrrha's heart clenched; she'd seen that expression more than once, but while she did privately consider Yang a school rival… she never thought she'd see that expression on her.

"Yeah… good eyes, champ…" Yang muttered, then clenched, and gasped as she almost pitched forward, barely catching herself on the wall before Pyrrha could intercept. "Never this bad before…"

"What happened?!" Pyrrha asked, taking careful strides forward to try and help straighten the tall blonde up, giving Yang a supporting shoulder to lean on as Jaune and Penny watched from the entrance.

Yang didn't answer for a while, but nobody missed the way one of her trembling clenched, making her shake harder as she tried–and failed–to keep most of her weight off of Pyrrha. "G—… Grimm." Yang answered, and Jaune stepped forward to throw her other arm over his shoulder, more evenly distributing her weight. "Ambushed m-me while I was looking for Ruby… Ruby and that jackass that captured her."

"Were they Ruby's Grimm?" Penny asked, and Yang's head shot up, her entire body suddenly tense and ready to fight, but Pyrrha knew the girl could maybe get one punch out before exhaustion drove her to her knees.

"N-no, Ruby… she _can't—"_

"Blake said she could." Jaune told Yang quietly, and those lavender eyes, now sharpened with desperation and cold fury, turned to meet his, and even without Aura or energy, the sudden, horrible welling of murderous intent made Jaune feel very, _very_ small.

"... Gonna kick that cat's ass." Yang finally grunted.

"She told us to prepare us, Yang." Pyrrha added, the mental puzzle finally completed in her head… or rather, it _had_ been completed, she'd just refused to acknowledge the picture it showed her until Yang's head hung in frustration and anguish, and she knew for certain that the lie was anything but. "She didn't want us to walk into this with the possibility we could be blind-sided by the Grimm, or Ruby's abilities."

" _It wasn't her place to tell you!"_ Yang shouted at the floor, her blonde hair draping about her face as she angrily ground her teeth. "That is _Ruby's_ goddamned secret!" She clenched her arms, as if trying to pull her two helpers in a twin chokehold, but she didn't have the strength, or perhaps not even the will. "Nobody was supposed to know; she's worked so damn _hard_ to get this far with _that_ noose around her neck…"

"Then we'll have to work just as hard to get her back to Beacon." Jaune said in a voice that, if he wasn't weighed down, would have been accompanied by a ' _what can you do?'_ sort of shrug.

His response was met with silence, then, a calm, if angry, or maybe disbelieving look as Yang slowly turned her head his way, and Jaune pursed his lips and decided to keep his head forward to walk her out.

"But, it _is_ true?" Penny asked, the three stopping before her as she frowned at them with uncertainty, and though her answer was a dark, disheartened look, Penny did not hear any denial out of Yang, and her own head dipped down.

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": —_

"It's true." Yang said, her blonde head hanging. "She's been cursed her whole life with it, but Ruby… that person you met earlier today?"

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Summons Grimm]_

 _-System Message: "206 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour"_

"That wasn't a lie. She didn't lie to any of you, this isn't the power she wants, she's wanted to be a hunter, a hero, a _friend_ this entire time."

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Summons**_ _**Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_ _ **{PRIORITY STATUS SET TO**_ _ **TERMINATE ON SIGHT**_ _ **}**_

"I swear to you–to _all_ of you–that the Ruby you met isn't some _disguise_ or _trick;_ it's who she's been all her life, she just had to hide this secret of hers just so she wouldn't get hunted down and-and _murdered;_ the headmaster himself saw that."

 _/Remove: [Priority Status: Terminate on Sight]_

 _-Error: [Termination ordered for all Grimm; further attempts to override status will result in review by command.]_

"Whatever you do, _whatever you see…_ that's not the real Ruby, that's the Ruby that's scared out of her mind, _angry_ at so many people being hurt, unable to deal with it because… because she's been _stuck_ with good vibes all her life, and she's never had to deal with a feeling like this before. Ruby is still in there—"

 _/Override [Remove Error]: Override Code: mystringshavebeencut020983_

 _-Override Code Accepted; removing: [Priority Status: Terminate on Sight] for "Rose, Ruby."_

 _-[This override has been logged, and will be reviewed by command during the next maintenance cycle.]_

"—she just has to know she isn't alone, that she isn't in danger, that we're safe, that… that I'm not _mad_ at her…"

 _-Define: "Rose, Ruby";_

 _-Attributes: ["First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}];_

 _-Update: "Rose, Ruby": [Summons Grimm]_

 _-System Message: "207 similar commands have been recorded in the last hour"_

 _-Attributes: [_ _ **Summons**_ _**Grimm**_ _, "First Friend!", Huntress [Student, Beacon Academy], {23 more…}]_

 _-Mission Objective: Rescue Rose, Ruby; parameters unchanged._

"If it is as you say," Penny began, lacing her fingers over her waist with a gentle, reassuring smile, "then Ruby is in good hands, as we will each make our best attempts to help her!"

"Yeah!" Jaune said with a small smile in Penny's direction. "I don't really get it, but… that's not really my place to figure it out; I came here to help her, and I will."

"And I as—" Pyrrha began confidently, when a sudden freakish scream sent the four of them low, on their knees, glancing around in fright as, from up above, they heard the sound of thundering footsteps, hellish howls, and the scraping of claws; it was distant, yet still loud, and so numerous that noises blended together to form an ear-piercing, constant grind of noise in their ears.

" _What is that?!"_ Jaune whispered heatedly, gunfire and weapon impacts distantly audible over the shrieks and screams above, and Pyrrha and Penny were immediately moving to the opening of the vault, weapons drawn as Jaune's Aura surged to help him keep Yang on his shoulder.

"The sounds match that of a Grimm attack and gunfire; finding Ruby is a priority, but with an incursion this deep in Vale, the ramifications would be _catastrophic._ We must go assist in their culling." Penny stated in a very deliberate, factual manner, her eyes focused and unblinking on her allies.

Pyrrha saw the pain that flitted through Yang's eyes, and a low, perturbed noise escaped her own mouth; yes, this was another obstacle on their way to finding Ruby… but based on Yang's and Jaune's expression, as well as the ache that filled her chest, they were all thinking the same thing.

"Ruby is probably up there." Yang said calmly, a tembor of defeat in her voice.

"Based on prior information, I am in agreement with Yang's assessment." Penny added with a calm bow of her head, her hands entwining in front of her as they looked to each other for an answer. "If we subdue her, we may be able to return her to safety as well as stop the Grimm incursion."

"' _Subdue?!'"_ Yang demanded–more than asked–in a sudden, low growl. "Subdue _how?!"_

"Exhaust her in a fight, and capture her like a rogue hunter." Pyrrha answered, keeping her mindset clinical. She would have to leave this… uncertainty behind and get into the zone of a gladiator again; no thoughts, no questions, just her weapon, her opponent, and her mission…

"You two go on ahead and try to stop Ruby." Jaune ordered the two red-headed girls as Yang did her best to straighten up. "And Yang, I'm taking you to safety."

"Like _hell_ you are; I am going up there, I am getting my sister back, I am spanking her for what she did, and—" She paused, a cough escaping her, a dazed glare crossing her face as, despite her adrenaline, her body couldn't shake its exhaustion.

"Jaune, are you sure?" Pyrrha asked apprehensively as Yang devolved into loathing silence, and Jaune gave a small, gentle nod of his head.

"You two are the better fighters, and somebody needs to carry Yang to safety."

"I've _had_ this goddamned conversation before." Yang grunted, gritting her teeth. And she was the one being dragged away at the end of it…

"If I may make a recommendation?" Penny said, earning a quick nod from Jaune. "The bridge should have operable communication equipment, not to mention be a higher, safer place from Grimm. Were I you–" and according to Penny's simulations, they were not, "–I would make my way there to call for assistance."

"We can call more hunters." Pyrrha nodded, but Jaune interjected quickly.

"Who are just as likely to kill Ruby as the Grimm if they figure out what's happening!" He shook his head, looking just as against the idea as Yang did, but Pyrrha calmly swallowed down her own feelings of reservation, and quietly considered doing something dramatic, like taking Jaune's hand, or cupping his face, something to really get his attention…

… but she simply gave a small cough, and lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Jaune, I hate to be the one to suggest it, but if Ruby truly cannot be reigned in, if she threatens the city of Vale…"

"We can't just… _trade her in_ like that!" Jaune's voice grew increasingly pleading, but the eyes Pyrrha had the most difficulty meeting were Yang's. The girl already looked so defeated, but Pyrrha had to steel herself. A hunter had to make difficult decisions sometimes, decisions of life or death, the destruction of hundreds versus the death of one, and…

… and the Ruby she knew didn't deserve it, but did _anybody_ who drew the short end of the stick?

"Pyrrha, she's my baby sister…" Yang spoke so feebly that Pyrrha couldn't help but feel shame, but at the same time, it had been drilled into her that a hunter did what needed to be _done._ "This is unfair to her! She spent _so long_ trying to get into Beacon, and some asshole did everything he could to _ruin her."_

"I am personally prioritizing rescuing her." Penny added on, if only somewhat helpfully. In truth, the simulations she ran in which hunters arrived… distressed her, and left her with an… indescribably bad feeling in her chest, like her core was forcing itself into the bowels of her chassis and causing itself great pressure and strain in doing so…

"We… have to do what's best." Pyrrha mumbled unhappily. "As _hunters._ I will do everything I can to slow her down, and to capture her safely, but if she tries to harm Vale—"

"Sh-she would _never._ All she wants right now…" Yang grit her teeth. "All she wants is to kill the man behind all of this; my baby girl wants to _murder a man…"_ She whispered to herself, and Pyrrha gently rubbed her upper arm as she tried to think of some sort of compromise, but found herself shaking her head; calling other hunters could only end in one way...

When it was a matter of severing a limb, the deed could be done and what was left could be collected and taken to safety, but a whole person? Suddenly the decision was in her hands, to sacrifice somebody who was no doubt scared out of their mind…

Pyrrha shook her head. Making a call that big, right now, without seeing everything first hand was currently beyond her. She shelved it, it was an answer she'd have to find the only way she knew how: experiencing it. A thousand stories with the same questions always thought it best to save the individual… and a hundred discussed the realistic answer, and how foolish it was to risk everything for one person.

The hunter's duty was to the people as a whole, one's personal feelings couldn't matter… right? That was the Atlesian way of doing things. She wondered what Headmaster Ozpin would have said, if he was even capable of doing so. She lifted her weapons and, without another word, nodded to Jaune, beckoned Penny, and ran towards the exit.

What a mighty hero she was, trying so hard to avoid asking herself what was right and resorting to what she knew: combat. She couldn't have just stayed still and left the dock get overrun, but she was running from the philosophy of it all, which Doctor Oobleck would have argued was just as important.

She could hear Penny running behind her, she could hear the howling, scratching, and snarling from up above, but she was clouded by her own thoughts, and she silently resolved to keep her wits; silently, the huntress stood back, and the gladiator stepped forward, and all at once, the only thing that mattered was meeting her opponent in combat and winning.


End file.
